France vs Senegal June 16 — Match Preview: The Rematch That Harlem and All of NYC Has Waited Four Years For

Four Years of Waiting

In the 2022 World Cup Round of 16 in Al Thumama Stadium, Qatar, France beat Senegal 3-1. Mbappé scored. Koulibaly's own goal opened the scoring. Senegal — back-to-back AFCON champions, the best team Africa had sent to a World Cup in years — were eliminated. The Harlem community on 116th Street watched the match end and spent the next four years knowing they'd need to qualify again, and that if they did, this match was always possible. It is now a June 16 group fixture at MetLife Stadium in New York.

The Tactical Battle

Senegal's defensive organization under Cissé is among the best in the tournament — they concede very little and are organized in a way that takes away the space France like to use for Mbappé's runs. The question is whether Senegal can create enough against a defense anchored by Saliba and Konaté to get the result they need. If it stays 0-0 at halftime, every moment of the second half will be extraordinary. If France score early, the emotional weight of the occasion becomes simultaneously heavier and harder to overcome.

Watching in NYC

116th Street in Harlem will be electric from noon for a 3pm kickoff. If you want to watch in the community, take the A/C/B/D to 116th Street and be there by 2pm. Every restaurant on the block will have screens. MetLife ticket holders should leave Midtown by 1pm. For bar watching: Nevada Smith's, any of the French brasseries in SoHo or the West Village, or anywhere that can handle a mixed France-Senegal crowd at 3pm.