Senegal vs. France Odds, Picks & Predictions - Group I, 06/16
The opening matches of group play in the 2026 World Cup continues with a Group I matchup as Senegal takes on France Tuesday afternoon and we have you covered with our Senegal vs. France prediction. Senegal battled Saudi Arabia to a scoreless draw in their final international friendly ahead of the World Cup in their previous match last Tuesday. France downed Northern Ireland 3-1 in their final international friendly last Monday. Senegal earned a 1-0 win in the lone World Cup meeting between the teams, which came in a Group A matchup on May 31, 2002. Let’s break down this Senegal vs. France matchup.
Don’t forget to check out all the World Cup odds as the tournament progresses!
Senegal Seeking to Upend France in Opener
Senegal qualified for the World Cup as they won the CAF Group B qualification group with a record of seven wins, three draws and no losses. The Les Lions de la Teranga outscored the opposition 22-3 en route to winning the group. Senegal makes their fourth World Cup appearance this year and their third consecutive. Their best run was that 2002 run when they reached the quarterfinals. Les Lions de la Teranga has an all-time record of five wins, three draws and four losses in World Cup play. Senegal entered the World Cup 15th in the FIFA world rankings.
Against Saudi Arabia, neither side did much offensively, opting to prioritize health ahead of the World Cup. As a result, the match ended up as a scoreless draw. Les Lions de la Teranga owned a near three-to-two advantage in possession in the match. Senegal lost in shot attempts 9-7 but owned a 5-3 advantage in shots on goal. The two sides traded chances early on but were unable to score. Therefore, the match was scoreless at the half. Both sides made substitutions rather liberally in the second half but neither side scored. Nicolas Jackson earned a red card in the 84th minute but that didn’t factor into anything.
Édouard Mendy projects to make his fifth career World Cup start between the sticks here. He has a record of two wins, no draws and two losses in those matches. Mendy failed to record a clean sheet in any of those contests. Meanwhile, in World Cup qualifying, he has a record of 11 wins, four draws and one loss in 16 matches. Mendy recorded nine clean sheets in those outings.
France Looks to Live Up to Favorite Status
France easily earned their way into the World Cup as they won UEFA qualification Group D with a mark of five wins, one draw and no losses. Les Bleus outscored the opposition by a margin of 16-4 en route to earning their berth. France logs their 17th World Cup appearance this year and their eighth consecutive. Les Bleus reached the title game in both 2018 and 2022, winning the former and falling in penalties in the latter. France owns a record of 39 wins, 14 draws and 20 losses in World Cup play. Les Bleus entered the World Cup ranked third in the FIFA rankings.
Against Northern Ireland, France put their upset defeat to Ivory Coast behind them and earned a win. As a result, that sent them into the tournament on a positive note. In that match, Les Bleus controlled things most of the way en route to the win. France dominated possession by a near three-to-one margin in the match. Les Bleus had a massive 27-5 edge in shot attempts and a 5-2 edge in shots on goal. The match was scoreless when Michael Olise got France on the board in the 43rd minute. That gave Les Bleus a 1-0 advantage at the half. Early in the second half, Olise scored his second of the match in the 49th minute for a 2-0 France lead. After Northern Ireland scored to make it a 2-1 score, Olise capped his hat trick with a goal in the 74th minute. Malo Gusto assisted on that marker
Mike Maignan makes his World Cup debut between the sticks for France in this contest. He posted a record of four wins, one draw and no losses in five starts in World Cup qualifying. Maignan turned in three clean sheets in those contests. Make sure you keep track of the France World Cup odds as they progress through the tournament.
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Senegal is a tough side and they have experienced pieces as they take the field here. Les Lions de la Teranga are going to have their hands full with France, however. While Les Bleus say that they don’t have revenge on their minds from that 2002 upset, you know it’s something in the back of everyone’s mind. We know the weapons that France brings to the pitch offensively and that can’t be overlooked. Olise, Kylian Mbappé and Rayan Cherki all have the ability to score. Senegal hangs tough but France likely earns the victory here. Meanwhile, look for this one to wind up over the total as this is likely a 2-1 type of match.
Our Prediction: Over 2.5 Goals (DraftKings, -110)
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