World Cup 2026 Group I Fixtures: Runners-up stand out.

Details of the schedule for Group I – World Cup 2026

Day	Hour	Match pair
17.6	02:00	France vs Senegal
June 17th	05:00	Iraq vs Norway
June 23	04:00	France vs Iraq
June 23	07:00	Norway vs Senegal
June 27th	02:00	Norway vs France
June 27th	02:00	Senegal vs Iraq

Analysis of the situation in Group I: The runner-up is expected to finish first.

The French team entered the tournament as the top favorites under coach Didier Deschamps in his last campaign. "Les Bleus" boasted squad depth with superstar Kylian Mbappé – who was at the peak of his form and eager to break Olivier Giroud's goalscoring record. Supporting Mbappé were quality attacking players such as Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, and young star Désiré Doué.

Norway, after a 28-year absence from the world's biggest football tournament, is poised to spring a surprise thanks to a golden generation led by coach Ståle Solbakken. All eyes will undoubtedly be on the "goal-scoring machine" Erling Haaland, who boasts an incredible 55 goals in 48 appearances for the national team. Haaland's explosive form will depend directly on the creative passes from the brilliant Martin Ødegaard.

Senegal promises to be a formidable challenger for a place in the next round. This could be the last appearance for star player Sadio Mané in the national team, along with two veterans, center-back Kalidou Koulibaly and goalkeeper Édouard Mendy. In addition, the youthful energy of striker Nicolas Jackson will bring a fresh impetus to the physically demanding style of play of the African representative.

Despite being considered the weakest team in the group, Iraq, under the guidance of coach Graham Arnold, remains an intriguing dark horse thanks to their resilient spirit. The "Lions of Mesopotamia's" counter-attacking style of play will revolve around the tactical vision of midfielder Zidane Iqbal and the killer instinct of veteran striker Aymen Hussein.

Where can I watch the Group I matches of the 2026 World Cup live?

In Vietnam, viewers will have the opportunity to watch all 104 matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026 as Vietnam Television (VTV) officially owns the exclusive broadcasting rights for the tournament. The exciting matches in Group I are expected to be broadcast live on familiar channels such as VTV3 – the main channel for the World Cup, alongside VTV2 and VTV Can Tho .

In addition to traditional television, fans can also follow the tournament for free through the VTV Go digital platform, and get updates on highlights and exclusive content on the FIFA and VTV-affiliated YouTube channel.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/lich-thi-dau-bang-i-world-cup-2026-diem-sang-a-quan-230105.html