FIFA World Cup Group I 2026 Preview

FIFA World Cup Group I 2026 matches will be played from June 16 to 26. In Group I, France stands out the most and is considered not only the group favorite, but also one of the favorites to win the tournament.

Senegal and Norway will provide significant competition for France, while the group underdog is Iraq, which will play at the FIFA World Cup for the second time in its history.

Here, we provide a team overview, the full group schedule and betting odds.

FIFA World Cup Group I is one of the most intriguing groups. Although Iraq is the clear underdog here, the other three teams should create highly competitive and intriguing matches. France is the clear favorite, but both Senegal and Norway can create complications. Each national team has individually outstanding players who can decide the outcome of a match.

There is a chance that as many as three national teams from this group will reach the next stage. For that to happen, Iraq would need to lose all matches. It is likely that at least one draw will be seen between Senegal, Norway and France, so four points may be enough for the third-place team to qualify for the Round of 32.

Online sports bookmaker odds for winning the group or finishing TOP 2:

Five group matches will be played in the United States: East Rutherford, Foxborough and Philadelphia. The only match between Senegal and Iraq will take place in Toronto. Full FIFA World Cup Group I schedule:

France is considered the clear favorite in Group I, but this is one of the groups where surprises could be seen. Neither Norway nor Senegal should be written off.

France squad once again arrives at the FIFA World Cup with impressive talent. In attack, Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise will be seen here.

France won the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 1998, then played in the final in 2006, won again in 2018 and lost in the final in 2022. With a squad like this, it is no surprise that the team is once again listed among the favorites.

Senegal is one of the best African teams and, with its best players, can not only create complications in the group but also fight for a place in the Round of 32.

This will be the fourth time Senegal plays at the FIFA World Cup. In 2002, the national team managed to reach the Quarterfinals and, in the group stage, not only played against France but also beat it. The then world champion finished last in the group.

It can be said right away that Iraq was unlucky with the group, as there is a very large gap between it and the other three participating FIFA opponents. In another group, Iraq could try to at least fight for third place, but Group I looks too strong.

Returning to the FIFA World Cup is already a major achievement, but no positive results should be expected here. It would not be any kind of surprise if the campaign ended with 0 points.

Norway is named as the team that should provide the strongest competition for France. The national team will play at the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1998, so motivation and focus should certainly not be an issue.

Norway drew strong attention to itself during FIFA World Cup Qualification, where it won all 8 matches in a group with Italy, Israel, Estonia and Moldova. It scored as many as 37 goals and conceded only 5. In the national team, not only Erling Haaland can be highlighted, but also Alexander Sorloth and Martin Odegaard.

For those who like individual talent, Group I will certainly have plenty of it. In the Iraq national team, Ali Al-Hamadi, Aymen Hussein and Zidane Iqbal can be highlighted. These are less well-known players, but they should receive the most attention in their team.

One of the reasons why Group I attracts major interest is the France national team squad. There is certainly plenty of talent, so it will be very interesting to see how the team looks on the pitch. Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Desire Doue and William Saliba clearly stand out here.

For Norway, Erling Haaland should be highlighted, along with Martin Odegaard, Alexander Sorloth, Oscar Bobb and Julian Ryerson. In the Senegal national team, we will see Sadio Mane, Kalidou Koulibaly and Nicolas Jackson.

FIFA World Cup Group I is one of the most competitive groups and, although it can be predicted that France and Norway will take the first two places, Senegal will finish third and Iraq fourth, unexpected results can still happen.

The least is expected from the Iraq national team, which will play at the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1986. The national team has lost only two of its last 12 official matches.

However, the opponents in the group will be at a much higher level, and one of the safest bets is that Iraq will not collect a single point. Odds of 1.78 are given for this bet.

Norway arrives at the FIFA World Cup having won all 8 qualification matches, so it will be interesting to see whether it can maintain that form at the tournament as well. The schedule is favorable for the national team, as the first match is against Iraq, the second against Senegal and the final match against France.