Mbappé: France ready for the long World Cup journey
By Luke Oluoch, June 17, 2026France captain and star striker Kylian Mbappé has declared Les Bleus are fully prepared for the gruelling demands of their 2026 World Cup campaign following a statement 3-1 opening victory over Senegal on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at the New Jersey Stadium.
The Real Madrid ace, who scored a sublime brace, took to his social media page after the match to emphasise that building momentum from day one is critical to their ultimate tournament goals.
“Always important to start with a win. It will be a long road, but we are ready,” his statement read.
Mbappe’s mixed fortunes
Mbappé was fittingly the center of both pre-match and post-match talking points after an eventful encounter. The captain endured an evening of mixed fortunes early on, missing a spate of clear chances before finding his clinical edge to break the deadlock and set the 2018 champions on their way.
His first breakthrough came in the 65th minute. Moments after being denied a penalty following an off-field VAR review, Mbappé got the last laugh, firing home a brilliant strike from inside the box.
He later beat Senegal goalkeeper Édouard Mendy for a second time, unleashing an unstoppable shot from outside the box to seal the emphatic win.
Group I Standings
With the early victory, France successfully avoided the opening-match slip-ups that have historically plagued tournament heavyweights. However, Didier Deschamps’ side currently sits second in Group I.
Fellow Europeans and tournament dark horses Norway assumed the top spot after a dominant 4-1 win over Iraq later in the day at the Boston Stadium. The Norwegians were spearheaded by Erling Haaland, who also netted a brace to send a fierce warning to their group rivals.
With the first hurdle cleared, it remains to be seen just how far this French team, widely tipped as heavy favourites for the global crown, will go in North America.