France, Senegal fans share love of soccer at FIFA World Cup

EAST RUTHERFORD — “Africa in the house!” shouted Chioma Anyanwu, as she headed toward MetLife Stadium before Senegal faced France in the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 16.

Though Anyawu is from Nigeria, she was firmly on the side of Senegal, because, “Africa supporting Africa, you know?” She had even bought miniature French and Senegalese flags to sell while waiting in line to get into the building.

“I love this team,” said Anyawu, who has lived in Newark for about 20 years. “Regardless of what’s going on back home in Africa, they keep pressing forward. I wish the Nigerian team could have done the same.”

<

Thomas Sandrin said he’d waited 43 years to see the French national team play, and his son, Luca, waited for 11. Father and son drove nine hours from Toronto, where the elder Sandrin is a consultant for watch brands – and a World Cup volunteer.

Both wore French blue No. 10 jerseys with a twist.

Thomas Sandrin had midfielder-turned-coach Zinedine Zidane on his back, while Luca repped striker Kylian Mbappé – the previous generation turning things over to the current one. The elder Sandrin also noted that his jersey had no World Cup championship stars, while his son’s had two above the logo.

There are eight World Cup matches at the Meadowlands: three more from the group stage, two in the knockout round, and the June 19 final. After a possible detour to the New York Knicks’ victory parade on June 18 in New York City, the Sandrins are driving up to Foxborough, Massachusetts, to see France play Norway on June 27.

“I’m just stunned,” said Luca Sandrin, who cried tears of joy when his parents told him about the tickets. “It’s a dream come true.”

Jhon Guerra wore a blue France jersey, but he posed for photos in front of the stadium on Tuesday holding up a Venezuelan flag. Guerra and his friends, Jhon Rincon and William Vergara, all emigrated from Caracas, Venezuela to Chicago. But all claimed to be supporting the French team, albeit for unconventional reasons.

There were quite a few people with yellow, blue and red striped flags, representing Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia.

“Venezuela is not here, so France is my country because of Mbappe,” Guerra said in Spanish. “He scored the most goals for Real Madrid, and that’s my team.”

Check out the photo gallery and scroll down for the rest of the story.

<1 / 5

<2 / 5

<3 / 5

<4 / 5

<5 / 5

Mbappe also brought Aldo Schemelensky to the Dream Fan Fest in the American Dream mall before the match. He and three friends wore matching Mexico jerseys and navy pants with dolls dressed in stereotypical Mexican costumes wrapped around their legs. They attracted plenty of attention and posed for photos with fans of many nations.

“Mbappe is an idol for us. Mbappe is magic,” said Schemelensky, a local administrator in Mexico City. “We’re Mexican, but today we’re French too. Mexico is our favorite team, but France will win the World Cup.”

Almost 100 France-born players are on World Cup rosters, but many do not play for Les Bleus. In fact, there are more French players on African teams than the 23 representing France – including nine from Senegal.

In addition to Didier Deschamps, the head coaches of Belgium, Congo, Haiti and Tunisia are also listed as being French nationals.

“It’s a long history, but at the end, we feel like friends, no matter what,” said Serge Barry, an Air Canada flight attendant who was born in Dakar, Senegal. “Even if France wins, it’s still Africa who wins. Africa is winning no matter what.”

This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: France, Senegal fans share love of sport at 2026 FIFA World Cup