France sealed top spot in Group I at the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a commanding 4-1 victory over Norway at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Friday. Ousmane Dembele starred with a sensational first-half hat-trick before substitute Desire Doue added a late fourth as Les Bleus finished the group stage with a perfect nine points.
Dembele needed just seven minutes to make his mark. Collecting possession on the right flank, the winger skipped past several Norwegian defenders before drilling a right-footed finish beyond goalkeeper Egil Selvik to open the scoring.
The France forward doubled the advantage in the 20th minute after Kylian Mbappe slipped him through on goal. Dembele cut onto his left foot and curled a composed finish into the far corner to leave Selvik rooted to the spot.
Norway responded almost immediately. Andreas Schjelderup carved out an opening from the restart before setting up Thelo Aasgaard, who finished confidently in the 21st minute to briefly reduce the deficit.
However, Dembele ensured France regained complete control before the break. In the 32nd minute, he once again attacked from the right, beat his marker and fired home to complete a remarkable first-half hat-trick, handing Les Bleus a 3-1 lead at half-time.
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Norway were handed a golden chance to get back into the contest five minutes after the restart when Oscar Bobb won a penalty. But Jorgen Strand Larsen was denied from the spot by Mike Maignan as France preserved their two-goal cushion.
Doue then completed the scoring deep into stoppage time, calmly finishing in the 94th minute after France carved open a tiring Norwegian defence.
France’s victory came without head coach Didier Deschamps on the touchline after he was granted compassionate leave following the death of his mother earlier in the week. Long-serving assistant Guy Stephan took charge of the team in his absence and oversaw Les Bleus’ victory over Norway.
Dembele’s treble in Boston also earned him a place in the record books. His third goal, scored in the 32nd minute, made it the fastest World Cup hat-trick by a French player. He also became only the third France international to score a World Cup hat-trick after Just Fontaine and Kylian Mbappe.
The hat-trick came just days after Dembele opened his World Cup account against Iraq. Having gone scoreless across his first 11 World Cup appearances, the 29-year-old has now scored four goals in his last two matches at the tournament.
In the day’s other Group I fixture, Senegal kept their Round of 32 hopes alive with a resounding 5-0 victory over Iraq in Toronto. Habib Diarra opened the scoring before Iraq were reduced to 10 men after Rebin Sulaka was sent off in the 13th minute for a foul on Sadio Mane.
Ismaila Sarr added a second after the break, substitute Pape Gueye struck twice, and Iliman Ndiaye completed the rout with a long-range effort. The victory made Senegal the first African nation to score five goals in a FIFA World Cup match.
France finished top of Group I with nine points from three matches, while Norway progressed as runners-up with six. Senegal ended third on three points and must wait to learn whether their superior goal difference is enough to secure one of the eight best third-placed spots in the Round of 32. Iraq finished bottom of the group without a point and were eliminated.
Here’s a look at the final Group I standings at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
| Pos | Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | France | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 |
| 2 | Norway | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 3 | Senegal | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | Iraq | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -11 | 0 |
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