Team news and viewing info as Norway meet France in World Cup 2026

Norway will take on France at the Boston Stadium tonight in a Group I showdown that marks the nation’s first World Cup appearance since 1998, with both sides already into the round of 32 but fighting for top spot and a more favourable path through the knockout stages.

After 28 years away from football’s biggest stage, Norway have announced their return emphatically, winning their opening two matches. France have done the same, meaning both teams sit on six points. The difference is goal difference: France lead the group at +5, Norway trail at +4. That means a draw will be enough for Les Bleus to secure first place, while Norway must win.

The stakes go beyond seeding. France assistant coach Guy Stéphan, who will take charge on the touchline tonight, has indicated that finishing top is a logistical priority. Staying in the Northeastern United States for as long as possible avoids significant travel disruptions and extreme temperature fluctuations across North America in the knockout rounds. The winner of Group I earns a place on the fancied side of the bracket.

France hold a historical advantage over Norway, having won seven of their 15 previous meetings, with four wins and four draws for the Scandinavians. Norway’s best World Cup result remains reaching the round of 16 in 1998, the same year they last qualified. In their first three tournaments, their only defeats came against Italy.

Team news: Haaland and Odegaard benched, Mbappe leads strong France XI

Norway head coach Ståle Solbakken has raised eyebrows with his starting line-up. Star striker Erling Haaland and captain Martin Ødegaard, both expected to lead the side, begin on the bench. The XI named is: Selvik; Aursnes, Østigård, Falchener, Bjørkan; Aasgaard, Berg, Thorstvedt; Oscar Bobb, Strand Larsen, Schjelderup. Among the substitutes are Haaland, Ødegaard, Berge, Nusa, Sørloth and Ryerson.

France, by contrast, have named their strongest available side. The XI is: Maignan; Koundé, Upamecano, Lacroix, T. Hernandez; Koné, Tchouaméni; Dembélé, Olise, Doué; Mbappé. Notable substitute options include Saliba, Konaté, Kanté, Rabiot, Barcola, Cherki, Mateta and Thuram.

All eyes will be on two prolific forwards. Kylian Mbappé has scored four goals in this tournament, taking his World Cup career tally to 16—level with Miroslav Klose for second on the all-time list, behind only Lionel Messi (18). Mbappé scored braces against Senegal and Iraq, the latter on his 100th international appearance. He holds the record for the most multi-goal games in World Cup history (six) and is France’s all-time leading scorer with 60 goals in 100 caps. Erling Haaland has also scored four goals in his first two World Cup matches, setting a new national record for Norway and becoming the sixth player in World Cup history to score multiple goals in each of his first two appearances. He scored twice against Iraq and twice against Senegal. Haaland netted 16 goals in qualifying, equalling Robert Lewandowski’s European qualifying record, and has 59 goals in 52 appearances for Norway.

Deschamps absent for mother’s funeral as Stéphan takes charge

France head coach Didier Deschamps is not present at the Boston Stadium. The French Football Federation confirmed in a statement that Deschamps flew back to France after his mother passed away earlier this week, returning to attend her funeral. It remains unclear whether he will rejoin the squad before the knockout rounds, but with France already through, the focus is on securing top spot tonight.

In his absence, assistant coach Guy Stéphan will assume control from the touchline. Stéphan has been Deschamps’ assistant since 2012 and was part of the coaching staff that won the 2018 World Cup. He previously stepped in for Deschamps during a 2022 Nations League match against Denmark. Players regard him as a “perfect counterbalance” to the head coach, and he is highly respected within the squad. This tournament is Deschamps’ final one as France manager, having led them to victory in 2018 and the final in 2022. Stéphan will now attempt to outfox Norway’s Ståle Solbakken, a former Wolverhampton Wanderers manager who played at the 1998 World Cup as a midfielder.

The match kicks off at 8pm BST and is being broadcast live on ITV1 and ITVX. All 104 matches of the expanded 48-team tournament are available free-to-air in the UK across BBC and ITV. The atmosphere at the Boston Stadium—also known as Gillette Stadium—is already building. Our reporter Arthur Ferridge on site described a profoundly humid afternoon, with supporters arriving early in a remarkably diverse collection of club and national shirts, from Chelsea and Liverpool to Mexico, Sweden and El Salvador. Massive queues had formed for everything in the stadium almost two hours before kick-off. One local remarked to a friend that the stadium seemed “too big for soccer”.