France secured their place in the World Cup knockout rounds with a 3-0 win over Iraq on June 22, highlighted by Kylian Mbappe's two goals and one from Ousmane Dembele. The match was delayed for nearly two hours due to thunderstorms in Philadelphia [1, 2, 3]. Mbappe now has 16 all-time World Cup goals, tying Miroslav Klose and sitting two behind Lionel Messi's 18 [1, 2, 3].

Norway also qualified for the last 32 by winning their first two Group I matches against Iraq and Senegal. Their 3-2 victory over Senegal on June 22 ensured their progression [4, 5, 6, 7]. Norway's star striker Erling Haaland, who has scored 59 goals in 52 international games, has four goals in this tournament, matching Mbappe's tally. Haaland downplayed his impact, saying, "I’m just really good at scoring goals," and added, "They’re probably going to win against us, they’re probably going to win the whole tournament" [5, 7].

With both teams on six points after two wins, the final group match on June 26 in Boston will decide the Group I winner and affect the knockout round path [4, 5, 8]. France hold the advantage thanks to their superior goal difference and need only a draw to top the group [4, 5, 8]. Assistant coach Guy Stephan will lead France as head coach Didier Deschamps is in France for his mother’s funeral. Stephan said, "First and foremost, we have qualified... Didier wants to finish top, as the whole group does, because it would be completely different logistically. The travel times to different cities would be a lot longer if we finish second... First place is best" [8, 9].

France will be without defender William Saliba and have concerns over striker Marcus Thuram’s calf injury [8, 9]. Norway coach Stale Solbakken may rotate his squad due to the physical toll of their recent win over Senegal [4, 5, 6].

Scoring for France has come from Mbappe, Dembele, Barcola, and Doue, achieving 7 goals while conceding 3 in their two matches [7]. Finishing first in Group I would allow France to stay in the Northeastern US for the quarter-finals, avoiding longer travel to cities like Dallas, Miami, and Atlanta [4, 5, 8]. However, it may set up a round of 16 meeting with Germany and a semi-final against Spain, while a lower finish risks facing Brazil, England, or Portugal earlier [4, 5, 6].

The decisive match between France and Norway kicks off on June 26 in Boston to determine the group champion and shape the knockout stages [4, 5, 8, 6, 9, 7].