France are in fine form with Dembélé. Spain and Belgium top the table. Cape Verde spring a surprise

France beat Norway 4–1 thanks to a hat-trick from Dembélé. Senegal ran out 5–0 winners against Iraq. Belgium beat New Zealand 5–1. There were draws in Egypt v Iran (1–1) and Saudi Arabia v Cape Verde (0–0). Spain edged out Uruguay 1–0.

by Marco Bellinazzo

27 June 2026

5' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

5' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

France currently looks to be the strongest contender to lift the trophy on 19 July. With the knockout stages now underway, uncertainties and potential upsets are always just round the corner, but the strength and cohesion shown by the French side have been impressive. Their 4–1 victory over Norway confirmed this, with a sensational Dembelè – the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner – scoring a hat-trick. In Group I, Senegal thrashed Iraq – aided by an early sending-off – and qualified in second place. Belgium and Spain topped Groups G and H respectively. Cape Verde pulled off a remarkable feat by progressing to the round of 16, where they will face Argentina on 4 July. Egypt and Norway qualified as runners-up.

Norway–France 1–4

France took to the pitch at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough with incredible intensity, as if they wanted to settle the match before it had even begun. Within seconds, Mbappé hit the crossbar – a clear statement of intent. Norway struggled to get out of their own half, and Les Bleus took the lead in the 7th minute. Dembélé slotted home from an assist by Mbappé himself to make it 0–1.

The French pressure shows no sign of letting up. In the 20th minute, Dembélé doubles the lead with another precise strike from outside the box. The match already seems to be decided, but just a minute later the Norwegians strike back: in the 21st minute, Aasgaard pulls one back, capitalising on a swift counter-attack that catches the French defence off guard.

It is, however, merely an illusion. France continue to press and, on the half-hour mark, seal the victory once and for all: in the 32nd minute, Dembélé completes his hat-trick with a run through the centre.

In the second half, Norway had a huge chance to get back into the game: in the 50th minute, they were awarded a penalty, but Maignan was in superb form and saved Strand Larsen’s spot-kick. That was the moment that finally dashed the Scandinavians’ hopes.

From then on, France took control and continued to create chances (Mbappé came close to scoring on a couple of occasions), whilst Norway tried their best, driven more by pride than by clear-headed play.

The fourth goal also came in stoppage time: 90’+4 Doué, who finished off a counter-attack. The match ended 1–4, with France dominating and Norway paying the price for defensive lapses.

Senegal–Iraq 5–0

Senegal made their intentions clear right from the start. At BMO Field in Toronto, after just four minutes, Diarra put the African side ahead with a perfect run. The match took an even more decisive turn shortly afterwards: in the 13th minute, Sulaka was sent off after a VAR review for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

With an extra man, Senegal dominated possession but, in the first half, squandered several chances to seal the match early on: Mané failed to capitalise on a great opportunity and Iraq held out as best they could.

The second half, however, was a one-sided affair. In the 56th minute, Sarr doubled the lead, capitalising on a mistake by the Iraqi goalkeeper as he came off his line. A few minutes later, Senegal ran riot: Gueye scored the third and fourth goals between the 59th and 71st minutes.

Iraq are completely out of the game, pinned back in their own half, whilst Senegal are trying to score again in a bid to improve their goal difference and secure a place amongst the top eight third-placed teams from the 12 groups. The fifth goal comes in the closing stages: 82’ Ndiaye (5–0).

Group I Standings

France – 9 points

Norway – 6 points

Senegal – 3 points

Iraq – 0 points

New Zealand–Belgium 1–5

In Vancouver, Belgium need to win to secure qualification; they start strongly but come up against an unexpected obstacle: the resistance of New Zealand and, above all, that of goalkeeper Crocombe. Trossard, the most active player, hits the post and misses more than one chance.

The deadlock was broken on the half-hour mark by Trossard himself, who finally managed to find a way through after a series of attempts.

In the second half, however, everything changed. Belgium upped the tempo and, within a few minutes, turned the match on its head: Trossard scored again in the 50th minute, and in the 66th minute, De Bruyne sealed Belgium’s dominance with an unstoppable finish.

New Zealand also found the net through the ever-reliable Just in the 84th minute, briefly reigniting the match. But Belgium responded immediately: Lukaku, who had just come on, made it 4–1, and Saelemaekers’ goal in stoppage time sealed the victory at 5–1.

Egypt–Iran 1–1

At Lumen Field in Seattle, the match came to life after just five minutes when Egypt took the lead through Mahmoud Saber. Iran responded immediately and equalised in the 14th minute through Rezaeian.

From that point on, the match became more tactical but no less intense. Egypt tried to control the game, whilst Iran attacked with greater consistency in the closing stages.

The final minutes are frantic and Egypt face the prospect of a shock elimination: Iran hit the crossbar and, in stoppage time, scored a goal that was ruled out by VAR for a millimetre-thin offside. A

Group G Standings

Belgium – 5 points

Egypt – 5 points

Iran – 3 points

New Zealand – 1 point

Cape Verde–Saudi Arabia 0–0

A tight, tense match in Houston. And it couldn’t have been any other way, given what was at stake. Cape Verde tried to control the tempo, whilst Saudi Arabia looked for openings but lacked precision.

The chances came mainly in the second half: a superb save by the Cape Verdean goalkeeper kept the score level, whilst at the other end a chance in the closing stages was squandered from just a few steps out.

It was a match characterised more by tension than spectacle, with several fouls and tough challenges. In the end, the 0–0 draw went in Cape Verde’s favour, as they secured the decisive point for a historic qualification, which was also made possible by Uruguay’s defeat.

Uruguay v Spain 0–1

A tense and hard-fought match at the Estadio Guadalajara, with Bielsa’s Uruguay getting off to a better start but failing to convert their chances. Spain grew into the game as the minutes ticked by and found the net just before half-time: in the 42nd minute, Baena scored with the obvious assistance of Muslera, who failed to hold onto the ball. It was not the first mistake by the 40-year-old former Lazio goalkeeper.

In the second half, Spain controlled possession and even had a chance to seal the win: in the 62nd minute, Olmo missed from an ideal position.

Uruguay tried to fight back but created little, whilst tensions rose in the closing stages. Canobbio was sent off in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

A Spanish shot against the crossbar denies them a second goal, but the result remains the same. Spain win and top the group; Uruguay are out.