France vs Senegal: 2002 Memories Shroud Former Coloniser vs Colony Clash

If Les Bleus manage to avenge their 2002 defeat to Senegal, the greatest credit must go to Deschamps.

France first arrived in Senegal in 1659, gradually turning it into a colony until it was fully under colonial rule in the 19th century. Senegal subsequently gained independence on 4 April 1960.

Before independence, the territory of Senegal was part of the French Empire. Consequently, in FIFA historical records, Senegal is considered to have been part of the political entity representing France during the first five editions of the World Cup, from 1930 to 1954.

Forty-two years after gaining independence, Senegal made its World Cup debut in 2002, when Japan and South Korea served as hosts. They made an immediate impact, ending their maiden World Cup as quarter-finalists.

The 2026 World Cup marks the fourth World Cup appearance for Senegal and their third consecutive since 2018 and 2022, where they finished in the Round of 16.

The 2021 African champions and runners-up of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2002, 2019, and 2025 share strong emotional and cultural ties with France.

This is due not only to Senegal being a former French colony and a member of La Francophonie, but also because many Senegalese players have traces of French connection.

Ten of Senegal’s 26 players were born in France, including all three of their goalkeepers, including the primary keeper Edouard Mendy.

All 26 members of the Senegalese squad play for clubs outside of Senegal, mostly in Europe, where the English Premier League and Ligue 1 are the largest contributors to the Teranga Lions squad.

Interestingly, France itself is not far removed from Africa, as 10 of the 26 Les Bleus players have African heritage, including N’Golo Kante, Aurelien Tchouameni, Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe, Rayan Cherki, and Michael Olise.

Even one of their three goalkeepers, Brice Bamba, was born in Congo.

Uniquely, French roots also extend to teams other than Senegal.

A total of 75 players born in France are playing in the 2026 World Cup, with the largest proportion representing Senegal, Algeria, Haiti, and Congo, all of which are former French colonies.

However, France remains the most frequent participant in the World Cup, having won it twice in 1998 and 2018, and finishing as runners-up in 2006 and 2022.