It's the penultimate day of group-stage action at the World Cup, with Groups G, H and I all drawing to a thrilling conclusion. As always, keep track of all the key moments throughout the day with our live blog!
Norway 1-4 France (FT)
Senegal 5-0 Iraq (FT)
Group I: France and Norway advance to Round of 32
Cape Verde 0-0 Saudi Arabia (LIVE!)
Uruguay 0-1 Spain (LIVE!)
Egypt vs Iran – 05:00 CET
New Zealand vs Belgium – 05:00 CET
03:35 CET – In a rare break from the tradition of keeping his starting lineups quiet until matchday, Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni has confirmed that Leo Messi will start on the bench against Jordan tomorrow. Read more here.
03:30 CET – Both games are in their hydration breaks and Uruguay are now less than 30 minutes away from crashing out at the group stage of a second successive World Cup – for the first time in their history!
03:09 CET – The second halves are underway. Uruguay withdrew Manuel Ugarte at half-time with an apparent injury concern and Bielsa has also pulled the Uruguay goalkeeper following his terrible first-half blunder. Rochet comes on for Muslera, who earns the unwanted title of being the first Uruguayan keeper subbed off at half-time in a World Cup.
03:05 CET – The last time a team finishing second in their World Cup group without winning a game was Chile all the way back in 1998. They lost their Round of 16 match 4-1 to runners-up Brazil.
02:56 CET – Here is all of the other important half-time information:
02:53 CET – It's half-time in both matches and Cape Verde are currently in the top-two!
02:49 CET – We're into first half stoppage time.
02:42 CET – We have our first goal thanks to Alex Baena, and perhaps thanks even more to a terrible goalkeeping fumble from Muslera who should have done better to get behind a bouncing shot at goal. Muslera got both hands to the ball only for it to squeeze over the top of them.
That means Cape Verde take second place in the live standings and Uruguay would be eliminated.
02:40 CET – Split-screen streaming these games needs a bit more focus than usual with both teams in the same coloured kits – white for Saudi Arabia and Spain, and a very similar dark blue for both Cape Verde and Uruguay!
02:35 CET – Worrying scenes in Houston as Hassan Tambakti goes off on a stretcher with what could be a serious injury.
02:30 CET – Don't forget to follow the live standings in our match centres and on the World Cup page throughout the rest of matchday three. As it stands, Cape Verde is in a shaky position:
02:25 CET – Both matches are in their hydration breaks after quiet starts. Cape Verde recorded the only shot on target of either game through Willy Semedo.
02:10 CET – We love the cult hero stories that unfold at every World Cup. Vozinha and his mother were shown separately on the big screen at the venue in Houston and both received enormous cheers from the spectators.
It's 0-0 in both games, ten minutes in.
02:00 CET – Both teams observed a minute of silence to pay their respects to the victims of the terrible earthquake in Venezuela, and now it's time to get down to business.
01:50 CET – Group H is shaping up to be one of the most fascinating of matchday three and it's not far away from being settled. Not a single side in the group is assured of progression, not even leaders Spain who are going all out to secure top spot in the group.
01:20 CET – A hot, mildly humid evening is expected in Houston today with temperatures unlikely to drop far below 30 degrees celsius throughout the match. The hydration break will be well appreciated by the Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia sides.
In Zapopan, weather forecasters are not ruling out lightning impacting the game between Uruguay and Spain, though storms are not expected to be widespread.
01:00 CET – With one hour to go until the next group is decided, here are the match lineups.
Uruguay have made one change, bringing in Darwin Nunez for Federico Vinas.
For Spain, Mikel Merino comes in for Dani Olmo and Marcos Llorente replaces Pedro Porro.
23:30 CET – That's a wrap on Group I at the World Cup, with France and Norway through, plus Senegal most likely progressing. Next up, it's time to move to Group H. Here's the situation there…
Heavyweights Spain will be taking on Uruguay in Zapopan, Mexico, while Cape Verde face Saudi Arabia in Houston. Both matches kick off at 02:00 CET. Spain lead the group on four points and are assured of progression, while Uruguay and Cape Verde will go through with wins, and possibly draws. Saudi Arabia have to win tonight to stay alive. Stay tuned for team news!
23:05 CET – Time is up in Toronto as well now, and Senegal have demolished Iraq 5-0 to end the stage on three points but with a goal difference (+2) that could see them progress as one of the best third-placed sides.
Iraq, meanwhile, go home after three losses from their three games.
