LThe French team now knows its destiny for the next World Cup, scheduled for June and July 2026 in Mexico, Canada and the United States. The Blues inherited Group I, where they will face Senegal, Norway and an intercontinental play-off, that is to say Bolivia, Iraq or Suriname. On paper, Didier Deschamps’ men are not a convenient draw: Erling Haaland’s Norway remains formidable, while the Téranga Lions have a talented generation.
France-Senegal: a bad memory
Norway returns to a major international competition for the first time since Euro 2000 with its star scorer Erling Haaland at the head of the bill. The match within the match with Kylian Mbappé will inevitably be on everyone’s minds: with Harry Kane, they are part of the top 3 best European scorers. But the Scandinavian team also counts on other key elements, like Martin Ødegaard, the captain of Arsenal, and Antonio Nusa, the young promise of Leipzig.
France and Senegal have only faced each other once in the World Cup: a match that remains famous, marked by the defeat (1-0) of the Blues, then reigning world and European champions, against a sparkling Senegalese team. A start to the tournament which precipitated the fiasco of the 2002 World Cup. The last opponent in the group, from a qualifying mini-tournament, will be known next March. In the other groups, Germany will have to deal with two strong opponents, Ivory Coast and Ecuador. Morocco will face Brazil, while England will face Croatia.
The draw has just taken place in Washington with a ceremony which honored the American president, Donald Trump, but also great personalities of American sport, such as Tom Brady and Shaquille O’Neal, who were called upon to designate the groups. Like any self-respecting American show, several stars also gave voice for more than an hour, such as Nicole Scherzinger, Andrea Bocelli and Robbie Williams.
For the first time in its history, the World Cup will be contested by 48 teams divided into 12 groups. The best 32 selections will qualify for the knockout phase with 16es of final. Another particularity of this upcoming World Cup: France is protected because of its Fifa ranking. The top four nations, namely France as well as Argentina, Spain and England, will not be able to face each other before the semi-finals if they all finish at the top of their groups. The precise schedule of all the matches in this group phase and the allocation of the different stadiums will be revealed this Saturday at 6 p.m. by Fifa.
To Discover
Kangaroo of the day
Answer
Kylian Mbappé is impatiently awaiting this competition: he is only four goals away from the record of Miroslav Klose, the top scorer in the history of the tournament. This World Cup will also be the last campaign for Didier Deschamps, who will leave his post at the end of his contract in June 2026. Crowned world champion in 1998 as a player and in 2018 as coach, he remains in a memorable final in 2022, lost to Argentina at the end of an incredible scenario and a suffocating penalty shootout.
The complete draw
Group A: Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, European dam builder (Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Ireland).
Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, European barrage (Italy, Wales, Bosnia, Northern Ireland).
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti.
Group D: United States, Australia, Paraguay, European dam builder (Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia, Kosovo).
Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Curaçao.
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, European dam builder (Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Albania).
Group G: Belgium, Iran, Egypt, New Zealand.
Group H: Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde.
Groupe I : France, Senegal, Norway, intercontinental barrage (Iraq, Bolivia, Suriname).
Group J: Argentina, Austria, Algeria, Jordan.
Group K: Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan, intercontinental dam builder (Jamaica, New Caledonia, Democratic Republic of Congo).
Group L: England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana.
