Faghani to referee France-Senegal as Saliba sweats on fitness

Your World Cup opener has a referee

Alireza Faghani will take charge of France's opening World Cup match against Senegal on Tuesday, June 16 at 21:00 (1). The Iranian referee is a familiar face, and a good omen for Les Bleus. He was in the middle for France's 2–1 win over Australia at the 2018 World Cup, a tournament that ended with the trophy in French hands.

Saliba missing from training

William Saliba has missed multiple France training sessions with an ongoing injury, casting doubt over his availability for the Senegal match (2). The Arsenal defender is a key part of Deschamps' defensive setup, and his absence would be a real blow this close to kick-off. No official word yet on the severity.

Mbappé's flute celebration promise

Kylian Mbappé says he will break out a flute celebration if he scores against Senegal, a nod to his father's Senegalese roots (4). The ritual is borrowed from his dad Wilfrid, who used to play the flute. With the opening match carrying so much personal history for Mbappé, the celebration would be pure theatre.

Open training draws 400 fans in Boston

France held an open session at Bentley University on Friday in front of roughly 400 supporters (3). Mbappé was the crowd favourite, with chants of "who do I love? Mbappé of course" ringing out. A warm reception as the squad settles into its U.S. base before the tournament begins.

Mbappé introduces every teammate

In a wide-ranging L'Équipe interview published Saturday, Mbappé went through the entire France squad one by one, offering personal anecdotes about each player (5). He revealed he speaks to Ousmane Dembélé daily, called Aurélien Tchouaméni a chatterbox, and joked that N'Golo Kanté will retire at 64. A fascinating glimpse into the camp's chemistry before the World Cup kicks off.