World Cup 2026 Group I
GROUP I
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
| France | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 9 |
| Norway | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| Senegal | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 0 |
| Iraq | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 0 |
Andy Greeves
[Team Jersey Images © Soccerphile]
France
One of four European nations to compete at the first World Cup in Uruguay back in 1930, France have a fine pedigree in the tournament. Les Bleus have qualified for 17 out the 23 World Cup finals to date, winning the competition in 1998 and 2018. They were also runners-up in Qatar four years ago, losing 4-2 on penalties to Argentina after the epic final in Lusail on 18 December 2022 finished 3-3 after extra-time.
Head coach Didier Deschamps is one just three individuals to win the men's World Cup as a both player and a manager along with Brazil's Mário Zagallo and Germany's Franz Beckenbauer. He was a key component in France's midfield when they triumphed in the tournament on home soil in 1998 while he guided his nation to World Cup glory in Russia in 2018.
France enter this World Cup as one of the tournament favourites with one of the strongest squads on paper. The spine of their likely starting XI includes AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, midfielder anchors and Real Madrid duo Aurélien Tchouaméni and Eduardo Camavinga and the attacking threat of Michael Olise, 2025 Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembélé and Kylian Mbappé. Deschamps also has an embarrassment of riches in central defence with Dayot Upamecano, Ibrahima Konaté and William Saliba amongst his options.
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France Kit 1 |
France Kit 2 |
France vs Senegal - June 16; East Rutherford
France vs Iraq - June 22; Philadelphia
Norway vs France - June 26; Foxborough
Coach
Coach: Didier Deschamps
Record
Best World Cup: Winners in 1998 and 2018.
Formation
4-2-3-1
One to watch: Kylian Mbappé
Kylian Mbappé has already made quite an impact at the World Cup with his seven strikes en route to France's triumph in 2018 and a further five goals at the 2022 tournament making him the competition's fifth highest goalscorer - tied with Pele. He is just four goals short of levelling with Miroslav Klose's all-time record of 16 World Cup finals goals.
Mbappé was named Best Young Player at the tournament at the 2018 World Cup and won both the Golden Boot and Silver Ball at the 2022 tournament. His hat-trick in the final against Argentina saw him become just the second player to have scored in two consecutive World Cup finals after Brazil's Vavá (in 1958 and 1962).
France should top the group and progress.
How they qualified
France won five of their six 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches and drew the other - against Iceland in Reykjavík on 13 October 2025 - to finish top of UEFA qualifying Group D. Didier Deschamps' team beat Ukraine and Azerbaijan home and away while they beat Iceland 2-1 at the Parc des Princes in Paris on 9 September 2025.
On the sidelines
Hugo Ekitiké will miss this World Cup having sustained a ruptured Achilles tendon in Liverpool's 2-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield in the UEFA Champions League back in April.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Robin Risser (Lens), Brice Samba (Rennes)
Defenders: Lucas Digne (Aston Villa), Malo Gusto (Chelsea), Lucas Hernandez (Paris St-Germain), Theo Hernandez (Al Hilal), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamenaco (Bayern Munich)
Midfielders: N'Golo Kante (Fenerbache), Manu Kone (Roma), Adrien Rabiot (AC Milan), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris St-Germain)
Strikers: Maghnes Akliouche (Monaco), Bradley Barcola (Paris St-Germain), Rayan Cherki (Man City), Ousmane Dembele (Paris St-Germain), Desire Doue (Paris St-Germain), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid), Jean-Phillipe Mateta (Crystal Palace), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan)
Senegal
Senegal made quite an impression on their World Cup debut back in 2002, beating reigning world champions France. Bruno Metsu's 'Lions of Teranga' went on to draw 3-3 with Uruguay and 1-1 with Denmark to make it through to the knockout phase of competition, where they beat Sweden before bowing out to Turkey at the quarter-final stage.
Senegal have made it to three World Cups since their heroics in Japan and South Korea in 2002. They failed to progress the group stage in Russia in 2018, while they reached the round of 16 in Qatar in 2022, where they were beaten by England. In 2026, Pape Thiaw's team will be eyeing another run to the knockout phase of the competition.
The Lions of Teranga were controversially stripped on their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title. In the final against Morocco on 18 January 2026, Senegal's players left the 7 minutes in protest over a disallowed goal and a VAR decision in stoppage time. They eventually won 1-0 thanks for an extra-time goal from Pape Gueye but Morocco were awarded a 3-0 victory by the CAF Appeal Board a few months later.
