World Cup Match Day 6: Messi, Mbappé, Haaland Headline Star-Studded Slate

Tuesday is one of the most star-studded days in the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Kylian Mbappé and France begin the day by taking on one of Africas best teams in Senegal. The second game features Erling Haaland and Norway beginning their tournament run when they face Iraq. 

Then Lionel Messi and Argentina begin their title defense against an Algerian team that enters the tournament playing great soccer. Finally, one of the most improved European teams in Austria looks to continue to impress in its opener when it faces Jordan. 

Here is all you need to know for the big day. 

France vs. Senegal: How To Watch

When: Tuesday, June 16, 3 p.m. ET 
Where: New York/New Jersey 
TV: FOX
Stream: Watch three days free on FOX One

Group I gets underway on Tuesday when pre-tournament favorite France opens its World Cup at New York New Jersey Stadium with a difficult test against one of Africas best teams in Senegal. 

France is remarkably deep and talented at every position and the teams expectation is to lift every trophy possible. But the team has come up short in its last two major tournaments. At the 2022 World Cup final, France painfully lost to Argentina on penalties. At Euro 2024, France fell to eventual champions Spain 2-1 in the semifinal round. 

Under head coach Didier Deschamps, France strolled through World Cup qualifying without a loss, outscoring opponents 16-4 over six games.  

It is hard to find a weakness in France as Ibrahima Konaté and Willian Saliba likely make up the best central defensive pairing at this tournament. The midfield trio of Aurelien Tchouameni, NGolo Kante, and Adrien Rabiot are all well established at the highest levels. And the front line consists of Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé, who recently won the Champions League with Paris St. Germain, and Kylian Mbappé, who is one of the best attackers of his generation. 

Even with all that talent, there are some concerns. France was stunned by the Ivory Coast in its first World Cup tune-up in Nante as the African nation carved up the French defense with excellent passing en route to a 2-1 win. France then won its final World Cup friendly against Northern Ireland 3-1 but was not particularly sharp. 

Coached by Pape Thiaw (who spent a large portion of his playing career in France), Senegal will not be an easy game for France. Currently, ranked 15th in the latest FIFA Rankings, Senegal also qualified for this World Cup without losing a game. Sadio Mané, 34, is not the player he was a decade ago, but he is still a dangerous forward. Winger Nicholas Jackson is also a top-level attacker after recently winning the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, while on loan from Chelsea. 

But there is a lot of depth to this Senegal team and 20 of the 26 players played in Europes top five leagues this past season. 

France vs. Senegal: Player to Watch

Kylian Mbappé: Regarded as one of the best players of his generation (ranked No. 2 in our Top World Cup Players), the French striker is on the shortlist for most experts to win the World Cups Golden Ball, Golden Boot, or both. The common criticism of Mbappé in recent years has been his scoring efficiency, as he has been wasteful with many of his opportunities despite still scoring goals in droves. This was the case in Frances t