France opened their 2026 World Cup with a controlled 3-1 win over Senegal on 16 June at the New York New Jersey Stadium (MetLife, East Rutherford). Yet the night’s defining moment belonged to an 18-year-old Parisian raised in France’s own youth ranks: Ibrahim Mbaye, now a Lion of Teranga.
Everything clicked for Les Bleus, and for Kylian Mbappé above all. With a brace — including a long-range strike that settled it in stoppage time — the captain became France’s all-time top scorer, erasing Olivier Giroud’s record. Substitute Bradley Barcola also found the net. A composed display from the 2018 world champions, who were meeting Senegal in a competitive fixture for the first time since the 2002 shock.
Still, the picture of the night was Senegalese. Deep into added time, Ibrahim Mbaye — born in Trappes, shaped at Paris Saint-Germain, long courted by France’s youth setup — curled an unstoppable effort past Mike Maignan. The teenager who chose his father’s shirt keeps writing his story: a breakout star of the AFCON crown won in January, now a scorer of rare class on the biggest stage. Africa’s champions leave beaten, but with a raw diamond the world will keep talking about — from Dakar to the diaspora of Trappes and New Jersey.