Operating in either a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation, Senegal's undoubted strength in their potent front line of Sadio Mané, Iliman Ndiaye and Nicolas Jackson. Behind them, Pape Matar Sarr plays a key midfield role, both shielding the Lions of Teranga at the back and getting forward in attacks. Sarr scored four goals for Senegal in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
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Senegal Kit 1 |
Senegal Kit 2 |
France vs Senegal - June 16; East Rutherford
Norway vs Senegal - June 22; East Rutherford
Senegal vs Iraq - June 26; Toronto
Coach
Pape Thiaw
Record
Best World Cup: Quarter-finals in 2002 in Korea/Japan.
Formation
4-2-3-1
One to watch: Sadio Mané
Sadio Mané was Senegal's top goalscorer in qualification for the 2026 World Cup with five goals. His brace in a 4-0 victory over Mauritania on 14 October 2025 sealed the Lions of Teranga's place at this summer's World Cup and brought his international goal tally to 48 strikes in 117 appearances. The Al-Nassr forward is his country's all-time, record goalscorer having surpassed Henri Camara's record of 32 strikes with a hat-trick against Benin in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification on 4 June 2022.
Will be vying with Norway to progress from the group and worth a wager to do so.
How they qualified
The aforementioned 4-0 victory over Mauritania saw the Lions of Teranga finish top of CAF qualifying Group B. Senegal were unbeaten in qualifying, winning seven of their 10 matches while they drew the other three.
On the sidelines
Al Hilal's Kalidou Koulibaly captains the team.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Edouard Mendy (Al-Ahli), Yehvann Diouf (Nice), Mory Diaw (Le Havre)
Defenders: Krepin Diatta (Monaco), Antoine Mendy (Nice), Abdoulaye Seck (Maccabi Haifa), Kalidou Koulibaly (Al-Hilal), Ilay Camara (Anderlecht), Moussa Niakhate (Lyon), Mamadou Sarr (Chelsea), El-Hadji Malick Diouf (West Ham United), Moustapha Mbow (Paris FC), Ismail Jakobs (Galatasaray)
Midfielders: Idrissa Gueye (Everton), Habib Diarra (Sunderland), Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham), Pape Gueye (Villarreal), Lamine Camara (Monaco), Pathe Ciss (Rayo Vallecano), Bara Ndiaye (Bayern Munich)
Strikers: Sadio Mane (Al-Nassr), Bamba Dieng (Lorient), Iliman Ndiaye (Everton), Nicolas Jackson (Bayern Munich), Assane Diao (Como), Ibrahim Mbaye (Paris St-Germain), Cherif Ndiaye (Samsunspor), Ismaila Sarr (Crystal Palace)
Iraq
Tasked with ending Iraq's 40-year absence from the World Cup when he was appointed as head coach of the Lions of Mesopotamia back in May 2025, Australian Graham Arnold duly delivered. Iraq's qualifying campaign saw them play no less than 21 matches and culminated in a 2-1 victory over Bolivia in a play-off final in Monterrey on 31 March.
Iraq's only previous World Cup appearance came in 1986 when defeats to Paraguay (0-1), Belgium (1-2) and Mexico (0-1) saw them eliminated at the group phase. Ahmed Radhi made history by scoring their first-ever World Cup goal in the aforementioned defeat to Belgium. Their midfielder Basil Gorgis was sent-off after 52 minutes of that clash in Toluca on 8 June 1986.
Iraq's success in reaching this year's tournament was built around their defensive solidity. In their 21 qualifying matches, the Lions of Mesopotamia conceded just 14 goals. Typically set-up in a compact 4-4-2 system, Iraq will look to hit their World Cup opponents on the counter attack. With Aymen Hussein leading the line, the Lions of Mesopotamia have a forward capable of taking chances when they arrive. The 30-year-old's 33 goals in 93 appearances for Iraq to date puts him fifth on his country's list of top goalscorers although he has some way to go to top Hussein Saeed all-time record of 78 strikes.
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Iraq Kit 1 |
Iraq Kit 2 |
Iraq vs Norway - June 16; Foxborough
France vs Iraq - June 22; Philadelphia
Senegal vs Iraq - June 26; Toronto
Coach
Graham Arnold
Record
Best World Cup: Group stage in 1986.
Formation
4-4-2
One to watch: Jalal Hassan
Up against attacking talent such as Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappé and Sadio Mané, goalkeeper Jalal Hassan is certainly going to be a busy man in Iraq's three Group I matches against Norway, France and Senegal.
The 34-year-old Al-Zawraa stopper captained his side to Arabia Gulf Cup glory back in 2023, ended Iraq's 35-year wait to win the competition and was voted Best Goalkeeper in the Gulf Region by Sky News Arabia that same year. He made his 100th appearance for Iraq at the end of last year.
Would take something of a miracle for Iraq to reach the Round of 32.
How they qualified
Iraq's World Cup qualification campaign began with home and away victories over Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines which saw them top Group F of AFC second round qualifying. They finished third in the six-team third qualifying round Group B and then topped the three-team fourth round Group B to make the aforementioned intercontinental play-off final against Bolivia earlier this year. Victory in that match in Mexico sealed their place at this summer's tournament.
