The BBC has apologised after finding itself in hot water for a glaring blunder during its coverage of France vs Senegal at the World Cup. Qatar runners-up France got their 2026 campaign off to a winning start against Africa Cup of Nations finalists Senegal, with Kylian Mbappe grabbing a brace.
Les Bleus have been thrown into what many are calling this year's 'Group of Death', alongside Norway and Iraq in Group I. The win all but guarantees their progression into the knockout stages as one of the best third-place sides.
However, Didier Deschamps' men will be firmly focused on topping the group and securing a favourable position in the bracket.
Yet before a ball had even been kicked, World Cup viewers took to social media in droves to flag a mistake in the BBC's pre-match coverage.
In the graphic displaying the starting line-up, Arsenal centre-back William Saliba was incorrectly shown with a picture of Dayot Upamecano. To compound matters further, Ibrahima Konate's image was used in place of Jules Kounde in the same line-up graphic.
Social media users were quick to pile on, with @CJoneses100 writing: "Really @BBCMOTD? It's embarrassing for the flagship corporation."
@DJB_I_MCMLXXXV chimed in with: "Oh BBC what are you doing here? Konate isn't Kounde & Saliba isn't a twin of Upamecano." @888NeogeneAngel added: “Upamecano for Saliba and Konate for Kounde?? What is wrong with the BBC??”
@JamesDoody75 posted: “The BBC have put up two photos of Upamecano in showing the French defence. Where’s Saliba’s photo? Embarrassing.”
Addressing the error, the BBC issued a statement, saying: "We apologise for this mistake."
On the pitch, controversy erupted when the referee dismissed what appeared to be a stonewall penalty for Mbappe, even following a VAR review at the monitor. The Real Madrid striker had the final say, however, netting twice in the 3-1 victory to put France firmly in control.
The brace came either side of Bradley Barcola's strike, while Ibrahim Mbaye - a Paris-born PSG prodigy - grabbed Senegal's solitary goal. Elsewhere in the group, Norway hammered Iraq 4-1 to launch their first World Cup campaign since 1998 in emphatic fashion.
