Group I: France and Norway take control after opening game

Mbappe breaks France scoring record to down resolute Senegal

France kick-started their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group I campaign with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Senegal at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. Despite a sluggish opening period, a second-half resurgence powered by captain Kylian Mbappe ensured Les Bleus took all three points.

The first half belonged largely to the African side, as Senegal’s disciplined defense completely contained France’s high-profile attack. Didier Deschamps’ men managed just a single shot before the break, while Senegal created the better chances. Nicolas Jackson came closest to breaking the deadlock when his effort struck the post, and Ismaïla Sarr missed a glorious opportunity from close range.

Everything changed after the interval as France finally injected urgency into their play. The breakthrough arrived in the 66th minute when Michael Olise found space between the lines and threaded a perfect pass to Mbappe, who slotted home to equal Olivier Giroud’s national scoring record.

With spaces opening up, France doubled their advantage in the 82nd minute. Substitute Bradley Barcola showed superb composure just two minutes after coming off the bench, delicately lifting the ball over Édouard Mendy after an astute through-ball from Adrien Rabiot.

An action-packed stoppage time saw Senegal pull one back through teenage substitute Ibrahim Mbaye, who finished past Mike Maignan to make it 2-1. However, Senegal’s hopes of a dramatic comeback were short-lived. Just moments later, Mbappe sealed the victory in sensational style, unleashing a stunning 35-yard strike to secure his brace and officially become France’s all-time leading goalscorer with 58 goals.

Haaland double leads Norway to victory over Iraq

Erling Haaland enjoyed a dream FIFA World Cup debut, netting twice as Norway kicked off their Group I campaign with a commanding 4-1 victory over Iraq at the Boston Stadium.

Appearing on the global stage for the first time since 1998, Stale Solbakken’s side carried the immense weight of a generation’s expectations, but their talismanic striker wasted little time stamping his authority. In the 29th minute, Haaland broke the deadlock by sliding in at the back post to connect cleanly with David Moller Wolfe’s precise left-wing cross.

Iraq, making their first finals appearance in 40 years, responded tenaciously. They found an equaliser in the 39th minute when veteran forward Aymen Hussein rose brilliantly above the Norwegian backline to plant a powerful header past Orjan Nyland from Amir Al-Ammari’s chipped cross.

However, the Lions of Mesopotamia were left rueing a crucial defensive lapse just four minutes later. An under-hit backpass to goalkeeper Jalal Hassan allowed an alert Haaland to intercept, calmly prodding the ball into an empty net to restore Norway’s advantage just before the interval.

The second half saw Norway establish firmer control, dictating the tempo and restricting Iraq’s attacking avenues. The decisive blow arrived in the 76th minute from substitute Leo Ostigård. Having only been on the pitch for four minutes, the defender timed his run perfectly to power home a towering header from a Martin Odegaard corner.

The scoreline took on an added gloss deep into stoppage time when Hussein inadvertently turned a dangerous cross into his own net.

Cover Photo: FIFA World Cup 2026 Draw Reception” by UKinUSA is licensed under CC BY SA 4.0 .