Criticized for Lack of Football Expertise, Meunier Retains M6's Support for World Cup

Ophélie Meunier is facing a barrage of criticism since the launch of the World Cup Magazine on M6, but the channel is maintaining its choice unambiguously, citing satisfactory audience figures.

Accustomed to society magazines like Zone Interdite, the presenter has been criticized by part of the public for a lack of football expertise. Negative comments have multiplied on social media: “no credibility to talk football”, “casting error”, “a disaster”… Her detractors reproach her for interviews deemed too smooth and a tone disconnected from the fervor inherent to the event.

Her on-air team has not been enough to quell the controversy. Alongside World Cup winner Samuel Umtiti and content creator Michou, her positioning has also been described as too “formatted” for a competition of this scale.

M6’s management, however, fully stands by this editorial choice. “We said before the World Cup that the key word would be pleasure,” explained Hervé Béroud, head of M6. “The show that has been offered from the start, whether in the commentary, Ophélie Meunier’s magazine and the content on M6+, has been very successful so far.”

For Béroud, the presenter’s versatile and unifying profile matches the stated objective of the program: to bring together a broad family audience after the competition’s flagship matches, without exclusively targeting tactical analysis enthusiasts. The channel says audience figures validate this sports infotainment approach despite critical noise on digital platforms.