Group I — FIFA World Cup 2026
Standings
Fixtures
| # | Date | Home | Away | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 2026-06-16 |  France |  Senegal | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford |
| 18 | 2026-06-16 |  Iraq |  Norway | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough |
| 42 | 2026-06-22 | France | Iraq | Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia |
| 43 | 2026-06-22 | Norway | Senegal | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford |
| 61 | 2026-06-26 | Norway | France | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough |
| 62 | 2026-06-26 | Senegal | Iraq | BMO Field, Toronto |
Group I team comparison
| Stat | France | Senegal | Norway | Iraq |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIFA Ranking | 3rd | 18th | 25th | 64th |
| World Cup Titles | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| World Cup Appearances | 17 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Best WC Finish | Champions (1998, 2018) | Quarterfinals (2002) | R16 (1998) | Group stage (1986) |
| Last WC Result | Runners-up (2022) | R16 (2022) | Group stage (1998) | Group stage (1986) |
| Manager | Didier Deschamps | Aliou Cissé | Ståle Solbakken | Jesús Casas |
| Captain | Kylian Mbappé | Kalidou Koulibaly | Martin Ødegaard | Ali Adnan |
| Star Player | Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid) | Sadio Mané (Al Nassr) | Erling Haaland (Manchester City) | Ali Jasim (Lazio) |
| Qualification Route | UEFA Group B — 1st | CAF Group G — 1st | UEFA Group C — 1st | AFC 3rd Round — Group B 2nd |
All four teams compared.
Qualifying campaign statistics
| Stat | France | Senegal | Norway | Iraq |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualification Path | UEFA Group B | CAF Group G | UEFA Group C | AFC Third Round |
| Qualifying Matches | 10 | 10 | 10 | 16 |
| Record (W-D-L) | 7-2-1 | 6-3-1 | 8-1-1 | 7-5-4 |
| Win Rate | 70% | 60% | 80% | 43.8% |
| Goals Scored | 25 | 15 | 28 | 19 |
| Goals Conceded | 8 | 6 | 7 | 16 |
| Goal Difference | +17 | +9 | +21 | +3 |
| Clean Sheets | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Top Qualifier Scorer | Kylian Mbappé (7 goals) | Sadio Mané (4 goals) | Erling Haaland (12 goals) | Aymen Hussein (5 goals) |
All-time World Cup records
| Stat | France | Senegal | Norway | Iraq |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WC Appearances | 16 (+ 2026 = 17th) | 2 (+ 2026 = 3rd) | 2 (+ 2026 = 3rd) | 0 (+ 2026 = debut since 1986) |
| Total WC Matches | 73 | 8 | 6 | 3 |
| WC Wins | 38 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| WC Goals Scored | 127 | 11 | 6 | 1 |
| Best Finish | Champions (1998, 2018) | QF (2002) | R16 (1998) | Group stage (1986) |
| All-Time WC Top Scorer | Kylian Mbappé (12 goals) | Papa Bouba Diop / Henri Camara (3 goals) | Tore André Flo (2 goals) | Ahmed Radhi (1 goal, 1986) |
| WC Titles | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Head-to-head history
All-time H2H summary
| Matchup | Played | Team A Wins | Draws | Team B Wins | Total Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France vs Senegal | 5 | 4 (France) | 0 | 1 (Senegal) | 12 |
| France vs Norway | 12 | 7 (France) | 3 | 2 (Norway) | 27 |
| France vs Iraq | 1 | 1 (France) | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Senegal vs Norway | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 (Norway) | 2 |
| Senegal vs Iraq | 0 | — | — | — | 0 |
| Norway vs Iraq | 0 | — | — | — | 0 |
World Cup meetings
| Year | Match | Score | Stage | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | France vs Senegal | 0-1 | Group A (opener) | Seoul, South Korea |
| 1998 | Norway vs Brazil | 2-1 | Group A | Marseille, France |
Senegal stunned France 1-0 in the 2002 World Cup opener — one of the greatest upsets in WC history. France vs Norway is a classic European matchup. Iraq return after 40 years.
