France’s opening match of the 2026 World Cup was shrouded in controversy after Kylian Mbappe was denied a penalty. Didier Deschamps’ side beat Senegal 3-1 in their Group I clash on Tuesday evening.
Mbappe went down in Senegal’s penalty area following contact from former Liverpool star Sadio Mane. Referee Alireza Faghani chose not to award a penalty in his on-field decision.
He then went to the VAR monitor following discussions with the officials. After a brief delay, it appeared he was about to award a penalty.
However, after appearing to point to the spot, and with fans cheering what looked like a penalty, a Senegal goal-kick was given instead. It was explained that Mbappe had initiated the contact with Mane – therefore no foul was committed.
The call left former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann baffled duirng live coverage on BBC One.
He said: “I can’t support the referee’s decision to be honest. For me it is a clear penalty.
“My phone has blown up with messages from several of the world’s best referees who also can’t understand why a penalty wasn’t given. For me it is very, very clear and I am extremely surprised he did not point to the spot after a correct VAR review.”
Commentator Alan Shearer was also left bemused. The former England striker said: “I don’t get it. You can see the lunge from Mane and his left leg catches Mbappe. How can Mbappe initiate contact if he is in front of him? It’s bizarre it really is.”
France and Mbappe were able to respond almost immediately, with the French striker netting his country’s opener to become Les Bleus’ joint all-time leading goalscorer with his 57th strike.
The 27-year-old then secured the outright record with another goal in stoppage time to seal victory for his country. That followed strikes from Bradley Barcola and Senegal’s Ibrahim Mbaye.
France next face Iraq in Philadelphia on Monday while Senegal will look to respond when they take on Norway.