Senegal vs France 2026 Fifa World Cup Group I preview

One of di ogbonge games for di Group stage for di 2026 Fifa World Cup go happun on Tuesday evening for New Jersey.

Senegal wey be 2021 Afcon champions go meet former World Champions France for dia Group I fixture.

Di stakes dey high for dis match as di Teranga Lions dey look to get points from France to start dia World Cup campaign for good note.

France for di oda hand go hope say dia star-studded team go sama Senegal.

Di French team na one of di favourites to win di tournament dis year wey dem get plenti ogbonge players wey fit carry dem all di way to di final.

Senegal dey comot di back of disputed 2025 Afcon wey Confederation of Africa football strip from dia hand sake of dem boycott di game afta di referee give one decision against dem wen dem bin dey jam Morocco for di final.

Caf disciplinary board rule say Senegal bin forfeit di game di moment di players waka comot di pitch for protest; even though dem later return to complete di game.

Na so dem bin award Morocco as winners for di Afcon.

Senegal don file appeal for di Court of Arbitration for Sports against di Caf decision wey dem still bin dey call diaserf Afcon champions for di 2025.

France for di oda hand no really get wahala except wetin pundits describe as power play and big egos for di team.

Dem get players like Kylian Mbappe, ballon d'or winner Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Rayan Cherki, N'golo Kante, Tchouameni and odas.

So far, na only one African kontri get all three points against dia opponent (Ivory Coast), di rest Morocco, Egypt, Cape Verde all bin get one point as South Africa and Tunisia chop defeat.

For 2002, Senegal bin defeat France 1-0 for di World Cup opener wey shock many pipo well well, but ova 20 years later, di two teams don transform.

Team news and build up

No fresh injury wahala dey for both teams as all dia key players dey available.

France coach Didier Deschamps dey aim to end im 14-year tenure as coach for Le Bleus wit dia third World trophy, but e neva go dey easy.

Di 57-year-old bin win di World Cup as captain wen dem host am for 1998 wey im win am again as coach for 2018 for Russia.

Im almost win am for di third time for 2022 wen France jam wit eventual winners Argentina, wey win for penalties.

Zinedine Zidane go take ova from Deschamps as coach of di national team but im dey hope to comot on high note wit anoda trophy to become di most successful World Cup coach.

France get di ogbonge attacking players wit Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Olise, Desire Doue, Bradley Barcola and odas.

Deschamps get headache to find who to select for each game.

Defender William Saliba dey back to full training afta im back injury, Jules Kounde also dey fit afta im get knock for dia friendly against Northern Ireland.

For Senegal, dem bin play di qualifiers for di tournament witout defeat wey dem top dia group wit seven wins from 10 games wey dem concede only three goals.

Dem go hope dia form go help dem for dis game; and di oda group games against Norway and Iraq.

Di last time Senegal bin lose competitive game (if you take out di Afcon final against Morocco), na for 2022 wen dem face England.

Di Teranga Lions dey unbeaten for 30 games bifor dem lose dia warm up match to di US wey dem draw wit Saudi Arabia.

For Qatar 2022, Sadio Mane bin struggle wit fitness wahala, but dis time di Al Nassr forward dey ready togeda wit Idrissa Gueye.

Wetin di two coaches tok ahead of di game

Didier Deschamps tok say "e dey important to start well sake of na first game be dis."

Im add say "di last World Cup champions bin lose dia opening game; dat neva stop dem from becoming champions, but ideally to start wit a win na di best possible scenario".

Deschamps explain say "di objective wen you dey approach di first game na to win, to get momentum, na so we go play to win".

Pape Thiaw, di Senegal coach face sanctions afta di Afcon final chaos wit Morocco; di 45-year-old dey target anoda upset against France.

"You go shock if Senegal beat France? For me I neva go dey shocked sake of we get world class players for dis our team."

Pape Thiaw say, "We don qualify for di last three World Cup, we bin reach three out of four Afcon finals, so for me, e neva go be surprise."

"I sabi how hard my team dey work, we go play difficult matches against good teams; dis na World Cup. Evri team don earn dia place," Pape Thiaw explain.

Possible lineup for both teams

France XI; Maignan; Kounde, Saliba, Upamecano, Hernandez; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Olise; Mbappe, Dembele, Doue

Senegal XI; E. Mendy; A. Mendy, Koulibaly, Niakhate, Diouf; Matar Sarr, P. Gueye, L. Camara; I. Sarr, Jackson, Mane

Di game go happun for di Metlife Stadium for New Jersey at 7 PM GMT (8PM WAT).

Make you join us for live text commentary.