France Opens 2026 World Cup Against Senegal in New York

France begins its 2026 World Cup campaign Tuesday against Senegal in New York, reviving the only prior World Cup meeting between the teams. The match marks the opening fixture for both sides on Day 6 of the tournament. France enters ranked third in FIFA’s world rankings and Senegal is ranked 16th.

The 2002 encounter saw Senegal defeat France 1-0 in the tournament opener. Senegal advanced to the quarterfinals that year while France exited without a win. France will look to avoid a repeat of that result when the teams meet again.

Argentina has won each of its last six World Cup matches against African opponents. Austria plays Jordan and Cape Verde faces Spain, with both matches scheduled for the same day. Saudi Arabia drew 1-1 with Uruguay after Abdulelah Alamri scored for Saudi Arabia and Maximiliano Araujo scored for Uruguay.

Tunisia lost its opener 1-5 to Sweden and dismissed coach Sabri Lamouchi, with Mondher Kebaier set to serve as interim coach. FIFA found no evidence that VAR official Shaun Evans breached its disciplinary code during Germany’s opener against Curacao.

Iraqi supporters described their team’s return after more than 40 years as a moment of unity, though restrictions preventing Iraqi fans from attending matches in the United States remain in place.