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Dembélé Hat-Trick Helps France Secure Perfect Record in 2026 World Cup Group I
France cruised to a 4-1 victory over Norway on June 26, 2026, to top Group I with a perfect record at the FIFA World Cup, Qatar News Agency reported. Ousmane Dembélé scored three goals in the first half and Desire Doue added one in stoppage time while Thelo Aasgaard netted for the Norwegians, according to ESPN coverage of the match. The win followed earlier successes against Senegal and Iraq, leaving the two-time world champions with nine points from three games.
Yahoo Sports reported that Dembélé produced the second-fastest hat-trick in World Cup history during the first half. His goals came at the 7th, 20th and 32nd minutes with one assisted by Kylian Mbappé. Desire Doue sealed the scoring in the 94th minute while Norway’s Thelo Aasgaard found the net in the 21st minute. The final score reflected France’s dominance throughout the encounter in what was a highly anticipated clash between the two European sides.
According to the Group I live table published by ESPN, France accumulated nine points with a goal difference of plus eight. Norway followed in second place on six points after recording two victories and one loss. Senegal ended with three points from their win over Iraq while the latter finished without a point. The standings confirmed France and Norway’s progression to the round of 32.
FIFA.com outlined prior to the tournament that Group I comprised two-time winners France along with Senegal, Iraq and Norway. France had defeated Senegal and Iraq in its opening fixtures to secure early qualification. One match saw Kylian Mbappé score two goals in a 3-0 win against Iraq, Fox Sports data shows. These results set up the final match against Norway as a contest for top spot in the group.
The victory means France will advance as group winners to face the third-placed team from either Group F or Group G in the round of 32, a Wikipedia summary of the tournament bracket indicated. Norway as runners-up will meet the runner-up of Group E, identified as Ivory Coast. Senegal in third place remains in contention as one of the best third-placed teams for a possible qualification to the knockout stage. This format is part of the expanded 48-team World Cup structure.
ESPN noted that the match took place on June 26 with the final whistle confirming the 4-1 scoreline. France had entered the fixture as tournament favorites according to pre-match analysis by BBC Sport. Norway had shown strong form earlier in the group with a total of eight goals scored across the three matches according to the standings data. The team will now prepare for its round of 32 match against the runner-up of Group E.
In an assessment from Sky Sports on the group, the fixtures had been set with France favored heavily from the start. The results aligned with pre-tournament expectations for the European powerhouse. Additional details from BBC Sport coverage highlighted France’s efficient finishing and defensive solidity in the closing match. Overall the group produced several high-scoring games including Senegal’s 5-0 victory over Iraq.
