Published on 12/6/2026
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Last update: 08:58 (Mecca time)
France star Kylian Mbappe sparked controversy while talking about the upcoming confrontation between his country and its Senegalese counterpart in the 2026 World Cup, after he touched on the existing controversy over the identity of the African champion.
The French national team is scheduled to meet Senegal on Tuesday, June 16, at the opening of their tournament campaign, where Mbappe spoke about the difficulty of the match and the importance of a strong start in the World Cup.
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I don’t know the African champion
The France striker said in statements on the French M6 network: “It is good to start the tournament against Senegal. They are the African champions, or perhaps I do not know if they are the champions or Morocco, so we will try to stay away from this matter.”
Mbappe quickly retracted his description of Senegal as the continent’s champion, in reference to the case pending before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which Senegal filed last March, against the backdrop of a dispute related to the continental title, amid anticipation of a final decision being issued during the coming period.
The Moroccan Football Federation had submitted a request to its African counterpart, demanding that the result of the 2025 African Cup final be counted in its favor against the backdrop of the withdrawal of the Senegalese national team players following an objection to the awarding of a penalty kick in the final time of the match in favor of the Atlas Lions. Indeed, Senegal was stripped of the title by an administrative ruling from the African Union and the title was awarded to Morocco.
In another context, Mbappe stressed in the same interview that facing Argentina would not represent “an obsession for the French national team” after losing the 2022 World Cup final, praising current coach Didier Deschamps and his leadership style.