David Parkes at Toronto Stadium: It was a ruthless display from Senegal in the second half, who decided to score for fun and all but book their place in the next round. Losing a man proved disastrous for Iraq, who had kept them out for so long until the second goal came. From there, the roof collapsed, and the Lions of Mesopotamia could not keep up with their opponents. It is all but certain that the Lions de la Téranga will be in the round of 32 now.
Read our full match report here.
22:59 CET – And with that, the referee has called time in Boston, and France have comfortably beaten a rotated Norway side, 4-1, to end their group stage with a perfect record of three wins from three.
The star of the show for Les Bleus this evening was undoubtedly Ousmane Dembele, who notched a stunning first-half hat-trick in just 25 minutes and a Flashscore player rating of 9.5.
Norway go through in second place, and we know they will have to face the Ivory Coast in the Round of 32.
Read our full match report here.
22:57 CET – France have another one, and this time it's Desire Doue scoring to make it 4-1. It's another super goal for the French, with Doue capping off a nice move with a sharp header into the top right corner. Ending the stage in style!
22:50 CET – 5-0 to Senegal now against Iraq! It's an absolute thrashing and the all-important goal difference boost that the Senegalese were after – they are now +2 in that column.
David Parkes at Toronto Stadium: Iliman Ndiaye was able to run clean in on goal, then smash his shot into the roof of the net. No chance for Hassan once again.
22:39 CET – It's turning into a thrashing for Iraq in Toronto, Senegal now lead them 4-0, and that has, importantly, put their goal difference into the positive. Pape Gueye with his second for the Lions of Teranga.
David Parkes at Toronto Stadium: The ball fell to Pape Gueye just inside the box, and he unleashed an absolute bullet. It flew past the Iraqi keeper before he even knew what happened!
22:29 CET – Ousmane Dembele has been taken off for France, after starring with three goals in the space of 25 first-half minutes. They'll be saying: 'Take a bow, son, you've been brilliant!'
Check out Dembele's match stats below:
22:26 CET – Make that 3-0 to Senegal! Pape Gueye has gotten in on the act now to take the game away from 10-man Iraq completely.
David Parkes at Toronto Stadium: Two quick-fire goals, and Senegal have all but killed the game. A bit harsh on Iraq, which had done so well with 10 men for a considerable period of time. However, the arduous task started to wear on them, and now they are left enjoying the final quarter of their World Cup. Scottish fans are left stressing now, as their hopes of advancing as one of the eight best third-place teams have become even more challenging.
22:23 CET – Senegal are starting to make their numerical advantage count; they now lead Iraq 2-0, thanks to a goal from Ismaila Sarr.
David Parkes at Toronto Stadium: Just as Senegal were about to make a triple change, they get their second. Iraq are caught napping there, as Sarr gets to the ball before Akam Hashem to slot it home. The Lions de la Téranga had started the second half as the stronger team, and it showed there.
22:18 CET – David Parkes at Toronto Stadium: Iraq were forced into a goalkeeper change at the break, as Ahmed Basil is unable to continue, with Jalal Hassan replacing him. Fortunately for the former, he did not have to face too much in the opening half. The Al Shorta man did go down during the opening half, and it is pretty clear that the fall he took might have had some more serious impact on him.
22:14 CET – Oh, here we go, Norway have been awarded a penalty, and there's no doubt about it as Oscar Bobb is taken down by Theo Hernandez in the box…
But Jorgen Strand Larsen has MISSED!!! That was a huge opportunity squandered by Norway to make it 3-2.
22:10 CET – We are getting back underway in Boston and Toronto. As ever, you can follow every kick of the ongoing matches with our LIVE audio commentary via the links above!
21:56 CET – David Parkes at Toronto Stadium: After a lengthy amount of additional time, the referee has brought an end to what was a chaotic first half.
After conceding a goal inside five minutes, then losing a man 10 minutes later, Iraq have done well to keep themselves in this match. Of course, their situation is far from ideal, but it could be much worse. They have created a couple of half-chances and have tried to go forward, which is admirable on their part.
For all of Senegal's possession since going a man up, they have not really done much to test Ahmed Basil in the Iraqi goal. The goal was one of just two shots on target from the Lions de la Téranga.
While there is still hope in the second half for the Lions of Mesopotamia, they will have to try and go for broke – whether they lose 1-0 or 4-0, they would still be out.
21:53 CET – That's that for a first half in Boston in which Dembele has completely stolen the show with the third hat-trick of this World Cup.
Thanks to that, France can probably think about resting some of their players in the second half now.
21:38 CET – OUSMANE DEMBELE HAS A HAT-TRICK! The Ballon d'Or holder restores Les Blues' two-goal cushion with his third goal of the game!
