France and Norway have each won their first two group stage matches at the World Cup, securing spots in the knockout rounds [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. They meet on June 27 in Boston in a winner-takes-all clash to top Group I [1, 3, 4, 5, 6].
Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland have emerged as the standout forwards for their teams in the tournament. Both players have scored four goals so far, placing them joint second behind Lionel Messi, who leads with five goals [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. Mbappe is France's all-time leading World Cup scorer with 16 goals, just two behind Messi's overall record of 18 [1, 4]. Haaland, playing in his first World Cup, has impressed by scoring multiple goals in each of his first two games [1, 3, 6].
France holds a superior goal difference, meaning they need only a draw to clinch first place in the group and avoid a potentially tougher knockout draw [3, 5, 6]. Norway's squad depth is more limited compared to France, making Haaland's contributions even more critical to their chances [1].
Mbappe started in the lineup for previous matches while Haaland began on the bench in at least one game, highlighting contrasting tactical approaches [5]. Haaland downplayed Norway's chances of winning the tournament and the upcoming match, saying, "To win the World Cup, absolutely not... They're probably going to win against us, they're probably going to win the whole tournament," but added, "I’m part of something special, making history, and I’m extremely proud to be Norwegian" [4, 6]. He also said simply, "我就是很擅长进球," emphasizing his scoring ability [4].
France will be without head coach Didier Deschamps for the match after the death of his mother. Assistant coach Guy Stephan will lead the team, saying, "I am thinking a lot about Didier and his family. I am just trying to make a difficult situation as normal as possible" [4, 6]. Deschamps praised Mbappe, saying, "纪录就是用来打破的。他已经达到一个有象征意义的数字。他一直都能进球，他还会进更多球," acknowledging his record goal-scoring and future potential [4].
Elsewhere in the group stage, Iraq and Senegal are set to meet in their final group match. Both teams need large wins to keep hopes alive of qualifying as one of the best third-placed teams. Iraq is seeking its first-ever World Cup points and victory, having lost all three matches in 1986 [4].
