June 27: France secured top spot in Group I of the FIFA World Cup 2026 with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Norway, powered by a brilliant first-half hat-trick from Ousmane Dembélé.
Already assured of qualification before kickoff, France maintained its unbeaten run with another dominant display, while Norway, having also secured a place in the knockout stage, rested the majority of its first-choice players.
France nearly made the perfect start when Kylian Mbappé struck the crossbar inside the opening minute. The breakthrough arrived shortly after as Mbappé threaded a perfectly weighted pass to Dembélé, who calmly finished to give the 2018 world champions an early lead.
Dembélé doubled France’s advantage with a superb angled finish before completing his first-ever FIFA World Cup hat-trick in the 32nd minute, putting Les Bleus firmly in control before halftime.
Norway briefly reduced the deficit when Thelo Aasgaard found space inside the penalty area and scored after France’s defence failed to track his run. However, the comeback hopes faded early in the second half after Jørgen Strand Larsen missed the chance to narrow the gap further, with his penalty well saved by the French goalkeeper.
France later added a fourth goal to seal a comfortable victory and finish the group stage as Group I winners, carrying strong momentum into the Round of 32.
Norway, despite the defeat, also progressed to the knockout rounds after finishing second in the group. The Scandinavian side opted to rotate heavily for the fixture, resting several key players, including leading scorer Erling Haaland, ahead of the elimination stage.
With attacking stars such as Mbappé and Dembélé in impressive form, France heads into the knockout rounds as one of the tournament favourites, while Norway will look to regroup as it prepares for its next World Cup challenge.
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