France and Spain Advance, but Only France Looked Ready

France and Spain both moved into the knockout stage of the 2026 World Cup, but their performances sent very different signals. France won 4-1 after Norway effectively chose to sacrifice the match in Boston by making 10 changes from the team that beat Senegal and resting Erling Haaland on the bench. That decision sent France to the top of the group and set up a round of 16 path against Sweden, and likely Germany after that, instead of a tougher route that could have brought Ivory Coast and then possibly Brazil. Didier Deschamps was absent from the touchline because of his mother’s death.

The article argues that Norway’s lineup denied fans a true test of how strong France really are. Even so, France had already cruised through the group stage with three wins, a perfect record and a 10-2 goal difference, and was led against Norway by Ousmane Dembele. Kylian Mbappe’s World Cup numbers also remain staggering, 14 wins in 15 matches in which he started, plus the draw with Argentina in the previous final. The piece says France may still be capable of handling Norway’s strongest side, but their ceiling will only be clearer when they face Sweden on Tuesday.

Spain, by contrast, is described as worrying. The European champions had already shown signs of rust in the opener against Cape Verde, though that was somewhat excusable because Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams did not play. A 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia on Sunday offered some reassurance, but the team then took a clear step backward in a hard-to-watch match against Uruguay in Guadalajara. Spain managed only one shot on target, a goal by Alex Baena that came with help from goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.

Spain still finished first in its group and drew a relatively manageable path, with Austria or Algeria next, then possibly Ghana, Croatia or Colombia. But the article warns that the team’s last two World Cups ended badly in its first knockout match, against Russia and Morocco, so this is the moment to wake up. With the tournament now speeding up after a slow group stage, depth should matter more, and the focus will inevitably fall on Mbappe, who has four goals and two assists, and Yamal, who has not yet really appeared. If the bracket holds, they could meet in a semifinal in Dallas, thanks to Norway’s choice.