The Franco-Senegalese community in France is preparing for the France, Senegal 2026 FIFA World Cup match, set to be played on Tuesday in New Jersey.
Highly anticipated, the game will serve as the opener for Group I, which also includes Iraq and Norway, with France widely predicted to be the favourite.
The Senegalese form a large community in France, with the diaspora estimated at a few hundred thousand people, according to various studies.
For many, the match is particularly meaningful, as it not only serves as a link between the two countries, but also as a clash between France – who reached the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup – and Senegal, a finalist in the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations.
“The French players aren’t inherently better. The Senegalese players play on the same teams; they know each other,” said Baye Cheikh Kouta, a Franco-Senegalese fan who plans to support Senegal in the upcoming game.
Along with other members of the Senegalese diaspora, he discussed the West African nation’s chances against France.
The Senegalese restaurant where Kouta and his friends gathered will be showing the match on Tuesday. Its Franco-Senegalese owner, Georges Turpin, said he expects a large turnout for the game.
“We’re already fully booked for Tuesday. Why? Because, statistically speaking, we have a capacity of 100 seats. But we already have over 180 reservations,” Turpin said.
In the northern city of Lille, a Franco-Senegalese family will be cheering for both teams.
The father, Julien Gaudet, a Frenchman, said he would be rooting for France, as a choice of the heart.
“But now, as I’ve said, since I have a Senegalese wife and children of mixed heritage, I will adapt to whoever wins even though my heart is with France. If necessary, I can take off my jacket and cheer for Senegal too,” he added.
Together with his wife, Fatou Fall, Gaudet runs a Senegalese restaurant. Their children have grown up in both cultures, and their eldest son, Nael Gaudet, plans to support Senegal.
“I live in France, but thanks to my mother, I’ve done more Senegalese things than French things and things from other African countries,” he said when asked to explain his choice.
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