Group I Preview: France, Norway, Senegal & Iraq — Mbappé vs Haaland

Group I is what happens when FIFA puts two of the most expensive forwards alive in the same bracket and asks the rest to survive the blast radius.

France (~€1.25B squad, FIFA rank ~2) bring Kylian Mbappé — pace that turns transitions into horror films — plus depth that makes rotation feel unfair. Norway finally have Erling Haaland on a World Cup pitch (~€350M team value, ~€180M man). One scores with physics; the other scores anyway.

Senegal add Sadio Mané and AFCON-winning muscle. Iraq bring Mesopotamian noise — low market value, high emotional volume.

Star sheet

Must-see fixtures

**France vs Senegal (Match 17) — MetLife**, East Rutherford. Champions vs AFCON kings under NYC-area lights. Mbappé vs Mané is a headline writers dream about.

**Iraq vs Norway (Match 18)** — Foxborough. Haaland's World Cup story starts here — Iraq will not care about his transfer fee.

**Norway vs France (Match 61)** — late group decider energy. Haaland vs Mbappé without club PR filters. Clear your calendar.

Filter Group I on our **schedule** · MetLife final-week tips.

Who advances?

France top the group in most projections — talent gap is real. Norway target second; Haaland makes one draw feel like a win. Senegal can steal points from anyone. Iraq hunt best third-place math (48-team format).

Links

• France · Norway · Senegal · Iraq
• Tickets guide · Bracket sim

Unofficial fan guide — values editorial estimates.