Friday, June 26 brings the final group-stage day at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with six matches running across three kickoff windows. Norway vs. France at 3 p.m. ET on FOX will decide Group I’s winner, while Spain-Uruguay, Cape Verde-Saudi Arabia, and New Zealan
By Friday afternoon, the World Cup group stage isn’t just narrowing—it’s making decisions.
At Boston Stadium. Norway and France step onto the field with perfect records and the same kind of pressure that comes from being unbeaten and still not secure. The marquee matchup, Norway vs. France, kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on FOX and streams on FOX One. Erling Haaland has four goals for Norway. and Kylian Mbappé has four for France—two of the tournament’s top scorers. facing off as Group I is finally decided.
Both teams have already booked spots in the round of 32. But this is the match that decides the group winner. France holds the edge because of superior goal differential and will win the group even if the match ends in a draw.
The rest of the group-stage puzzle moves in parallel—three kickoff slots, three venues, and more than a little urgency for teams still searching for the right result.
In Toronto, Senegal vs. Iraq starts at 3 p.m. ET on FS1. Both Senegal and Iraq enter with zero points after losing to powerhouses Norway and France. Even so, the game isn’t purely ceremonial. A draw would eliminate both teams. but a winner still has a slim path forward as one of the top eight third-place teams. Whether three points is enough will depend on the final tables and goal differentials in other groups.
Later, the spotlight shifts to Guadalajara for Uruguay vs. Spain at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. Spain sits atop Group H with four points, while Uruguay has two. Led by Marcelo Bielsa. Uruguay has left a disappointing impression at this World Cup after draws against Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde. That’s put the team in a position where it likely needs to beat Spain to advance.
The math looks harder than it sounds. Uruguay hasn’t won any of its last six games, and Spain’s form has been steady enough to build an unbeaten run in competitive matches reaching 33 games—24 wins and nine draws—dating back to March 28, 2023.
Also at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia takes place in Houston, with everything on the line in the way group-stage games often feel: not just about the match in front of you, but about what happens elsewhere. The winner is likely to advance out of Group H into the round of 32.
Cape Verde enters with two points. even with Uruguay. but behind by only one on goals scored tiebreaker. from two draws. Saudi Arabia has one point. Cape Verde’s storyline has become the tournament’s Cinderella draw—playing Spain to a 0-0 draw. then following it with a 2-2 draw with Uruguay. The archipelago nation has a population of just 525,000, yet it already has results against teams that have won the tournament.
For Cape Verde, a win would send it into the knockouts. A draw might still be enough to finish with three points, if other results break its way.
At 11 p.m. ET, New Zealand vs. Belgium ends Group G’s final matchday in Vancouver at BC Place. The stakes are clear: for both teams, advancing out of Group G into the round of 32 likely depends on winning. Belgium sits in third place with two points from two games. and it’s arrived with expectations it hasn’t quite matched—especially after coming in as a top-10 team in the FIFA World Rankings.
The bigger concern is what Belgium hasn’t produced offensively. Its only goal came via an own goal in a 1-1 draw with Egypt. A win here would lift the Red Devils to five points.
The late window finishes in Seattle with Egypt vs. Iran at 11 p.m. ET on FS1. This meeting is a different kind of pressure: both nations have never advanced out of the group stage. despite the experience behind them. Iran is making its seventh World Cup appearance. while Egypt is making its fourth. but neither has managed to get past the group stage—until this time.
At Seattle Stadium, at least one team is set to move forward. Egypt sits atop Group G with four points after a 2-2 draw with New Zealand and a 3-1 win over New Zealand. Four points will likely be enough to secure a spot in the knockouts, and a draw would clinch it.
Egypt’s attack is built around Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah. Salah, 34, has 68 goals in 118 appearances for Egypt, and he was the difference-maker in the win over New Zealand.
Iran goes in as the underdog on two points, coming off a draw with Belgium and New Zealand. In its recent 0-0 draw with Belgium. Iran sat deep and secured the point through solid defense and a bit of luck. Against Egypt. Iran is likely to lean on a similar approach. but advancing probably requires more than holding on—it likely comes with finding a way to win.
Across the day. the schedule is simple on paper and brutal in execution: Norway and France decide Group I’s top spot at Boston Stadium; Senegal and Iraq play out their elimination scenario in Toronto; Spain and Uruguay contest Group H in Guadalajara; Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia chase the most fragile kind of group-stage hope in Houston; Belgium and New Zealand fight for a knockout berth in Vancouver; and Egypt and Iran. in Seattle. carry the weight of never having made it out of the group stage before.
All World Cup matches air on FOX and FS1, with every game streaming live and on demand on FOX One.
Who plays today in the World Cup?
Norway
France
Senegal
Iraq
Uruguay
Spain
Cape Verde
Saudi Arabia
New Zealand
Belgium
Egypt
Iran
World Cup scores yesterday
How to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup
All World Cup matches air on FOX and FS1, with every game streaming live and on demand on FOX One.
2026 FIFA World Cup Norway vs France Erling Haaland Kylian Mbappé Group I Group H Group G Senegal vs Iraq Uruguay vs Spain Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia New Zealand vs Belgium Egypt vs Iran FOX One FOX FS1
So France can tie and still win the group?? That sounds rigged lol.
I didn’t realize Haaland had 4 goals already. Norway vs France feels like the only game anyone will watch on FOX. Why do they say it decides the winner if France basically already has it?
Wait, Senegal vs Iraq is “ceremonial” but then it says a draw would eliminate both teams… so which is it? Like, how can a draw eliminate them if they’re both already out anyway? The article is kinda confusing.
This is the first time I’ve heard of Cape Verde at a World Cup and now they’re playing Saudi Arabia?? I’m just here like… if Mbappé has 4 goals, why does it matter about goal differential so much? Also Boston Stadium? I thought that’s where the Patriots play or whatever.