Norway were too powerful for Senegal, who despite their best efforts, couldn’t avoid defeat. Hence, putting its 2026 World Cup campaign in serious jeopardy and leaving them with no room for error.
Norway and France will battle it out in Matchday 3 to see who will end up as the top seed of Group I. After all, both come into the game with the same points. Their head-to-head is crucial.
As for Senegal, the future looks very cloudy as only a miracle would keep them alive as one of the best eight third-place spots that qualify to the next round. Still, they need to beat Iraq in big fashion to get there.
2026 World Cup Group I standings
With both Norway and France looking very dominant, their Matchday 3 game will define the winner and runner-up of this group, making the runner-up one of the most difficult draws for the runner-up of Group E, who they’ll face.
Erling Haaland #9 of Norway during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group I match
| Pos./ Team2/Pos./ Team | Pts. | GP/GD (GF) |
| 1. France | 6 | 2/+5 (6) |
| 2. Norway | 6 | 2/+4 (7) |
| 3. Senegal | 0 | 2/-3 (3) |
| 4. Iraq | 0 | 2/-6 (1) |
Are Senegal out of the 2026 World Cup after loss vs. Senegal?
Because both France and Norway have six points, the top two spots are entirely locked up. Senegal’s only way into the Round of 32 is to beat Iraq to secure three points and hope that their goal differential is enough to pass the third-place wild card cut. Hence, they need to score as much goals vs Iraq as possible.
The eight best third-placed teams out of 12 will advance to the Round of 32. Because teams have played an uneven number of games across groups, the wildcard table is highly fluid right now. What it’s confirmed is that Senegal must not only win, but run up the score vs. Iraq.
