N’Golo Kante and coach Didier Deschamps during training. (Credit: Reuters)
* We want a victory, not for revenge, but to get the competition off to a good start and go as far as possible
* As Algeria make FIFA World Cup return after 12 years against world champions Argentina with no special plans for Lionel Messi
Maravi Express
France midfielder N’Golo Kante has warned his teammates against underestimating Senegal when the two sides face off in their opening 2026 FIFA World Cup™ 2026 tonight (21h00).
All eyes will be on this fixture, which is a repeat of the 2002 edition in South Korea, when the two sides were drawn to face each other in the group-stage opener in which the Lions of Teranga shocked the then defending champions with a famous 1-0 victory.
Late Senegal midfielder Papa Bouba Diop scored the only goal of the game in the 30th minute, bundling the ball over the line from close range following a scramble in the penalty box.
Senegal was playing in their first-ever World Cup match and contributed to knocking the defending world champions out, as they failed to score a goal in the entire tournament.
Ahead of the re-match, the 35-year-old Kante has cautioned Les Bleus to be wary of the Lions of Teranga, who he said have a lot of quality players and strength to compete against the best.
“I have Malian roots, but I’ve represented France for a long time,” said the former Chelsea midfielder. “The goal is to win against Senegal. We saw what happened in 2002.
“We want a victory, not for revenge, but to get the competition off to a good start and go as far as possible. Senegal is a team with a lot of quality and many strengths.
“Their midfield performed very well [during the AFfCON Morocco 2026]. But they also have attacking and defensive players. They have a good balance, which makes Senegal a very difficult team, one to be taken seriously.
“The match will be decided by many aspects. But I think we have what it takes to compete with Senegal and win this match.”
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France coach Didier Deschamps said of the 2002 defeat to Senegal: “It’s part of history. I watched the match, but almost all of my players weren’t even born in 2002.
“I know you have this famous word ‘revenge’, but for me, there’s no such thing as revenge in football, and it happened 24 years ago.
“Good for Senegal for what happened in 2002, but now there’s a new chapter to write. Today we’re going to do everything we can to make sure the result goes our way.”
France are a global powerhouse, having won the tournament in 1998 and 2018 and reaching the final in 2006 and 2022, while Senegal have established themselves as one of Africa’s top teams, qualifying for four World Cups (2002, 2018, 2022, and 2026).
Kante’s teammate Manu Kone said France must be physically ready to deal with Senegal, who have players with pace and always put energy and intensity into their style of play.
“Whatever happens, we have to be ready against Senegal, who are a very good team that puts a lot of energy and intensity into their game,” said Kone, who plays for AS Roma.
“They are African champions, and we have to be ready. We have worked well so far. It is a highly anticipated match for both sides; it is up to us to be ready.”
Senegal will next face Norway on June 22 before winding up their group stage matches on June 26 against Iraq, who are up against Norway from 00h00.
Meanwhile, Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic said there were no special plans to stop Lionel Messi when the North Africans face world champions Argentina from 03h00.
Messi captained La Albiceleste to a third World Cup triumph at Qatar 2022, adding the one trinket that had eluded him in his trophy-laden career and the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain superstar will appear at a record sixth World Cup.
Argentina favourites to progress from a group also containing Austria and World Cup debutants Jordan — but at his pre-match press conference Petkovic said: “I respect every player and every opponent enormously, but I also respect our own strengths. I always try to propose something different and try to dominate with my own team.
“I have never created a plan to stop one specific player and I won’t tomorrow either. We will try to limit the players around them who help these world-class players express themselves at their best.
“It’s pointless to prepare your team for one individual player. We need a Plan A for how we play and a Plan B for how we react in certain situations.”
Coach Petkovic
This is Algeria first global finals appearance since a last-16 exit to Germany at Brazil 2014. A disappointing Africa Cup of Nations saw the Fennecs exit at the quarter-finals, although wins over the Netherlands and Bolivia in the buildup to the World Cup 2026 has given Bosnian Petkovic plenty to be encouraged by.
“We have worked well over these two weeks and the team arrives prepared for the match against Argentina. We are obviously not the favourites, but as we have already seen in this tournament, surprises are possible and we will try to create one.”
Argentina suffered one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history in Qatar, losing 1-2 to Saudi Arabia in their opening match — but in the end, it counted for little, with Argentina going on to beat France in the final on penalties.
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For Petkovic, who coached Switzerland to the last-16 at Russia 2018, the opening game of any World Cup”is always an unknown” but that a positive result would put Algeria in a strong position to make it out of the group.
“That’s why it’s important to focus on ourselves, give our maximum and get a result because a positive result in the opening game helps you approach the following matches with greater confidence and positivity,” he said.
“We have ambitions, but we must keep our feet on the ground and remain realistic. Previous matches have shown us we can compete against big opponents, but they have also shown us that great opponents can decide games on their own.
“If they perform at 100% and we perform at 100%, they still have an advantage. So we need to give something extra to have a chance of winning.”
For Messi, there are records within reach, and then there is the unending desire for competition. He will turn 39 next week, and this is widely expected to be his World Cup farewell.
Not only will he beat Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo by mere hours as the first to feature in six World Cups, he also needs four goals this tournament to break Germany’s Miroslav Klose’s career record of 16.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The game against Algeria will be his 200th for Argentina, while his 117 goals are also a national record. Messi moved stateside to play for Inter Miami in 2023, where he’s won Major League Soccer MVP awards and a league title.
He left Miami’s final match before the World Cup break with muscle fatigue in his left hamstring, but he’s since recovered and came off the bench to score in a friendly against Iceland.
“There had been doubts because of what I said at the previous World Cup. That I thought it would be difficult for me to play in another one, because so many years had to pass,” Messi said this month.
“But I kept feeling good and taking things day by day. I had the opportunity to play, get into rhythm, get minutes on the pitch and gradually feel better.
“It happened naturally. I’m happy, enjoying every moment and now I’m also as excited as ever.”—Reporting by Flashscore News & The National News; editing by Maravi Express
Group stage results
Group A
Mexico 2-0 South Africa
South Korea 2-1 Czechia
Group B
Canada 1-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Qatar 1-1 Switzerland
Group C
Brazil 1-1 Morocco
Haiti 0-1 Scotland
Group D
USA 4-1 Paraguay
Australia 2-0 Turkiye
Group E
Côte d’Ivoire 1-0 Ecuador
Germany 7-1 Curacao
Group F
Netherlands 2-2 Japan
Sweden 5-1 Tunisia
Group H
Spain 0-0 Cape Verde
Saudi Arabia 1-1 Uruguay
Group G
Belgium v Egypt
Iran 2-2 New Zealand
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