Follow live updates and coverage on the 2026 World Cup games as France and Norway square off with the winner finishing atop Group I.
Even with no Erling Haaland, this has been a fun match so far. France has largely dominated, controlling 68% of possession and creating a whopping seven shots on goal.
But after all that, it\u2019s still only a 2-1 lead for France after the Thelo Aasgaard goal for Norway.
Off the kickoff following the second Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 goal, Norway\u2019s Thelo Aasgaard took advantage of a seemingly sleepy France defense and scored to make this a 2-1 game as we approach the hydration break.
Once again, Mbapp\u00e9 hit\u00a0Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 with a perfect pass, and this time Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 cut back toward the top of the box before unleashing a left-footed strike into the back of the net.
Seck just fouled an Iraqi player as they made a break toward the goal. That foul might’ve saved a great scoring chance.
Off a perfect lob form Fredrik Aursnes, J\u00f8rgen Strand Larsen took a powerful shot from the center of the box that only barely missed high of the goal.
As Sadio Man\u00e9 sprinted upfield toward the Iraq box, with only the goalkeeper to beat, Iraq’s Rebin Sulaka reached out and pulled on his uniform to slow him down. After a lengthy replay review, the referee ruled that Sulaka should be given a red card. Now Iraq will have to play the rest of the game with 10 players.
On the ensuing free kick, Man\u00e9 nearly scored a goal. But the Iraq goalkeeper made an incredible diving save to keep the score 1-0.
Olise had a right-footer from the top of the box in the opening 10 minutes that required a skilled save from goalkeeper Egil Selvik.
Just now, he had another chance after a run into the left side of the box, but he couldn\u2019t get enough power on a shot amid a sea of defenders.
Pretty rough challenge from Berg, who had both his arms around the shoulders of Michael Olise.
France has been dominating this match early, and now it has a goal less than 10 minutes into the first half.
Off a fantastic pass from Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 from the opposite side of the pitch, Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 unleashed a quick flurry of dribble moves into the right side of the box before burying a goal.
Habib Diarra headed the ball into the net off a corner kick, giving Senegal a crucial 1-0 lead in a must-win game. Just the start that Senegal needed.
Not only does Senegal need a win, it needs to score a bunch of goals in order to help its chances of advancing to the knockout round.
Not even 30 seconds into this match France superstar Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 nearly scored, firing a shot from the right side of the box that bounced off the crossbar. It was a tough angle, though.
Senegal needs a win to finish third in Group I and still hold out hope for advancing. If the game ends in a draw, both teams are eliminated.
Both sides have clinched spots in the knockout round, but the winner of Group I is up for grabs.
NBC News is tracking the French star and the Argentine legend through their teams\u2019 remaining matches.
Here are the starting 11s for France and Norway. Erling Haaland is not starting for Norway, which has already clinched a spot in the knockout stage.
France\u2019s starters:
Norway\u2019s starters:
Senegal has had a disappointing tournament thus far. It lost its opening match 3-1 to France, and its second game 3-2 to Norway, losing both times to transcendent scoring talents in France’s Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 and Norway’s Erling Haaland, who each scored two goals apiece against Senegal.
Senegal needs a win against Iraq today to secure three points, but even then, it wouldn’t be guaranteed a spot in the knockout round. Senegal would then finish third in its group, and only 8 of the 12 third-place teams will advance.
Vaughn Dalzell and Drew Dinsick look at USA’s odds for the stage of elimination, analyzing how far Mauricio Pochettino’s squad can go.
Midway through the second half, tied with Germany, its World Cup hopes dwindling, Ecuador lined up for a corner kick. Pedro Vite looped the ball into the box, where Kevin Rodriguez headed the ball onward toward the goal. The legendary German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer seemed well-positioned to catch the ball. But Ecuador\u2019s Gonzalo Plata stuck up his left foot, just in front of Neuer, and poked the ball into the net.
The crowd let out a deafening roar, and Plata ran to the corner of the field, in front of a sea of yellow-clad fans, where he was mobbed by his teammates, the substitutes leaving the bench to join in, too. On the sideline, Ecuador manager Sebasti\u00e1n Beccacece left his post and ran to the front of the stands, where he reached up and hugged his family.
With France and Norway having both clinched a spot in the knockout stage, both sides may rest some players for their upcoming match.
One player who may start on the bench is Norway\u2019s Erling Haaland, according to a report from France\u2019s L’\u00c9quipe.
Shortly after beating Senegal, Norwegian superstar Erling Haaland said he didn\u2019t care about Norway\u2019s final Group I game against France because his team had already qualified for the knockouts.
But the rest of the world most certainly does, as the Manchester City forward will face off against legendary French striker Kylian Mbapp\u00e9.
The European goal machines \u2014 who both command a weekly salary north of $600,000 \u2014 have started the tournament with a bang.
Mbapp\u00e9 has scored four goals in two games to push his World Cup total to 16, two behind Lionel Messi\u2019s record for most all time, while Haaland has scored twice each in wins over Senegal and Iraq.
Taylor Twellman joins “The Dan Patrick Show” to review USA’s loss to Turkey and their chances against a “defend-first” Bosnia-Herzegovina side in the knockout round. They also assess Christian Pulisic’s return.
The United States only wanted to get through its final World Cup group stage match Thursday night without an injury or a red card, while Turkey was playing for a face-saving victory to end a dismal tournament.
Both teams got what they wanted most out of their meaningless meeting before the Americans head on to the knockout stage \u2014 and coach Mauricio Pochettino was annoyed by any suggestion that the Americans\u2019 last-gasp, 3-2 defeat said anything negative about the state of his team.
\u201cFor you not say congratulations that we won the group, that is a little bit sad,\u201d Pochettino told reporters.
\u201cWhat we need to remember is we won first place in this group,\u201d Pochettino added while speaking in Spanish and English. \u201cWe ended up being No. 1, and we managed all the pressure and the expectations quite well. We had other priorities. We wanted to win. We did want the victory, but there are other things we needed to balance out, and that\u2019s how I made the decisions. … Making history is winning the World Cup, not just winning the group. It\u2019s a little bit petty, if you will. You\u2019re thinking just a little bit too small.\u201d
Norwegian soccer fans are going viral for invading the U.S. with their \u201cViking row\u201d after qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in 28 years. The trend first emerged in March as Norway was preparing for the World Cup and has quickly become the country\u2019s trademark national celebration.
Ecuador President Daniel Noboa declared today a national holiday after the country\u2019s soccer team reached the knockout phase of the World Cup with a shock 2-1 win over Germany.
\u201cThanks to the players and the coach who, despite the criticism, the insults, and the tough moments they went through, managed to recover and give this immense joy to the entire country.\u201d Noboa said in a post on X.
Ecuador needed a victory in their final Group E match yesterday following a defeat by the Ivory Coast and a draw with Curacao.
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