France vs Norway
As one of the World Cup 2026 group games to catch my eye when the draw was made, there is justifiable excitement about Friday night’s meeting between France and Norway.
The fact that the respective talismans, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, have each netted four times in two games so far, while helping their countries qualify for the last 32, naturally means the showdown between two of the finest strikers on planet football is the biggest pre-match talking point.
Yet it is the far superior supporting cast that Les Bleus possess which should mean the World Cup 2026 highlights come their way in Foxborough.
Talking Points
Given both sides are through, Haaland may genuinely consider this a bit of a dead rubber and he played down the importance of the game when he said: ‘They (France) are probably going to win against us, they’re probably going to win the whole tournament.’
Alternatively, perhaps he is hoping to lull them into a false sense of security.
Either way, while France will start as firm favourites, Premier League Golden Boot winner Haaland will be keen to add more goals to his tally.
The dark horses are galloping on to the knockouts and have to be taken more seriously after their 3-2 win over Senegal when Norway ran the African champions’ defence ragged, creating plenty of chances.
Norway are not as tight defensively as they once were but they have a resolute central pairing of Torbjorn Heggem and Kristoffer Ajer in front of the last line of their defence, veteran goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland.
In the engine room, Sander Berge provides the tireless defensive shield with Arsenal’s Premier League-winning captain Martin Ødegaard pulling the strings.
They also have a player who caught the eye in Borussia Dortmund right-back Julian Ryerson, although he came off early with an injury in the win over Senegal, so Torino’s Marcus Pedersen should deputise.
For France, it was fitting that captain Mbappe marked the occasion of his 100th cap with a brace against Iraq. The Real Madrid man – the best player on planet football at the last World Cup – was too hot to handle on a night where the match was delayed by a two-hour break in play caused by roiling thunderstorms over Philadelphia.
There will be no Didier Deschamps at this one.
He will miss the match following the passing of his mother and the French Football Federation is returning home to attend her funeral.
History
It may surprise you to know that this will be the first ever meeting between the two nations in a tournament.
Yes, they’ve met in multiple friendlies and some World Cup and European Championship qualifiers over the years, but never on the biggest stage of all.
The very first meeting actually came in 1922, a game which was extremely one-sided as Norway ran out 7-0 winners, although records are unclear if it was a friendly or in a particular competition.
Norway also ran out 2-0 victors the following year in the Parc des Princes in what was officially classed as an international friendly – Einar Wilhelms and Finn Berstad the men on target for the Scandinavians in the opening 18 minutes.
The first competitive meeting arrived in 1964 when Les Bleus secured a 1-0 win in a World Cup qualifier; they won the return in Norway the following year by the same scoreline.
They’ve not met for 12 years since the day France won 4-0 in a friendly in Paris – the marksmen that day were Olivier Giroud (two), Paul Pogba and Loïc Rémy.
Overall, France have won seven encounters, Norway five and there have been four draws.
Betting Tip
Haaland says he expects France to win and the SBOTOP World Cup 2026 betting odds agree.
They are priced 1X2 @ 1.67 and Asian Handicap -1.00 @ 2.13.
For Norway, the prices are much further out and include 1X2 @ 4.55 and Asian Handicap +0.50 @ 2.29.
There’s an argument that a draw is a realistic option as both sides are already guaranteed to progress and France would still secure top spot with a point due to their superior goal difference. That is on offer @ 4.13.
Norway will want to win, of course, to gain the kudos of top spot in Group I. Personally, I think both sides will use this encounter to give game time to those with limited or no involvement in the first two matches.
I think there will be a few goals and I’ve considered over 3.25 @ 2.49, Total Goals 2-3 @ 2.04 and 4-6 @ 2.85. Total Goals 0-1 @ 3.78 has caught my eye too.
I suspect the squad depth of France will come to the fore and I expect them to lead at the break, as well as at full-time.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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