This Tuesday, the French national team will play Senegal in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers at 9 pm CET at the MetLife Stadium. Six Paris Saint-Germain players will be involved in the match. Five for France: Lucas Hernandez, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola, and Ousmane Dembélé. One for Senegal: Ibrahim Mbaye. RMC Sport and L’Equipe announced on Sunday a likely starting lineup for Les Bleus with William Saliba in the starting eleven, after he returned to full training yesterday.
Mbappé
Doué – Olise – Dembélé
Rabiot – Tchouaméni
T. Hernandez – Saliba – Upamecano – Koundé
Maignan
A perfectly credible lineup, reflecting recent matches and the players expected to be available. Saliba’s return, if confirmed, would be excellent news. However, they must be wary of a relapse, which could lead the French coaching staff to wait before giving him a starting spot.
The rest of the lineup could also change, as the warm-up matches haven’t been entirely convincing. Many observers are calling for modifications, but there’s no indication at the moment that Didier Deschamps and his staff share this view.
