Ibrahim Mbaye scored for Senegal against France as the Paris Saint-Germain forward became the youngest African goalscorer in World Cup history at 18 years and 142 days.
The record came during Senegal’s 3-1 defeat to France in their opening 2026 FIFA World Cup group game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. Mbaye, one of PSG’s emerging attacking talents, struck his first World Cup goal after coming on as a substitute, giving Senegal a late consolation and giving Paris supporters a major international storyline to follow.
Mbaye Gives PSG Another World Cup Talking Point
The timing is significant for both player and club. PSG’s official round-up of the opening group-stage fixtures noted that Bradley Barcola had also scored in the same match for France, while Kang-In Lee, Joao Neves and Vitinha were among the other Rouge et Bleu players to make early tournament impacts.
For Mbaye, though, the headline is sharper. A World Cup goal before his 19th birthday puts him in rare company and underlines why PSG have invested so much faith in his development. It also gives Senegal a genuine bright spot from a difficult result against one of the tournament favourites.
Senegal now turn towards Norway on Tuesday 23 June, while PSG fans will watch whether Mbaye’s record-breaking cameo earns him a bigger role as the group stage develops, according to Paris Saint-Germain’s official update.
