France Tops Group I with Dembele Hat-Trick; Cabo Verde, Belgium Advance to Knockout Stages

France finished the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage with a perfect record, defeating Norway 4-1 on Friday with a dominant performance headlined by Ousmane Dembele's remarkable hat-trick. Dembele completed his treble inside 25 minutes, one of the fastest hat-tricks in World Cup history, securing France's top position in Group I with nine points. France's attack, which also features Kylian Mbappé, Desiré Doué, and Michael Olise in an increasingly threatening formation, sealed the group with an emphatic display against a Norwegian side that fielded rotated players.

In other group stage conclusions, Cabo Verde made history as the first team from the island nation to reach a World Cup knockout stage, advancing as Group H runner-up with three points accumulated from three consecutive draws. The team's goalless tie with Saudi Arabia, combined with earlier draws, positioned them to face defending champion Argentina in the round of 32. Cabo Verde became the first team since Slovakia in 2010 to reach the knockout round in its World Cup debut. Spain won Group H with seven points after a 1-0 victory over Uruguay, which was eliminated from the tournament—becoming the first South American team knocked out of this year's competition.

Belgium also secured advancement, topping Group G with a commanding 5-1 victory over New Zealand. Leandro Trossard scored twice in the match, with the Belgian side breaking the tie open in the second half through goals from Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and Alexis Saelemaekers. Belgium finished with five points alongside Egypt, but their superior goal differential gave them first place; Egypt advanced as runner-up despite a 1-1 draw with Iran. The result ensured Belgium would await its round-of-32 opponent, likely South Korea.

Senegal advanced as one of the eight best third-placed teams after a commanding 5-0 victory over Iraq, while Egypt secured its first-ever World Cup knockout appearance. Iran remained in contention for a third-place berth after an eventful 1-1 draw with Egypt that saw a late goal disallowed by VAR when Shoja Khalilzadeh was ruled offside by the narrowest of margins. Norway, despite its defeat to France, advanced as Group I runner-up with six points and will face Ivory Coast in the knockout round.