On Tuesday, June 16, the Meadowlands hosted its second match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, just a few days after hosting Brazil vs. Morocco. The most recent match featured 2018 FIFA World Cup champions France, taking on Senegal. France is currently ranked as the second best team in the world by FIFA, with Senegal at 16th, meaning the region was hosting some of the world’s best players.
Entering the match, France were significantly favored to win the game, however, Senegal’s defense was able to hold off the powerhouse for the entirety of the first half. With France boasting some of the game’s best stars, such as Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué and many other talented players, it was expected to be a comfortable win for their team, despite Senegal’s recent success.
The second half was more of what France is accustomed to, as Kylian Mbappé opened the game’s scoring with a goal in the 66th minute. It is only fitting that one of France’s biggest stars and a key piece to their 2018 FIFA World Cup title and 2022 FIFA World Cup final appearance, would be the player to open the tournament’s scoring for the country. The goal was Mbappé’s 13th FIFA World Cup goal with France, tying him with Just Fontaine as the country’s leading goalscorer in the tournament and fifth in the tournament’s history.
Not long after, Bradley Barcola scored France’s goal in the 82nd minute, giving his country a comfortable 2-0 lead, with time expiring. The goal all but secured the win for France, with Senegal needing to mount a miraculous comeback to recover from the deficit.
Senegal began its comeback in stoppage time, with Ibrahim Mbaye scoring a goal in the 95th minute, though the celebration was short-lived. No longer than a minute later, Mbappé scored his second goal of the match, to secure a 3-1 victory for France. The goal was Mbappe’s 14th in the World Cup, making him France’s top goalscorer in the tournament, as well as tied for fourth all-time amongst all World Cup participants. The current record is a tie amongst Miroslav Klose and Lionel Messi, who earned his spot on the list after a hat trick performance hours after France’s match, with both of them having 16 goals. While Messi is in a perfect spot to break the record, Mbappé is 11 years younger, giving him many more opportunities to eventually become the World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer.
Throughout two matches at the Meadowlands, both games have brought tons of entertainment and flashy goals to the region. The next match being held at New York New Jersey Stadium will be on Monday, June 22, as Senegal returns to the pitch to take on Norway, who recently defeated Iraq thanks to a dominant showing from Erling Haaland. Following Mbappé’s impressive performance, another world-class goalscorer will be heading to the Meadowlands for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.