France secured first place in Group I with a comfortable 4-1 victory over Norway, completing the group stage with a perfect record.

Although both teams had already qualified for the knockout rounds, first place was still at stake. Norway made 10 changes to their starting line-up, with Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard remaining on the bench throughout the match.

France made a fast start and nearly scored inside the opening minute when Kylian Mbappe struck the crossbar.

Ousmane Dembele then put his side ahead in the seventh minute before adding a second midway through the first half with another composed finish.

Norway responded almost immediately through Thelo Aasgaard, whose long-range effort reduced the deficit.

However, France restored their control as Dembele completed his hat-trick before the half-hour mark, taking advantage of more defensive mistakes.

The second half was less eventful, although Norway had an opportunity to score from the penalty spot after Theo Hernandez fouled Oscar Bobb. Jorgen Strand Larsen’s penalty was saved comfortably by Mike Maignan. France added a fourth goal in stoppage time when Desire Doue headed home from Bradley Barcola’s cross to complete a convincing win.

Belgium also booked their place in the knockout stage after a dominant 5-1 victory over New Zealand, finishing top of Group G on goal difference. After drawing their opening two matches, the Red Devils produced an impressive performance to secure first place.

Belgium controlled possession from the start and created numerous chances before Leandro Trossard opened the scoring in the 28th minute from close range following a corner. The Arsenal forward doubled the lead shortly after half-time with a well-taken volley.

Kevin De Bruyne made it 3-0 with a low finish before New Zealand scored a late consolation through Elijah Just. Belgium quickly restored their three-goal advantage when substitute Romelu Lukaku headed home only moments after coming onto the pitch.

Alexis Saelemaekers completed the scoring in stoppage time to seal Belgium’s first victory of the tournament and confirm their place as group winners.

Spain finished top of Group H with a 1-0 win over Uruguay, whose campaign ended with elimination from the tournament. Alex Baena’s first-half effort proved to be the only goal of the game after goalkeeper Fernando Muslera was unable to keep out his shot.

Uruguay struggled to create clear opportunities throughout the match and were unable to recover.

Muslera was replaced at half-time, while captain Federico Valverde was substituted before the hour mark. Their difficult evening ended with Agustin Canobbio being sent off in stoppage time following a late challenge.

The result left Uruguay with only two points from three matches, while Spain advanced as group winners and will now face the runners-up from Group J in the round of 32.

In the other Group G fixture, Egypt and Iran played out a 1-1 draw in Seattle. Mahmoud Saber gave Egypt an early lead after a mistake by Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand. Iran responded soon afterwards through Ramin Rezaeian after Mehdi Taremi had seen a penalty saved.

Iran thought they had claimed a late winner in stoppage time, but Shoja Khalilzadeh’s goal was ruled out for offside following a video review. Moments later, Saeid Ezatolahi headed against the crossbar as Iran narrowly missed the chance to finish second in the group.
The draw meant Egypt finished second behind Belgium and qualified automatically for the knockout stage, where they will meet Australia.

Iran ended third and still had a chance of progressing as one of the best third-placed teams, depending on results in the remaining groups.

Cape Verde continued their impressive first World Cup campaign by reaching the round of 32 after a goalless draw with Saudi Arabia.

The point was enough for the African nation to finish second in Group H behind Spain.

Despite being one of the tournament’s newcomers, Cape Verde produced consistent performances throughout the group stage to secure qualification. Their progress is one of the notable achievements of the competition so far.

Saudi Arabia finished bottom of the group and were eliminated, while Cape Verde advanced to the knockout stage, where they will face Argentina.