With a perfect score: France crushes Norway 4-1, Dembele steals the show with a hat-trick

France confirmed their strong return to the competition for the 2026 World Cup title after a resounding 4-1 victory over Norway, qualifying for the round of 32 with a perfect 9 points.

Star player Ousmane Dembele led "Les Bleus" to victory by scoring the second hat-trick in the tournament after Lionel Messi.

Dembele scored in the 7th, 20th and 32nd minutes, before Desiree Doué completed the French quartet in the 90+4th minute.

France topped Group 9 with 9 points and will face one of the best third-placed teams in the next round, which is most likely Sweden according to the current standings.

In contrast, Norway finished second and will face Ivory Coast, the runner-up in Group E, which was topped by Germany.

Senegal awaits its fate in the best third-place playoff, while Iraq has officially bid farewell to the tournament, joining the Czech Republic, Qatar, Haiti, Turkey, Curaçao, Tunisia, Jordan, and Panama.