Group I might just be the most watchable group at the 2026 World Cup. France and Norway arrive with two of the planet's best players, Senegal carry genuine upset pedigree, and Iraq are back at the World Cup for the first time since 1986. Six matches. A lot to play for.
The expanded 48-team format means more teams go through, but that doesn't make group-stage position irrelevant — where you finish shapes your entire knockout bracket. France will be expected to win this group. The question is who joins them.
France: Chasing history, again
Didier Deschamps has confirmed this will be his last World Cup in charge, ending a tenure that stretches back to 2014. He won it in 2018 and was seconds away from retaining it in Qatar before Argentina edged a penalty shootout. France want to become the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cups, and the squad to do it is there.
Kylian Mbappe is the centerpiece, but the supporting cast has evolved. Antoine Griezmann retired from international football in September 2024, which leaves a gap in terms of experience and link-up play. In his place, Ousmane Dembele — reigning Ballon d'Or winner — Michael Olise, and Bradley Barcola give Deschamps attacking options that teams at this level genuinely struggle to contain. William Saliba anchors a defense that conceded almost nothing during qualifying, where France won five of six and finished six points clear of Ukraine.
FIFA's number one ranked side are the clear favorites to top this group. Their outright World Cup odds reflect that, and backing them to progress comfortably from Group I is about as low-risk as tournament betting gets.
Norway: 28 years in the making
Norway haven't been at a World Cup since France 1998 — a tournament where they beat Brazil and bowed out to Italy in the last 16. That generation had Egil Olsen, Tore Andre Flo, and a youthful Stale Solbakken, who now manages the side. The current generation has something arguably more dangerous: Erling Haaland.
Sixteen goals in eight qualifying matches. Harry Kane, the next most prolific UEFA qualifier, managed eight. Haaland didn't just carry Norway through qualifying — he demolished it. Three of those goals came against Italy, home and away. Martin Odegaard pulling the strings behind him makes Norway a genuine second-round threat and potentially more.
The knockout bracket rewards the group winner well here. Norway finishing second sets up a harder path. Haaland's goal-scoring odds will attract attention throughout the group stage, and rightly so — this is a man who scored 16 in qualifying and is playing the tournament on home soil for his country for the first time.
Senegal and Iraq: the supporting cast
Senegal are nobody's makeweight. They beat France in 2002 as debutants, reached the quarterfinals, and have since established themselves as one of Africa's most consistent sides. Head coach Pape Thiaw was actually in that 2002 squad — he provided the assist for the goal that knocked out Sweden in the Round of 16. He knows what this stage demands.
A 3-1 friendly win over England in June 2025 showed they haven't come to make up numbers. Nicolas Jackson, now at Bayern Munich, gives them a striker capable of punishing any defensive lapse. The Lions of Teranga finishing third and sneaking through as one of the better third-place sides is a realistic outcome worth considering.
Iraq are a different proposition. They've played one World Cup — Mexico 1986, three losses — and got here via the intercontinental playoffs, edging Bolivia 2-1 after missing out through the Asian qualifying rounds. Graham Arnold, the Australian who managed the Socceroos, now leads them. It's a long shot, but stranger things have happened in expanded 48-team group stages where a point or two can be enough.
- France — FIFA Ranking: 1st | Qualified: UEFA Group D winners (5W-1D-0L) | Key player: Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)
- Norway — FIFA Ranking: 31st | Qualified: UEFA Group I winners (8W-0L-0D) | Key player: Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
- Senegal — FIFA Ranking: 14th | Qualified: CAF Group B winners (7W-3D-0L) | Key player: Nicolas Jackson (Bayern Munich)
- Iraq — FIFA Ranking: 57th | Qualified: Intercontinental playoff (beat Bolivia 2-1) | Key player: Zidane Iqbal (Utrecht)
France top the group. That's not a prediction so much as an expectation. The real drama in Group I is the race for second — and Haaland's Norway, with a perfect qualifying record and a point to prove after three decades away, are the most compelling side to back for that spot.
