2026 FIFA World Cup Day 14: Dembele Hat-Trick Fires France, Cape Verde Make History, Senegal Thrash Iraq 5-0

Day 14 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup delivered a series of landmark moments across Groups G, H, and I on Friday, with African nations Cape Verde and Senegal both etching their names into the tournament’s history books alongside a dominant French performance.

**Group I: Dembele eclipses Mbappe in France’s commanding win**

For much of this tournament, Kylian Mbappe has operated as France’s focal point, but it was Ousmane Dembele who commanded centre stage as Les Bleus dismantled Norway 4-1 to complete a perfect three-win group stage campaign. The result confirmed France as Group I winners and among the most formidable sides remaining in the competition.

Dembele opened the scoring in the seventh minute, converting a precise release from Mbappe, before adding his second in the 20th minute. Norway briefly threatened a comeback when Thelo Aasgaard pulled one back a minute later, but Dembele extinguished any hope of a Norway revival by completing his hat-trick in the 32nd minute to send France into the interval 3-1 ahead.

Norway had also handed France an indirect advantage by making ten changes to their starting lineup ahead of kick-off, suggesting the Scandinavians had already conceded the contest before a ball was kicked. The second half offered little in terms of a Norway resurgence — Jorgen Larsen missed a penalty — before Desire Doue wrapped up proceedings with a goal deep into added time. France were playing without head coach Didier Deschamps, yet showed no sign of disruption.

In the concurrent Group I fixture, Senegal recorded a 5-0 demolition of Iraq that has been described as Africa’s largest winning margin in World Cup history. Having lost their opening two matches against France and Norway, Pape Thiaw’s side required a comprehensive result to keep alive their hopes of progressing as one of the best third-placed teams.

Habib Diarra struck as early as the fourth minute to set Senegal on their way, and Iraq’s task worsened significantly when Rebin Sulaka received a red card in the 13th minute. Despite the numerical advantage, Senegal’s second goal did not arrive until Ismaila Sarr converted in the 56th minute. Pape Gueye then scored twice — in the 58th and 71st minutes — before substitute Iliman Ndiaye completed the rout in the 82nd minute. Senegal must now wait for results across Groups J, K and L to learn whether they have done enough to advance to the round of 32.

**Group H: Cape Verde seal historic qualification, Uruguay eliminated**

Cape Verde’s remarkable run at the 2026 World Cup continued as Pedro Leitão’s Blue Sharks secured a place in the round of 32 following a goalless draw against Saudi Arabia. The result was sufficient for Cape Verde to claim second place in Group H behind Spain, having previously drawn 0-0 with the Spanish and 2-2 with Uruguay in earlier group matches.

The other Group H fixture ended Uruguay’s tournament, as a single goal from Alex Baena gave Spain a 1-0 victory and top spot in the group. Marcelo Bielsa’s side have now been eliminated at the group stage in consecutive World Cup tournaments. Cape Verde’s qualification represents a historic achievement for the island nation, whose consistent displays across all three group games underline their credentials as one of the competition’s more compelling stories.

**Group G: Belgium surge, Egypt settle for second**

Belgium entered their final group fixture needing a victory after successive draws against Egypt and Iran had left their campaign in jeopardy. Rudi Garcia’s side responded emphatically, defeating New Zealand 5-1 to finish top of Group G.

Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard was the standout performer, opening the scoring in the 27th minute and doubling the advantage in the 50th. Kevin De Bruyne extended the lead in the 66th minute, and although Elijah Just pulled one back for New Zealand, further goals from Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Saelemaekers sealed a comfortable margin of victory.

Egypt, meanwhile, required at minimum a draw that matched Belgium’s result to claim top spot. The Pharaohs took the lead against Iran through Mamhoud Saber in the fifth minute, and Iran’s Mehdi Taremi missed a penalty in the 11th minute after his effort was saved by goalkeeper Oufa Shobeir. However, Ramin Rezaeian levelled for Iran in the 14th minute to end proceedings at 1-1. A late goal by Shoja Khalilzadeh for Iran was ruled out, and the draw means Egypt progress in second place on goal difference, while Iran remain in contention to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams pending results elsewhere.