World Cup Day 16: France meet Norway in a top-of-the-table showdown, Cape Verde still dreaming

The final group-stage night of the 2026 World Cup brings the headline matchup everyone anticipated from the draw, France against Norway, a direct fight for first place in Group 9. Kylian Mbappe goes up against Erling Haaland, while Ousmane Dembele faces Martin Odegaard. France, the reigning World Cup runner-up, can finish first with a draw or better and would get a supposedly easier path in the knockout rounds. Norway needs a win to take the group; the loser will finish second either way.

In the other Group 9 game, Senegal plays Iraq in Toronto at the same time as France-Norway in Foxborough, both at 22:00. Senegal needs a big win to keep alive its chance of advancing as one of the eight best third-place teams. Senegal are favorites, but Iraq is expected to make things difficult, and a draw would eliminate both teams.

Group 8 remains wide open entering the last round. Spain leads with 4 points, followed by Uruguay and Cape Verde on 2 points each, and Saudi Arabia on 1. Spain faces Uruguay in Zapopan at 03:00, while Cape Verde meets Saudi Arabia in Houston at the same time. Cape Verde, described as the group’s underdog, has already held both Uruguay and Spain to draws and is still in contention after an impressive defensive run.

Spain is already through, but not yet sure from which place. A win over Uruguay would secure first place and send Uruguay home. If Spain draws Uruguay, Cape Verde could advance with a draw against Saudi Arabia, but if Uruguay also draws, tiebreakers would come down to total goals scored across the group. Any Cape Verde win, or a Saudi Arabia win if Uruguay does not beat Spain, would send the winner through. The article says all four teams still have something at stake and expects a dramatic night.

Group 10 is also finely balanced. Egypt leads with 4 points, Iran and Belgium have 2 each, and New Zealand has 1. Egypt meets Iran in Seattle at 06:00, while Belgium plays New Zealand in Vancouver at the same time. The article notes that the Egypt-Iran match was chosen as a game dedicated to the LGBTQ community, despite the fact that both countries have restrictive records on human rights and LGBT rights.

Egypt is already through but still does not know from which position. A win would give it first place, while a draw with Iran would leave Belgium and New Zealand to fight for the second qualifying spot. Belgium is described as the clear favorite against New Zealand and could still finish first, especially if it wins by a large margin, even if the Egypt-Iran game ends level.