The contrast between the two football icons adds another fascinating chapter to this World Cup.

The second half began after a delay of almost two hours because of thunderstorms and lightning in the Philadelphia area.

All eyes will be on Kylian Mbappe when France face Iraq in their second Group I match on Monday, with the Real Madrid superstar set to make his 100th appearance for Les Bleus and continue his pursuit of World Cup history.

He will become the 10th French player to reach a century of caps, but is still a long way away from the record of 145 appearances held by his former teammate, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

France arrived in North America as clear favourites to go all the way, tipped to become only the third team after Germany (1982-1990) and Brazil (1994-2002) to reach three consecutive World Cup finals.

Before the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, one of the most anticipated storylines was the race to break Germany striker Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup goalscoring record.

The World Cup has always been a stage where legends are born, dreams are realised and history is rewritten. But Tuesday offered something even rarer -- a spectacular celebration of football's past, present and future as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland all delivered unforgettable performances on the same day.

"There are still people out there who will criticise him but he is an extraordinary player. Not everything came off for him, but he can win games in one moment," Deschamps said of the Real Madrid superstar.

France shook themselves awake after a sleepy first half on Tuesday to beat Senegal 3-1 in the New York/New Jersey Stadium for a perfect start to their World Cup campaign.

Discover inspirational Kylian Mbappé quotes that transcend football. Embody sportsmanship and teamwork through personal sacrifice, embrace your unique individuality to write your own story, and set high goals fearlessly to ensure continuous self-improvement and progress.

Lionel Messi's Argentina and Kylian Mbappe's France, the two teams who contested a thrilling World Cup final four years ago, roar into the 2026 tournament on Tuesday.

World Cup favourites France face a tricky Group I opener against Senegal in New Jersey tonight, with memories of one of the biggest upsets in tournament history hanging heavily over the contest.

"They've been very unfair to him," the Paris Saint-Germain winger said. "They go a bit overboard with the criticism of Kylian because he's an incredible player. A great person off the field. I've known him for a long time."

Three goals. Three. In a World Cup final. And still, a defeat.

Vinicius Jr's first-half strike earned Real Madrid a 1-0 win at Sevilla in LaLiga on Sunday, with forward Kylian Mbappe returning to the starting lineup after being controversially left out by manager Alvaro Arbeloa.

Fans were unhappy about Mbappe travelling to Sardinia on holiday while recovering from his injury.

Kylian Mbappe will spearhead France at the World Cup after national team coach Didier Deschamps on Thursday announced his 26-man squad for this summer's tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa called on French striker Kylian Mbappe on Wednesday to show "his commitment" to the team in the last three matches of the season.

The French forward has been recovering from a hamstring injury and trained with his teammates on Friday, but he was not on the squad list issued by the club on social media.

Kylian Mbappe trained on Friday after recovering from a hamstring injury ahead of the Clasico against Barcelona, with Aurelien Tchouameni also involved following his bust-up with teammate Federico Valverde.