Few group-stage fixtures at the FIFA World Cup 2026™ are as mouth-watering as the Group I match-up between France and Senegal. In fact, the battle between the two-time world champions and the Lions of Teranga at New York New Jersey Stadium on Tuesday, 16 June will be both sides’ first taste of the action, in a fixture steeped in memories.
While Senegal’s unexpected heroics in the tournament opener in 2002 inevitably spring to mind, the upcoming clash between the Qatar 2022 runners-up and one of the current heavyweights of African football provides the perfect excuse to take a broader look at France’s other meetings with African teams at the FIFA World Cup™.
France 1998
Although bouts between France and African teams have now become a regular fixture at the World Cup, it took until the 16th edition of the tournament in 1998 for Les Bleus to come face to face with a side representing the CAF region – in this case, South Africa – when the French got their campaign up and running on home soil.
Still bearing the scars of back-to-back absences from the global extravaganza, the eventual tournament winners found themselves in uncharted territory, especially as their first opponents were also something of an unknown quantity. A header from Christophe Dugarry and a deft Thierry Henry finish, together with Pierre Issa’s own goal, delighted supporters at a packed-out Stade Velodrome in Marseille and earned Aime Jacquet’s men a 3-0 win in this inaugural clash. That scoreline remains France’s largest-ever margin of victory against African opposition at the World Cup.
Korea/Japan 2002
In what is undoubtedly the best known of all these contests, the reigning world and European champions, who had also won the FIFA Confederations Cup 2001, were expected to make light work of newcomers Senegal in Seoul in the curtain-raiser of the 2002 edition.
However, a badly out-of-sorts French team flattered to deceive at both ends of the pitch and were knocked off their stride by the fearless Lions of Teranga, who served up one of the biggest shocks in the tournament’s history with a 1-0 win courtesy of the late Papa Bouba Diop. Whilst the Senegalese went on a remarkable run to the quarter-finals, Les Bleus crashed out after three matches, having drawn a blank in front of goal.
Germany 2006
The third meeting between France and an African side in as many editions of the World Cup took place in Cologne on 23 June, in vastly different circumstances from earlier encounters. The 2002 fiasco had stripped France of their fear factor and, following two consecutive draws in this instalment, the third group-stage match against tournament rookies Togo was a must-win showdown.
With their hopes of progressing on the line, Les Bleus ultimately prevailed courtesy of second-half strikes from Patrick Vieira and Henry, following a cagey first half. The tide then turned for the French, who rode the wave of this success against the Togolese all the way to the final, where they lost out 5-3 on penalties against Italy, having played out a 1-1 stalemate.
South Africa 2010
A bitterly fractured France team teetering on the brink of collapse were in dire need of as comprehensive a win as possible against South Africa in their final group-stage match to remain in contention.
However, Les Bleus’resistance did not last long against hosts that were determined to make their mark, and their hopes faded quickly after Yoann Gourcuff’s dismissal in the 26th minute. Trailing 2-0 at half-time and ultimately beaten 2-1, Raymond Domenech’s men lost out to an African side at the competition for only the second time, with this being the only such defeat to spell the end of the road in their World Cup adventure.
Brazil 2014
In Didier Deschamps’ debut World Cup in charge, France came through the first round unscathed in Brazil before being paired in the round of 16 with an unpredictable Nigerian side inspired by their midfield maestro John Obi Mikel. This marked the first time in their history that Les Bleus had met African opposition in the knockout stage, and the Super Eagles made life extremely difficult for Antoine Griezmann and Co.
Despite this, France’s efforts were eventually rewarded with two goals in the latter stages of the game. Deschamps’ team subsequently slipped to a 1-0 quarter-final defeat against Germany, four years before their march to the title in Russia, where – after a run of five straight global tournaments at which the French had been pitted against CAF representatives – they did not cross paths with a single African side.
Qatar 2022
Having already secured qualification for the knockout stage with two wins in as many games, France had never headed into a World Cup clash against African opposition in as relaxed a frame of mind as they did at Education City Stadium. However, there was still something riding on the match as Tunisia were harbouring hopes that a win, coupled with a draw in the meeting between Australia and Denmark, would carry them through.
The Eagles of Carthage went for broke against a heavily rotated French side and ended up scoring the only goal of the game courtesy of Wahbi Khazri in the 58th minute. Although victory for Australia elsewhere dashed Tunisia’s prospects of progressing, their team’s third-ever World Cup triumph thrilled the hundreds of thousands of Tunisian fans across the globe and meant that the North Africans could bow out of the competition on a high.
Having left Tunisia in their wake, the holders progressed to the last four, where a date with the tournament’s surprise package, Morocco, awaited them in a milestone match. For the first time in their history, France had to overcome not one, but two African opponents at the same World Cup, whilst the Atlas Lions were the first-ever national team from the African continent to reach a senior World Cup semi-final. Although a fifth-minute goal from Theo Hernandez gave his side an early lift, the French were living dangerously against the talented and tenacious Moroccans, until Randal Kolo Muani’s tap-in just over ten minutes from time put the result beyond doubt.
A 2-0 victory sent Deschamps’ men into a second consecutive final, which they ultimately lost 4-2 to Argentina on penalties following a thrilling 3-3 draw. It also gave them the upper hand overall against African sides at the competition. Ahead of the 2026 edition of the World Cup, France’s tally currently stands at four wins and three defeats in seven matches. How will it look after 16 June, when they renew acquaintances with Senegal on the global stage?
