France Wins 3-1 Against Senegal in World Cup Opener as Mbappe Scores Twice

2026 World Cup Key News

(Central News Agency, East Rutherford, New Jersey, June 16) — France, one of the pre-tournament favorites to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup, opened their Group I campaign with a 3-1 victory over Senegal, thanks to a brace from Kylian Mbappe, launching their quest for a third World Cup title.

According to Agence France-Presse, including this match, Mbappe has now scored 14 goals in World Cup tournaments. This was also Mbappe’s 99th appearance for the French national team.

The first half ended goalless. In the 66th minute of the second half, Mbappe broke through into the penalty area and finished a brilliant pass from teammate Michael Olise to open the scoring.

Later, Bradley Barcola of Paris Saint-Germain (Ligue 1) came on as a substitute and scored in the 82nd minute, extending France’s lead to 2-0.

Both teams scored in stoppage time. In the 95th minute, Senegal’s Ibrahim Mbaye pulled one back to make it 2-1. Then, in the 96th minute, Mbappe sealed the win with a long-range strike.

Mbappe’s goal tally now equals that of Bayern Munich legend Gerd Müller. He trails only Germany’s Miroslav Klose and Brazil’s Ronaldo, who each scored 15 World Cup goals.

France entered the tournament as one of the top favorites, and expectations are high that they will maintain this momentum and comfortably advance to the Round of 32. France will next face Iraq in Group I, followed by a match against Norway. (Translation: Hung Chi-yuan) 1150617

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