Prateek Tanmay
3 min readUpdated: Jun 26, 2026 07:40 AM IST
France, last year’s losing finalists from the FIFA World Cup, are already assured a spot in the Round of 32 after twin victories in their first two games in Group I. Their sternest test will come when they face Norway in the final group game, and only a loss in this clash will see France qualify for the knockouts in second spot.
The game will be a showdown between France’s Kylian Mbappe and Norway’s Erling Haaland, both of whom have scored four goals in their previous two group stage games. Thanks to those four goals, Mbappe is on 16 goals at World Cups, two behind Lionel Messi’s record.
But which teams are France likely to face in the Round of 32? We break down the scenarios:
Scenario A: If France beat or draw against Norway
Should France beat Norway, they will end up as the top team in Group I which means they will have to wait a little to find out who their Round of 32 opponent will be.
According to the tournament brackets in the 48-team competition, France will face the third placed teams from the following groups: Groups C, D, F, G or H.
This means the following teams could face France:
Group C: Scotland
Group D: Australia or Paraguay
Ground F: Sweden
Group G: Egypt, Belgium, Iran or New Zealand
Group H: Cape Verde, Uruguay or Saudi Arabia
The clash will take place on Tuesday, June 30 at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.
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Scenario B: If France lose to Norway
Should France lose to Norway, they will still enter the knockout stages as the second-placed team from Group I. But this time, their opponent will be Ivory Coast (the runner-up out of Group E) on June 30 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
France’s path to the title
If France win their group and then defeat the third-placed team from groups C/D/F/G/H in Round of 32, they could find themselves running head-first into Germany in the next round, if both teams make it. The winner of that clash could potentially face one of the four teams: the Netherlands, Morocco, South Africa or Canada in the quarters.
