Ophélie Meunier criticized on her first night as 2026 World Cup presenter

Ophélie Meunier had a difficult start as master of ceremonies for the 2026 World Cup on M6: as soon as the first episode of her magazine aired Thursday evening, many viewers expressed their displeasure on social media, with some calling it a “casting mistake”.

The show, broadcast daily before and after matches, is designed to analyze and break down the games with guests, commentators and specialists. It was Guillaume Charles, M6’s general director of programming, who entrusted this mission to the 38-year-old journalist. Smaïl Bouabdellah accompanies her as the main on-set partner, while Laure Lepailleur, Ludovic Giuly and Johan Djourou serve as consultants.

The criticism centers mainly on an alleged lack of football legitimacy on Ophélie Meunier’s part. A former host and commentator on Canal+ early in her career, she joined M6 in 2016 to present “Zone interdite”, a current affairs magazine far removed from sports. She had herself anticipated these reactions before the tournament kicked off. “I won’t escape it, that’s the game. I won’t escape it, that’s for sure,” she had told Léa Salamé.

The journalist will notably be in charge of the evenings dedicated to France’s matches, the most-watched appointments of the competition on the channel.