- Captain Kylian Mbappe warns France not to underrate Senegal.
- The two sides will face each other at the New York/New Jersey Stadium.
- It will be a repeat of the 2002 World Cup opening match where Senegal famously stunned the then-defending world champions France in a 1-0 upset.
France captain Kylian Mbappé has issued a direct warning to his teammates, demanding absolute focus ahead of their highly anticipated FIFA World Cup 2026 opening fixture against African powerhouses Senegal.
With Les Bleus entering the tournament as heavy favorites, the Real Madrid forward is determined to eradicate any trace of complacency before the two gants collide in the Group I match.
The fixture carries immense historic weight, mirroring the iconic 2002 World Cup opening match where Senegal famously stunned the then-defending world champions France in a 1-0 upset.
Speaking ahead of the tournament, Mbappé made it clear that a sense of entitlement would be fatal to France’s ambitions of securing a third global title.
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“From the very first match against Senegal, if we go in thinking we’re already going to win the World Cup, the Senegalese will come at us hard and we’ll be brought back down to earth very quickly,” Mbappé cautioned.
The superstar dismissed the notion that being heavily backed by pundits is a luxury, instead calling it a potential trap.
“No, being favorites is not dangerous because you can be brought back down very quickly,” he said. “In the end, only victory matters. I’ve seen talented France teams that didn’t win.”
Entering his third World Cup, but his first as the designated tournament captain, Mbappé reflected on how drastically his responsibilities have evolved within Didier Deschamps’ setup.
“Before, I was the young talent, the cherry on top,” Mbappé explained. “Then I became an important player, the star everyone focuses on. People take care of you. And now, in 2026, I’m the one who has to take care of everyone.”
Despite a relatively quiet showing in recent warm-up friendlies, Mbappé backed the depth of the current French squad, though he maintained that potential means nothing without results, noting that “to be considered strong, you have to win and prove it on the pitch.”
Mbappé’s warning arrives at a time of intense media scrutiny. The French captain has faced criticism from domestic press following a low-key performance in France’s final pre-tournament warm-up match against Northern Ireland where Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise stole the show with a spectacular hat-trick.
However, the captain remains entirely unfazed, “You have to know how to deal with criticism because everyone at Real Madrid has been criticised, Cristiano Ronaldo, Alfredo Di Stefano, so I don’t see why I should be an exception,” Mbappé stated.
“You simply have to stay calm, concentrate on what you have to do, and tell yourself how you can improve your performance on the pitch.”
Mbappé stands on the precipice of history, as he enters the match with 56 international goals, just one shy of tying Olivier Giroud’s all-time French record of 57.
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