2002 Teranga Lions Prepare to Open Group I Campaign Against France Tonight

Duro Ikhazuagbe

As the opening match of Group I of the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaches, fans of the Teranga Lions will be hoping for a repeat of the 2002 triumph over France. The match will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where the finalists from the last edition, France, will face the African champions – Senegal, who were stripped of their title in the intervening years.

In 2002, Senegal famously defeated France 1–0 in the opening match of the World Cup that was jointly hosted by Japan and Korea. The victory propelled the Senegalese side to their best performance to date, reaching the quarter‑finals. Since then, the West Africans have not been able to replicate that success. Their best results in subsequent tournaments have been reaching the last 16, and they have failed to keep a clean sheet in 11 World Cup Finals matches. Their pre‑World Cup preparations have often been criticized as unconvincing.

Despite recent doubts, Pape Thiaw’s Lions are not a team to be written off. Kalidou Koulibaly, who missed the final two months of the 2025‑26 season after a thigh injury sustained during a training session at Al‑Hilal, has returned to the squad. The former Chelsea centre‑back appeared for eight minutes as a substitute in Senegal’s final pre‑World Cup friendly against Saudi Arabia and is expected to start against France tonight.

Nicolas Jackson, who was sent off for two bookable offences against Saudi Arabia in that friendly, will not be suspended for the World Cup opener. The Chelsea striker is expected to lead the line for the Lions, with support from Sadio Mané and Iliman Ndiaye on the wings.

For France, the ambition to reclaim the trophy they lost to Argentina at Qatar 2022 is strong. Les Bleus believe they can win the cup back‑to‑back, having won it in Russia 2018, and aim to play in a third successive final. A positive result against Senegal will be essential for that dream.

Coach Didier Deschamps, who won the cup with France as hosts in 1998, is looking to enter the record books by winning it again for Les Bleus.

On paper, France have the most complete squad of all 48 teams in the expanded 2026 edition. Aside from Arsenal’s centre‑back William Saliba, who aggravated a back injury in the UEFA Champions League final against PSG last month, Deschamps has a team that many expect to top Group I and reach the last two.

Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé and Kylian Mbappé are all guaranteed starters in attack, leaving Bradley Barcola, Rayan Cherki and Desire Doue to battle for the final spot.

Saliba has returned, though he has been used sparingly in France’s two pre‑World Cup friendlies. The severity of his injury has now been downplayed by Deschamps and France’s medical staff. Saliba is expected to start against the Teranga Lions alongside Dayot Upamecano.