France will be without Didier Deschamps when they take on Norway in the top-of-the-table Group I clash with Norway at Gillette Stadium on Friday.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is approaching the final days of the group stage, and Friday will be the penultimate day of the current phase. The action will start with Group I fixtures, with Norway vs France being the standout fixture in Matchday 3.
Norway could not have asked for a better start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, winning successive games to be level atop Group I with France. The Vikings have been explosive thus far in their two outings, cruising to a 4-1 win over Iraq before beating Senegal 3-2 in one of the games of the tournament until this point.
Their campaign has been built on intensity and intent, with Stale Solbakken’s men showing promising signs, and that has ensured progression to the round of 32. On the other hand, France’s campaign has progressed on a completely different framework, with Didier Deschamps banking on meticulous build-ups and mid-block containment.
Les Bleus did not kick things off as well as they would have liked, as the first half of the Matchday 1 clash with Senegal ended 0-0. However, since then, Deschamps’s men have been on a roll, beating Senegal 3-1 before cruising to a 3-0 win over Iraq. Those victories have ensured that France have leapt to the top of Group I, securing their spot in the round of 32.
The most recent match involving Norway and France ended in a 4-0 win for Les Bleus in a friendly in May 2014. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Norway
Stale Solbakken has a new injury concern that is hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Norway’s head coach may be bereft of the services of one player vs France on Friday.
Solbakken is sweating over Julian Ryerson’s fitness, with the 28-year-old right-back struggling with a muscular injury that forced him off the pitch in the 13th minutes of the game against Senegal on Matchday 2. With Norway preparing for tougher challenges ahead, Ryerson will unlikely feature against France.
Orjan Nyland will take his spot between the sticks, with Norway lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs France on Friday. The backline will feature Marcus Holmgren Pedersen, Kristoffer Ajer, Torbjorn Heggem, and David Moller Wolfe.
As for the midfield unit, Sander Berge will anchor play from a deeper position, with Martin Odegaard and Fredrik Aursnes providing the forward thrust from the central areas. Finally, Erling Haaland will lead the line for Norway against France, with Antonio Nusa and Alexander Sorloth completing the numbers in the offensive unit.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Nyland; Pedersen, Ajer, Heggem, Moller Wolfe; Odegaard, Berge, Aursnes; Sorloth, Haaland, Nusa
France
Unlike his counterpart in the Norwegian dugout, Didier Deschamps has no new issues to worry about ahead of the trip to Gillette Stadium. France’s head coach has a clean bill of health ahead of Friday’s Group I fixture.
Instead, the most essential talking point behind the scenes has been Deschamps’s impending absence from the dugout on Friday. France’s head coach has travelled back home due to his mother’s passing, and he will miss the game against Norway to attend the funeral. Assistant Guy Stephan will temporarily lead the team in the match.
Mike Maignan is an automatic pick between the sticks, with France lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Norway on Friday. The backline will feature Jules Kounde, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, and Theo Hernandez.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot in the double pivot. The duo will absorb Norway’s vertical press while being in charge of initiating transitions for their team. Kylian Mbappe will reprise the no. 10 role in this game, as Marcus Thuram will make a rare start as the central striker. Finally, Desire Doue and Michael Olise will be the wide attackers, with the duo taking creative charge for Les Bleus.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Kounde, Saliba, Upamecano, Theo Hernandez; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Olise, Mbappe, Doue; Thuram
Key Stats
- Norway and France have previously clashed 16 times, with Les Bleus holding the slight edge in the head-to-head battle with seven wins (D4 L5).
- Norway have lost only one of their last 14 matches across all competitions, going unbeaten in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers 2026. That single loss was in a friendly against the Netherlands.
- France have lost only one of their 12 most recent games, and that was in a friendly against the Ivory Coast earlier this month.
- Both teams have scored in eight of Norway’s last ten outings, and the Vikings have netted at least two goals in ten of their last 14 fixtures.
- Eight of France’s last 11 international matches have produced goals at both ends of the pitch.
Player to Watch
Erling Haaland
While Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise, and Martin Odegaard were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Erling Haaland as the Player to Watch for Friday’s FIFA World Cup 2026 Group I clash between Norway and France at Gillette Stadium.
The 25-year-old has taken to the world’s biggest stage like a fish to water, scoring four goals in his first two outings. Haaland is in the form of his life, and his combination of physicality and movement will create problems for the French defence, which has looked vulnerable at times in the World Cup. If Norway are to take something from the game, he will be the player to unlock the desired output for his team.
Prediction
Norway 2-3 France
This has all the makings to be the game of the tournament, with Norway and France being the two most in-form teams at the 2026 FIFA World Cup thus far. Both teams are through to the round of 32, but they will not rest on their laurels, as top spot in Group I will create a favourable route deep into the knockout rounds.
So, a closely contested battle is on the cards, with Norway pressing intently to put France’s vulnerable backline under pressure. Meanwhile, Les Bleus will remain patient and hit the Vikings on the break at the right moment, with Kylian Mbappe ready to pounce when the opportunity presents itself.
The kicker in favour of France is the bench strength, giving them the edge as the minutes wear on and as the Norwegian defenders tire. So, as Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola come off in the second half, France will have the freshness and energy to secure a narrow victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-2 win for Les Bleus.
