Group I

Group I of the FIFA World Cup 2026 contains France, Senegal, Norway, and Iraq, with matches played between June 16 and June 26 in New York/New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia, and Toronto. France open against Senegal on June 16 at MetLife Stadium, a fixture with deep historical and cultural weight between two nations with decades of football connection.

France won the 2018 World Cup. They reached the final in 2022, losing to Argentina on penalties after one of the most dramatic final hours in tournament history. They are, by any reasonable measure, one of the two or three best teams in the world. They open their 2026 campaign in Group I, and the only real question is whether anyone can beat them here.

France: The Benchmark

Kylian Mbappe leading a French attack is one of the most frightening propositions in world football. He is the best player in the world, possibly of his generation, and he plays for the team with arguably the deepest squad in the tournament. Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele, Aurelien Tchouameni, layers of quality behind the headline name. The French defence has been rebuilt since 2018 and the balance of the side is better for it.

Their opener against Senegal in New York on June 16th is the key test. France beat Senegal at the 2002 World Cup in a politically charged match that still resonates in West Africa. Twenty-four years later, Senegal have won AFCON. The context is richer now.

Senegal: Lions of Teranga with a Point to Prove

Senegal won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2022. Sadio Mane is the talisman, his game now more central and composed than the explosive Premier League phase that made him famous. Edouard Mendy is world-class in goal. This is a technically complete African side, not a physical-and-pace caricature, and they are legitimate contenders for second place in this group.

Norway vs Senegal on June 22nd in New York is the group’s defining second fixture, the match that settles who is genuinely competing with France for first.

Norway: Haaland’s World Cup Debut

Erling Haaland has never played at a World Cup. Norway failed to qualify for 2022. He is arguably the best striker in the world on current form and he arrives here hungry to prove that club dominance translates to international football. The supporting cast is better than it looks, Martin Odegaard orchestrates, Alexander Isak provides an alternative striker option, and the team has improved defensively.

Norway are not going to dominate possession against France, but they don’t need to. Haaland running in behind on the counter is a plan that works.

Iraq: The Return After 40 Years

Iraq are back at the World Cup for the first time since Mexico 1986. They qualified through the intercontinental playoff and bring the energy of a nation that has waited four decades for this moment. Their 2007 Asian Cup triumph, won during extraordinary national hardship, proved this football nation can rise above expectation. They will face France in their opener and will not be passive about it.

Must-watch match: France vs Senegal, June 16th, MetLife Stadium. Historical weight, current quality, genuine tension.

Bold prediction: France win the group with three wins, rotating in the third match. Senegal advance in second after beating Norway. Norway go home with Haaland having scored in a group they don’t progress from, which will define his career narrative for better or worse. Iraq earn their first World Cup point since 1986.