Four Teams on the Bubble as France and Norway Set Up a Group I Title Fight

The 2026 World Cup group stage is almost done. Six more groups finish over the next two days, and Friday brings us Groups G, H, and I. That means Spain, Belgium, a tiny island team nobody expected to still be alive, and a heavyweight showdown between France and Norway that feels more like a Round of 16 matchup than a group finale.

Here’s what to watch on June 26.

The matches

Norway vs. France — Boston — 3 p.m. ET (FOX, Telemundo)
Senegal vs. Iraq — Toronto — 3 p.m. ET (FS1, Telemundo)
Uruguay vs. Spain — Guadalajara — 8 p.m. ET (FOX, Telemundo)
Cabo Verde vs. Saudi Arabia — Houston — 8 p.m. ET (FS1, Telemundo)
Egypt vs. Iran — Seattle — 11 p.m. ET (FS1, Telemundo)
New Zealand vs. Belgium — Vancouver — 11 p.m. ET (FOX, Telemundo)

Belgium might actually miss the knockout stage

We haven’t lost a real heavyweight yet. Turkey is gone. South Korea is sweating. But Belgium — ranked No. 4 in the world heading into this tournament — is sitting third in Group G with two points. That’s not great. They need to beat New Zealand and hope Egypt does them a favor against Iran. If the math works, Belgium gets Australia in the Round of 32. That’s a winnable game, but it’s not the start anyone expected from the Red Devils.

Cabo Verde is one result away from doing something wild

The island nation has roughly 615,000 people. They’re playing in Houston, which is five times that. Saudi Arabia, their opponent, has about 35 million more. But Cabo Verde sits in third place in Group H and controls its own fate. A win or draw against Saudi Arabia, combined with Spain beating Uruguay, puts the Blue Sharks through. Their 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha has been the story of the tournament so far. He could write another chapter Friday night.

France vs. Norway is the real main event

Senegal and Iraq are basically done. We know. Nobody cares. The group is coming down to who finishes first and second between France and Norway.

Kylian Mbappe versus Erling Haaland. The tournament favorites against the team everyone picked as a dark horse. Two of the best goal-scorers on the planet, both chasing a spot in the knockout stage. This is the kind of game you’d expect to see in a quarterfinal, but here it is on the last day of group play.

Neither team has much to lose. France is probably through regardless. Norway is almost certainly through too. But there’s a difference between finishing first and finishing second in this group. The winner gets a softer path. The loser could run into a buzzsaw in the next round. Both teams know it. That’s why this feels bigger than the typical group-stage finale. It’s a statement game. And in a World Cup where we’ve seen very few surprises so far, two elite teams trading punches in Boston might give us the first real classic of the tournament.