Key players — stats
| Player | Team | Position | Club | Age | Int'l Caps | Int'l Goals | WC Appearances | WC Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kylian Mbappé | | FW (captain) | Real Madrid | 27 | 85+ | 50+ | 2 (2018, 2022) | 12 |
| Antoine Griezmann | | FW/MF | Atlético Madrid | 35 | 135+ | 46+ | 3 (2014, 2018, 2022) | 4 |
| Sadio Mané | | FW | Al Nassr | 34 | 105+ | 40+ | 2 (2018, 2022) | 2 |
| Kalidou Koulibaly | | DF (captain) | Al Hilal | 35 | 75+ | 3 | 1 (2022) | 0 |
| Erling Haaland | | FW | Manchester City | 25 | 35+ | 30+ | 0 | 0 |
| Martin Ødegaard | | MF (captain) | Arsenal | 27 | 60+ | 8+ | 0 | 0 |
| Ali Jasim | | MF | Lazio | 21 | 20+ | 3+ | 0 | 0 |
Group I predictions
Advancement probability
| Team | Win Group | Finish 2nd | Finish 3rd (qualify) | Finish 3rd (eliminated) | Finish 4th | Total Advance % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | 55% | 25% | 10% | 5% | 5% | 90% |
| Norway | 25% | 30% | 18% | 12% | 15% | 73% |
| Senegal | 15% | 25% | 20% | 18% | 22% | 60% |
| Iraq | 5% | 10% | 12% | 25% | 48% | 27% |
Probabilities based on pre-tournament rankings, star player quality, and recent form.
Predicted finish order
| Position | Team | Predicted Pts | Predicted GD | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | France | 7 | +4 | Two-time champions. Mbappé at Real Madrid is the world's best. Too much quality. |
| 2nd | Norway | 5 | +2 | Haaland and Ødegaard — Man City and Arsenal's best. First WC since 1998. |
| 3rd | Senegal | 4 | 0 | 2022 R16 and 2021 AFCON champions. Mané still a threat. |
| 4th | Iraq | 1 | -4 | Historic return but squad depth is limited against European giants. |
Key match predictions
| Match | Prediction | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| France vs Senegal (MD1) | France 2-0 | France avenge the 2002 shock at MetLife. |
| Iraq vs Norway (MD1) | Norway 3-0 | Haaland scores a brace on his WC debut in Foxborough. |
| France vs Iraq (MD2) | France 3-0 | France dominate in Philadelphia. |
| Norway vs Senegal (MD2) | Draw 1-1 | Tactical battle. Both fighting for 2nd place. |
| Norway vs France (MD3) | France 2-1 | Mbappé vs Haaland — the world watches in Foxborough. |
| Senegal vs Iraq (MD3) | Senegal 2-0 | Senegal secure 3rd place in Toronto. |
Group I venues
| Stadium (FIFA Name) | City | Country | Capacity | Altitude | Group I Matches | Other WC Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MetLife Stadium (New York/New Jersey Stadium) | East Rutherford |  USA | 82,500 | 2m | MD1: FRA-SEN, MD2: NOR-SEN | 8 total incl. Final |
| Gillette Stadium (Boston Stadium) | Foxborough | USA | 65,878 | 50m | MD1: IRQ-NOR, MD3: NOR-FRA | 5 total |
| Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia Stadium) | Philadelphia | USA | 69,176 | 12m | MD2: FRA-IRQ | 5 total |
| BMO Field (Toronto Stadium) | Toronto |  Canada | 30,000 | 76m | MD3: SEN-IRQ | 3 total incl. R32 |
Group I is played on the US East Coast and Toronto. MetLife Stadium (82,500) hosts the France vs Senegal rematch.
Group I analysis
Group I features the most star power at the tournament. Kylian Mbappé (12 WC goals) leads France's bid for a third World Cup title, while Erling Haaland — the world's most prolific striker — makes his World Cup debut for Norway. The France vs Norway Matchday 3 clash could be the most-watched group stage game of the entire tournament.
Senegal are 2021 AFCON champions and shocked France 1-0 in the 2002 World Cup opener in Seoul. Sadio Mané at 34 is still dangerous. Iraq return to the World Cup after a 40-year absence — their last appearance was 1986 in Mexico. Young star Ali Jasim (Lazio) gives them a modern European-based talent.