Margotton warns France ahead of World Cup opener against Senegal

France begin their 2026 World Cup campaign on Tuesday at 21:00 at MetLife Stadium in New York against Senegal. On the eve of this clash, commentator Grégoire Margotton sought to temper the prevailing enthusiasm.

Speaking on France Inter, where he works during the World Cup, Margotton invoked a painful memory to illustrate his point: “In 2002, the French team had the best strikers in the world and they were eliminated in the group stage. We need to have a little memory and remember that France’s finest teams have also crashed out at World Cups.” A direct warning to Kylian Mbappé and his teammates, despite being designated favorites by a large section of observers.

The 56-year-old journalist does not hide his optimism, but conditions it on what happens on the pitch. “I am obviously optimistic, but winning is very complicated and we know that,” he said, before adding: “I believe in the story that unfolds as a World Cup progresses. We’ll see the first matches.”

Margotton expects strong opposition from Senegal. “They are Africa’s best team along with Morocco in the FIFA rankings. There are many very good players, players who know France’s players very well,” he stressed. According to him, a victory tonight would allow the Blues to approach their next two group opponents — Iraq on June 22 and Norway on June 26 — with greater peace of mind. “If this first match goes well, things will be more relaxed all the way to the round of 16.”