All three goals were of seriously high quality, too. A simply remarkable individual performance.
21:29 CET – David Parkes at Toronto Stadium: In the last few minutes before the first half hydration break, Iraq have adjusted to being down a man pretty well. They had a spell of possession, which included a free kick and a corner.
They still have not tested the Senegalese goalkeeper though, something that will have to change quickly
21:23 CET – Goals galore in Boston! Dembele scored another beauty, cutting inside and curling in with his left foot, but Thelo Aasgaard then responded just a minute later for Norway!
What a start to the day's action this has been.
21:15 CET – Iraq go down to 10 men! This opening period could not have gone better for Senegal.
David Parkes at Toronto Stadium: Just the start Senegal wanted and needed here at Toronto Stadium. They know exactly what they need to do, and right off the bat, Abdoulaye Seck rose highest from the corner to put them in front. While they would currently go ahead of Scotland in the ranking of third-place teams, the Lions de la Téranga want more, as made clear when one player grabbed the ball and tried to hurry it back to the centre circle.
Things have since gotten from bad to worse early on for Iraq, as Rebin Sulaka is shown a straight red card – after VAR intervention – for denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity. It is worth remembering that the Lions of Mesopotamia need to win this by at least two goals if they are to stand a chance of progressing. Anything less and they are out!
Graham Arnold has acted very quickly, sacrificing Ahmed Qasem for a more defensive change, bringing on Manaf Younis. What a disastrous situation to be in when being involved in a win-or-go-home scenario. We have seen teams find a way to win with 10 men, but this is a very tall order now for Iraq
21:10 CET – France take an early lead too! Ousmane Dembele opens the scoring with a stunner, sending a right-footed strike into the far corner from the right-hand side of the box!
21:07 CET – Senegal make the dream start! A bit of a scramble sees the ball deflect into the back of the net from a corner!
Just what the doctor ordered.
21:03 CET – We're underway, and Kylian Mbappe has hit the crossbar after just 20 seconds!
If that's a sign of things to come, Norway are in for a long night.
20:48 CET – Let's talk permutations.
If either side wins the clash between Norway and France, they'll top the group, while a draw would see France finish top of goal difference.
In the other match, a 2-0 win for Senegal would move them above Croatia, South Korea, Algeria and Scotland in the battle to go through as one of the best third-placed teams thanks to their goal difference and goals scored, and with South Korea and Scotland not playing again, that would probably be enough. As for Iraq, they need a huge win.
20:05 CET – There's also some surprising team news coming out of Toronto, where Senegal have opted to drop Nicolas Jackson, Kalidou Koulibaly, Pape Gueye and Malick Diouf. Those are huge calls from Pape Thiaw on a night where his side need a big win.
19:47 CET – The lineups are in for the clash between Norway and France, and the big news is that the Norwegians are putting out a second-string side, with Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard and numerous other key players being rested.
France have also rotated slightly, with William Saliba and Adrien Rabiot dropping to the bench, but their frightening attack is at full strength.
17:35 CET – Besides Norway vs France, the other match this evening in Group I sees Senegal taking on Iraq, also from 21:00 CET.
The situation is straightforward for both sides: With zero points on the board, they simply must win and then hope that three points will get them through as one of the best third-placed sides.
Senegal go into the match in Toronto as the heavy favourites, and one man who could be key for them is veteran midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye.
We took a closer look at the numbers that defined Gueye's two matches at the World Cup so far in our latest data-based feature – read that here!
17:16 CET – Two of the world's best strikers, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, are set to go head-to-head this evening, as they look to fire their respective nations to the top of Group I.
Our football features writer, Jason Pettigrove, has taken a closer look at both forwards, as well as some of the other key talking points ahead of Norway vs France at 21:00 CET.
Read that full piece here!
13:30 CET – Good afternoon and welcome to our coverage of day 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup!
It promises to be a fascinating day of action ahead, with France and Norway battling it out for top spot in Group I, while the point-less Senegal and Iraq target a minor miracle to finish as one of the best third-placed sides.
Following those matches, Groups G and H also conclude later on, with European champions Spain looking to secure top spot ahead of Uruguay, while Egypt and Belgium take on Iran and New Zealand, respectively.
As always, catch up on all of yesterday's action with our daily highlights, or relive all of the drama as it unfolded in the day 15 live tracker.
The 2026 World Cup is taking place from June 11th to July 19th in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The tournament features 48 national teams and is played at 16 modern stadiums.
Match schedule and times | Group tables | How to watch the World Cup | World Cup Format | Past winners of the World Cup
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