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Due to the former French occupation of Senegal and the history of football, France-Senegal is an absolutely massive match that will write its final chapter on Tuesday.
As Michael Olise continues to make his case to win the Ballon d’Or and Senegal look to move past the controversy of winning the Africa Cup of Nations only to have their title stripped from them due to abandoning the pitch, this is a fitting tie for the knockout stages.
Senegal and France last faced each other at the 2002 World Cup, with Senegal defeating France 1-0, a moment that Senegal’s current coach, Pape Thiaw, will remember well, being part of the team during that clash. France were reigning World Cup champions and entered the match as heavy favourites, but that day produced an unforgettable surprise for Thierry Henry’s men and Zinedine Zidane, the latter absent due to an injury sustained before the tournament.
Fast forward to 2026, midfielder N’Golo Kanté has returned to the French squad to help balance this World Cup despite not being involved since the 2018 tournament for Les Bleus, but believes France have what it takes to defeat the African nation and avoid disaster.
“They have a good balance, which makes Senegal a very difficult team, to take seriously,” Kante said in a pre-match availability. “The match will be decided by many aspects. But I think we have what it takes to compete with Senegal and win this match.”
But despite that talent, it has been anything but a quiet week of preparation with Ousmane Dembele responding to criticism that Kylian Mbappe does not defend enough. While Mbappe said in an interview with Le Parisien that he must take a step forward in defence, Kante wants to show that this is a balanced team.
“We all want to do well in this World Cup, we want to be part of this team and have everyone on board. Everyone matters, everyone is important and everyone must feel concerned about the overall goal that we are pursuing,” he said.
Already seeing slow starts from contenders such as Spain and Belgium, France will have to ensure they avoid the fate of other European nations.
