Kylian Mbappé seals victory for France in record-breaking match against Senegal in the World Cup

France's Kylian Mbappé is among the stars people will have their eyes on during the FIFA World Cup 2026 and he made sure that no one is disappointed.

During France's tournament opener against Senegal at the New York New Jersey Stadium, he scored a stunning brace to ensure his country's victory.

France secure three points after first match in FIFA World Cup 2026

On Tuesday, June 16, 2026, France opened their World Cup campaign with a win against Senegal. However, things were not smooth for the title contenders for most of the match. The first half was underwhelming as both sides failed to have a breakthrough.

However, things turned around for France after the one-hour mark, all thanks to their star player, Kylian Mbappé and a terrific performance by Player of the Match, Michael Olise.

To break the deadlock, the Real Madrid star scored a stunning goal from close-range marked by his clinical finish, in the 66th minute. His teammate, Bradley Barcola doubled France's lead in the 82nd minute and they looked comfortable.

Senegal, who were pressing throughout, managed to break through the French defence in stoppage time as Ibrahim Mbaye scored in 90+5th minute. Mbappé took absolutely no time to respond and scored a 30-yard screamer less than a minute later to lend his country a comfortable victory.

Kylian Mbappé is a World Cup treasure

Kylian Mbappé is playing his third World Cup tournament. After Tuesday's brace, he now has 14 goals from just 15 appearances. The French player will look forward to being the all-time World Cup top-scorer, a record currently held by Germany Miroslav Klose and Argentina's Lionel Messi, who are both tied at 16 goals.

Messi became the joint top-scorer hours after Mbappé's brace, scoring a hat-trick during Argentina's match against Algeria. In an exciting contest, both players will fight for the record as they go further into the tournament.

With his two-goal performance against Senegal, Mbappé also became France's all-time leading goalscorer with 58 goals, breaking Olivier Giroud’s record of 57. The player achieved the extraordinary feat in just 99 official appearances, 38 fewer than Giroud.

The 27-year-old has reached the World Cup final in both the 2018 and 2022 editions that he played. He was crowned World Champion with France during his debut FIFA World Cup in 2018 and became one of the breakthrough players of the tournament, even winning the FIFA Young Player Award.

In the 2022 tournament in Qatar, a more matured and experienced Mbappé threatened to snatch away eventual Champion Argentina's victory with a World Cup final hat-trick. Despite the crushing defeat, he took home the Golden Boot as the tournament top-scorer with 8 goals.

In 2026, France is once again a favourite and Mbappé their leading man. They will definitely want to get their hands on the trophy once again but only time will tell what's in store.

For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.