The French national team confirmed its status as one of the leading contenders for the 2026 World Cup title after finishing the group stage with a perfect record, following a 4-1 victory over Norway on Friday in the final round of Group 9 fixtures. The win was built on a superb hat-trick from star forward Ousmane Dembélé, before Desiré Doué rounded off the goal feast in injury time (90+4).
Les Bleus lifted their tally to 9 points from 3 wins, clinching top spot in Group 9, while Norway finished second on 6 points. In the other match in the same group, Senegal routed Iraq 5-0, moving to 3 points and boosting their hopes of advancing to the round of 16 as one of the best third-placed sides, while Iraq were eliminated without a single point.
France entered the match with clear attacking intent, and captain Kylian Mbappé almost opened the scoring as early as the first minute, but Norwegian goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland handled his attempt brilliantly.
The French lead did not take long to materialise, as Ousmane Dembélé found the net in the 7th minute, capitalising on a pass from Mbappé to fire a powerful low shot into the left corner of the goal.
France continued to press relentlessly, with goalkeeper Nyland producing a series of impressive saves to deny Manu Koné and Desiré Doué, before Dembélé struck again in the 20th minute to double the advantage, benefiting from a swift counter-attack led by Mbappé, who provided his second key assist of the match.
Norway hit back swiftly just a minute later, when Thilo Asgaard capitalised on a pass from Andreas Sieldrop inside the penalty area to slot a low ball past goalkeeper Mike Maignan, reducing the deficit to 2-1.
Dembélé refused to give his opponents any hope of a comeback, completing his personal hat-trick in the 32nd minute after receiving a precise pass from Aurélien Tchouaméni, which he slotted in with his left foot, sending France into the break leading 3-1.
In the second half, Norway attempted to get back into the game and earned a valuable opportunity when the referee awarded a penalty after Oscar Bobb was brought down by Theo Hernández inside the area. However, French goalkeeper Mike Maignan excelled and saved Jørgen Strand Larsen's spot-kick in the 50th minute, preserving France's two-goal cushion.
Norway intensified their efforts through Oscar Bobb and Asgaard, but the French defence, led by Dayot Upamecano and Maxence Lacroix, successfully absorbed the attacks. The French technical staff made several substitutions to rest their key players, withdrawing Dembélé and Mbappé and introducing Bradley Barcola, Rayan Cherki, and Jean-Philippe Mateta.
In injury time, Desiré Doué added France's fourth goal in the 4th minute of added time, rising to meet a precise cross from Barcola and heading it into the net, confirming France's complete dominance.
With this victory, France continued their tournament campaign with great confidence after achieving a perfect group-stage record, while Norway secured their place in the knockout rounds as group runners-up.