France vs. Norway: Why Les Bleus are much more than the Kylian Mbappe show after Ousmane Dembele hat-trick at World Cup 2026

France showed their prowess arsenic they strolled to a 4-1 victory implicit Norway connected Friday, securing apical spot successful Group I astatine World Cup 2026.

Manager Didier Deschamps was absent this week for idiosyncratic reasons, but his squad delivered a show that would person made the brag proud.

Ousmane Dembele was undoubtedly the standout arsenic helium fired location a historical first-half hat-trick to enactment the crippled beyond Norway earlier the interval, highlighting conscionable what Les Bleus are susceptible of successful afloat flow.

The Vikings whitethorn person rested prima antheral Erling Haaland, but the awesome quality of the 2018 champions' show was a connection of intent, regardless.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look astatine wherefore France are favourites to triumph the World Cup, particularly aft Dembele's hat-trick.

France were flawless successful World Cup Group I

France came into the World Cup with 1 of the champion squads around, but dissimilar their rivals for this summer's crown, they person delivered successful each of their games truthful far.

Les Bleus downed Africa Cup of Nations finalists Senegal 3-1 successful their opener, courtesy of a brace from talisman Mbappe either broadside of an effort from Bradley Barcola, rendering 18-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye's 95th-minute extremity a specified consolation.

Norway whitethorn person beaten Iraq 4-1 connected matchday one, but the world of the crippled was that the Lions of Mesopotamia remained competitory passim the archetypal half, earlier slipping up successful the second.

With that successful mind, France's broad 3-0 triumph implicit Iraq connected Monday - which saw Mbappe deed the backmost of the nett doubly again - was commendable, peculiarly fixed they denied their opponents adjacent a azygous changeable connected target.

Likewise, determination was small to play for connected Friday, and they whitethorn person been up against a heavily-rotated Vikings XI, but France pulling disconnected a 4-1 triumph is testament to their consistency.

By contrast, European champions Spain could not trust connected their finishing arsenic they were held to a 0-0 gully by World Cup debutants Cape Verde successful their opener, portion England were frustrated and needed a bully dose of luck to locomotion distant with a goalless stalemate against Ghana connected Tuesday.

Much much than Kylian Mbappe: France's frontline delivering astatine World Cup 2026

Real Madrid striker Mbappe has been the centre of attraction for Les Bleus this summertime fixed that helium is portion of the aureate footwear contention with Lionel Messi and Haaland, but it is important to enactment however France's different stars person stepped up.

Dembele was lauded for a fig of years arsenic 1 of the astir talented players successful Europe, but helium often failed to nutrient his champion connected the biggest stages successful the past.

However, the 29-year-old has travel into his ain nether Luis Enrique's tutelage astatine Paris Saint-Germain, guiding Les Parisiens to back-to-back Champions League titles and winning the Ballon d'Or successful 2025.

On the planetary circuit, the guardant had endured 19 matches astatine the World Cup oregon European championships without scoring, though aft his hat-trick connected Friday - the archetypal successful the opening-half of a World Cup crippled since 1994 - helium present boasts 4 successful 2 games.

Alongside Dembele, Michael Olise has blossomed into arguably the champion right-winger successful satellite football, and the Bayern Munich prima is arsenic adept astatine creating chances for teammates oregon cutting wrong and uncovering the apical country himself.

Olise's 3 assists truthful acold is not bettered by immoderate different subordinate astatine the tournament, and if helium tin enactment fit, past it is hard to spot however the squad mightiness beryllium stopped.

Mbappe has been the main antheral for Les Bleus since helium was a teenager, but helium has players of a akin calibre astatine World Cup 2026 to assistance transportation immoderate of the attacking burden, and the sheer assortment of options disposable to Deschamps means that France are deservedly favourites to assistance the trophy.

What adjacent for France astatine World Cup 2026?

Now that France person finished archetypal successful Group I, it remains to beryllium seen who their opponents mightiness beryllium successful the circular of 32.

Les Bleus are scheduled to look 1 of the third-placed teams from Groups C, D, F, G oregon H astatine MetLife Stadium successful East Rutherford connected June 30, but they volition beryllium expecting to marque it beyond their apt challengers regardless.

As things stand, Sweden (Group F) are the astir apt candidates, though a gathering with Scotland (Group C) oregon Paraguay (Group D) is possible, portion Group G (Egypt, Iran, Belgium and New Zealand) and Group H (Spain, Uruguay, Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia) are yet to finalise their placements.

Should France advancement to the circular of 16, they would apt look a pugnacious trial against Julian Nagelsmann's Group E winners Germany.

At the quarter-final stage, Deschamps's men would past travel up against 1 of South Africa, Canada, Morocco oregon the Netherlands.