France vs Senegal

Twenty-four years after Papa Bouba Diop's goal sank the defending champions in Seoul, Senegal get their chance to haunt France on the biggest stage once more. That 1-0 upset in the 2002 World Cup opener remains one of the tournament's great shocks, and while France have since hoisted the trophy twice and lost another final on penalties, the scar tissue from that afternoon still lingers in the French football consciousness. Didier Deschamps' squad arrives with its customary depth — arguably the most talent-rich pool in international football — but also with the weight of expectation that has alternately fueled and suffocated them across three consecutive major finals. Mbappé, assuming fitness, remains the planet's most devastating transitional weapon, while the emergence of Aurélien Tchouaméni and the continued excellence of Antoine Griezmann give France a midfield spine few can match.

Senegal, though, are no longer the charming newcomers of 2002. Aliou Cissé has built something genuinely formidable: African champions in 2022, quarter-finalists in Qatar where England only barely survived them, and now a side that blends physical ferocity with genuine technical quality. The tactical fascination lies in whether France will impose possession or sit in their devastating counter-attacking shape against a Senegalese team that relishes the ball but is arguably at its most dangerous when given space to run into. Both teams want transition moments. Only one will get them more often.