On the sidelines
The national team's nickname is the Lions of Mesopotamia.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Fahad Talib (Al-Talaba), Jalal Hassan (Al-Zawraa), Ahmed Basil (Al-Shorta)
Defenders: Hussein Ali (Pogon Szczecin), Manaf Younis, Ahmed Yahya, Mustafa Saadoon (Al-Shorta), Zaid Tahseen (Pakhtakor), Rebin Sulaka (Port), Akam Hashim (Al-Zawraa), Merchas Doski (Viktoria Plzen), Zaid Ismail (Al-Talaba), Frans Putros (Persib).
Midfielders: Amir Al-Ammari (Cracovia), Kevin Yakob (Aarhus GF), Zidane Iqbal (Utrecht), Aimar Sher (Sarpsborg), Ibrahim Bayesh (Al-Dhafra), Ahmed Qasem (Nashville SC), Youssef Amyn (AEK Larnaca), Marko Farji (Venezia)
Strikers: Ali Jassim (Al-Najma), Ali Al-Hamadi (Ipswich), Ali Yousef (Al-Talaba), Aymen Hussein (Al-Karma), Mohanad Ali (Dibba)
Norway
This summer will see Norway will appear at the World Cup for the first time since the 1990s - a decade in which they featured at both the 1994 and 1998 tournaments.
The 'Landslaget' (National Team) first appeared at the World Cup in France back in 1938, where they reached the round of 16 before suffering an extra-time defeat to Italy in Marseille. There was then a 56-year hiatus before the Landslaget returned to the World Cup finals of 1994, where they were eliminated at the group stage. Four years later, Norway finished as Group B runners-up to progress to the last 16 of France '98 where they were once again eliminated by Italy.
Of the four Norway teams to grace the World Cup so far, the class of 2026 is perhaps the most exciting. Led by prolific frontmen Erling Haaland and Alexander Sørloth, the Landslaget are also blessed with gifted playmaker Martin Ødegaard and the dynamic winger Oscar Bobb. While their starting formation is usually a 4-2-3-1 formation, the Landslaget often transform into more of a 4-3-3 shape when attacking.
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Norway Kit 1 |
Norway Kit 2 |
Iraq vs Norway - June 16; Foxborough
Norway vs Senegal - June 22; East Rutherford
Norway vs France - June 26; Foxborough
Coach
Ståle Solbakken
Record
Best World Cup: Round of 16 in 1938 and again in 1998.
Formation
4-2-3-1
One to watch: Erling Haaland
During qualification for the 2026 World Cup, Erling Haaland bagged braces in 4-1 victories over Estonia and Italy in November 2025 while he got a hat-trick against Israel and netted five times in an incredible 11-1 win over Moldova a month earlier. Those goals brought his international tally to 55 strikes in 48 appearances.
Haaland became Norway's all-time, top goalscorer back on 10 October 2024, when he was just 24. His brace in a 3-0 UEFA Nations League win over Slovenia saw him break Jørgen Juve's previous record tally of 33 goals for the Landslaget - a record that had stood for over 90 years.
Norway are priced at 28/1 to win the World Cup.
How they qualified
Norway boasted a 100 per cent record in qualification. The Landslaget won all eight of their UEFA qualifying Group I matches, netting 37 goals in the process, which made them the top scoring European nation during the qualification campaign. Haaland was the top, individual goalscorer in the UEFA region with 15 goals in eight matches.
On the sidelines
Norway play their home games at the Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Orjan Haskjold Nyland (Sevilla), Egil Selvik (Watford), Sander Tangvik (Hamburger SV)
Defenders: Julian Ryerson (Borussia Dortmund), Marcus Holmgren Pedersen (Torino), David Moller Wolfe (Wolverhampton), Fredrik Bjorkan (Bodo/Glimt), Kristoffer Ajer (Brentford), Torbjorn Heggem (Bologna), Leo Skiri Ostigard (Genoa), Sondre Langas (Derby County), Henrik Falchener (Viking)
Midfielders: Martin Odegaard (Arsenal), Sander Berge (Fulham), Fredrik Aursnes (Benfica), Patrick Berg (Bodo/Glimt), Kristian Thorstvedt (Sassuolo), Morten Thorsby (Cremonese), Thelo Aasgaard (Rangers)
Strikers: Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Alexander Sorloth (Atletico Madrid), Jorgen Strand Larsen (Crystal Palace), Antonio Nusa (RB Leipzig), Oscar Bobb (Fulham), Andreas Schjelderup (Benfica), Jens Petter Hauge (Bodo/Glimt)
World Cup Venue Cities
2026 World Cup Venue Cities Guide - All 16 venues in USA, Mexico and Canada.