By Julien PretotKylian Mbappé heads into France’s World Cup opener against Senegal on Tuesday with questions swirling around him after a season that has left the country’s biggest football star under immense pressure.Tuesday’s games at the World Cup also see Argentina clash against Algeria, Norway meet Iraq and Austria meet Jordan (all three in the early hours of Wednesday morning SA time) The France captain drew a blank in warm-up games against Ivory Coast and Northern Ireland and ended the season at Real Madrid without a trophy, despite finishing as La Liga’s top scorer.His performances, leadership and behaviour away from the pitch have become regular talking points after Real Madrid fell short in both the Champions League and the domestic title race.Mbappé has also come under fire over his leadership since succeeding Hugo Lloris as captain in 2023, with 1998 World Cup winner Frank Leboeuf among those to question whether he is the right man to lead Les Bleus.Yet inside the France camp, support for Mbappé appears unwavering.Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, who has emerged as one of the team’s most influential figures, said the criticism directed at his long-time teammate and close friend had gone too far.“The criticism towards him is very, very unfair,” Dembélé told Spanish newspaper Marca this week.“Some people overdo the criticism because he’s Kylian Mbappé. They shouldn’t keep going after him. Whether he ties his shoelaces or not, whether he pulls up his socks or not, it’s too much. He’s still a human being.“With the France team, he’s very good with us, he’s a leader.”Defender Lucas Hernandez struck a similar tone, saying Mbappé remained fully focused despite the noise around him.“When you’re Kylian Mbappé, everyone looks at everything you do, on the pitch and off the pitch,” Hernandez said.“He’s 100% motivated for the World Cup. All the criticism there has been this season, he’s going to silence it.”France are among the favourites to lift the trophy and Didier Deschamps is embarking on his final tournament in charge, giving Mbappé an immediate opportunity to turn the conversation back to what he does best.If there is one stage on which Mbappé rarely disappoints, it is the World Cup, where France will also face Iraq and Norway in Group I.He has struck 12 times in 14 World Cup matches, leaving him only four goals short of Miroslav Klose’s all-time record of 16 and offering a reminder of how quickly he can silence his critics.Another goal would put him top of the list of France’s all-time scorers alongside the retired Olivier Giroud (57).Argentina start their bid for back-to-back World Cups with a side full of familiar faces from Qatar 2022, facing an Algeria buoyed by warm-up wins and featuring a 20-year-old rising star nicknamed after Diego Maradona.The reigning champions are looking to defy the statistics after climbing last week to the top of FIFA’s rankings for the first time since July 2025, as no team holding that position at the start of the tournament has gone on to lift the trophy.When they line up in Kansas City, all eyes will be on 38-year-old captain Lionel Messi, playing in a record sixth World Cup.“I’m happy, savouring every moment and excited as ever,” he said last week.Still, coach Lionel Scaloni has concerns after left-back Nicolas Tagliafico suffered a muscle injury in their 2-0 win over Honduras on June 6, forcing centreback Facundo Medina to fill in during last week’s 3-0 victory over Iceland.Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, meanwhile, recovered from a finger fracture suffered during the warm-up for Aston Villa’s Europa League final win and is expected to be in the starting lineup.If Tagliafico is fit, Argentina’s starting team is likely to feature 11 players from the 2022 squad, with Scaloni relying on their experience as they seek to become the first side since Brazil in 1962 to win two consecutive men’s World Cups.The background, however, includes a shock defeat by Saudi Arabia in their opening match four years ago - an upset Algeria will be eager to replicate.Opponents will find it very hard to face Argentina, because this is a very strong, very united group— Lionel MessiWith Argentina clear favourites to top Group J, a strong performance against them would be key for Algeria as they battle Austria and Jordan to reach the round of 32.The African side boast a four-match unbeaten run that included a draw against twice world champions Uruguay and a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands. They recently extended coach Vladimir Petkovic’s contract until 2028.Forwards Anis Hadj Moussa and Amine Gouiri combined for four goals in their last two games, including a 4-0 thrashing of Bolivia in a friendly.Offensive midfielder Ibrahim Maza, nicknamed “Mazadona” at his club Bayer Leverkusen, voiced confidence that his team will be able to “beat Messi”.Argentina, who last lost in September 2025 to Ecuador and are on a seven-match winning streak, have other plans.“Opponents will find it very hard to face Argentina, because this is a very strong, very united group,” Messi said.Human goal machine Erling Haaland will seek to get his World Cup account up and running immediately when Norway take on Iraq to end the country’s nearly three-decade absence from football’s elite tournament.The giant, rampaging centre forward netted 16 times in Norway’s eight World Cup qualifying games and racked up an unmatched 27 Premier League goals for Manchester City last season.Backed by an exciting squad of teammates including Arsenal playmaker Martin Odegaard and wingers Antonio Nusa and Oscar Bobb, Haaland wants to bolster his chances of picking up FIFA’s Golden Boot award against an Iraq side playing at the World Cup for the first time in 40 years.Coming World Cup fixturesSA timesMonday:Group E: Ivory Coast v Ecuador, Philadelphia (1am)Group F: Sweden v Tunisia, Monterrey (4am)Group H: Spain v Cape Verde, Atlanta (6pm)Group G: Belgium v Egypt, Seattle (9pm)Tuesday:Group H: Saudi Arabia v Uruguay, Miami (12am)Group G: Iran v New Zealand, Los Angeles (3am)Group I: France v Senegal, New Jersey (9pm)Wednesday:Group I: Iraq v Norway, Boston (12am)Group J: Argentina v Algeria, Kansas City (3am)Group J: Austria v Jordan, San Francisco (6am)All the World Cup fixtures hereWorld Cup page hereAll the group profiles hereStar player profiles hereBafana news here