Winners of Group I - Senegal @ 7/1
Group I Exact Finishing Order - Senegal/France @ 14/1
Top scorer in Group I - Michael Olise @ SP
Group I at the 2026 World Cup should be an intriguing section as 2018 winners France take on Senegal, Norway and Iraq.
Les Bleus came agonisingly close to retaining the trophy in 2022, losing on penalties to Argentina in the final, and we have selected our three best bets from this group.
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France
Didier Deschamps is standing down as France coach at the end of the World Cup and the outright betting suggests he may well walk away with the trophy.
Deschamps captained France to glory at the 1998 World Cup before winning the tournament as manager in 2018 and he has arguably the best attacking unit on the planet in 2026.
Despite missing injured Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike, Les Bleus can unleash Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise and Desire Doue.
Their supporting cast includes Manchester City playmaker Rayan Cherki, Inter striker Marcus Thuram and PSG winger Bradley Barcola.
However, France struggled to find their attacking rhythm at Euro 2024, when their tally of four goals in six matches included one penalty and two opposition own goals.
Their run at the Euros ended with a 2-1 semi-final defeat to Spain, who also beat them 5-4 at last summer's Nations League Finals, but France are serious title contenders in North America.
Senegal
An extra-time strike from Pape Gueye gave Senegal a 1-0 win in January's Africa Cup of Nations final against tournament hosts Morocco.
Officially, though, the Lions of Teranga are not the champions of Africa as they were stripped of their title after leaving the pitch in protest when Morocco were awarded a penalty.
That perceived injustice should fire up Senegal for their World Cup campaign and the squad is packed with quality and experience.
Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly and former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane are stalwarts of the national team.
Striker Nicolas Jackson, who spent the club season on loan at Bayern Munich from Chelsea, can expect high-class service from wingers Ismaila Sarr, Iliman Ndiaye and Ibrahim Mbaye.
Senegal beat England 3-1 in a friendly at the City Ground last June and eliminated Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals so they look set for an exciting World Cup run.
Iraq
Iraq have not played at a World Cup since 1986 but coach Graham Arnold took Australia to the round of 16 in 2022, when they lost 2-1 to Argentina.
Arnold's men came through a tough 2026 qualifying campaign which culminated with April's 2-1 play-off victory over Bolivia in Mexico.
Their qualification path had started against Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines but they face a massive step up in class against France, Senegal and Norway.
Getting crosses into the box from open play and set-pieces looks to be their best strategy as strikers Aymen Hussein, Mohanad Ali and Ali Al-Hamadi are all strong in the air.
However, Iraq will probably need some inspirational displays from goalkeeper Jalal Hassan if they are to avoid finishing bottom of the group.
Norway
Norway have not appeared at a World Cup since 1998 but hopes are high that Stale Solbakken's side can make a big impact in North America.
They certainly qualified in fine style, winning all eight matches including 3-0 and 4-1 victories over Italy.
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and Arsenal's Premier League-winning captain Martin Odegaard are Norway's star men but winger Antonio Nusa and Atletico Madrid forward Alexander Sorloth also pose a goal threat.
Norway's defence and central midfield is underwhelming, though, and they have not faced many opponents of the calibre of France and Senegal recently.
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Who will win World Cup Group I?
France are hot favourites to win Group I but they have made slow starts to their last two World Cup campaigns.
In 2018, Les Bleus scored only three times in group games against Australia, Peru and Denmark while they needed a late Mbappe goal to see off the Danes in 2022 before losing 1-0 to Tunisia.
It was a similar story at Euro 2024, where France beat Austria 1-0 thanks to an own goal and drew 0-0 with the Netherlands and 1-1 with Poland.
Senegal are worth chancing at a big price to top the group after their impressive efforts at this year's Africa Cup of Nations.
Man for man, the Senegal squad looks far stronger than Norway's and their brilliant wide players should cause problems for France, who look a little weak in the full-back positions.
Who will finish first and second in World Cup Group I?
Backing Senegal to win the group and France to finish second is another tempting betting angle as Norway's threat may be overrated.
Haaland is clearly a huge factor, having scored 16 times in eight qualifiers, but Odegaard had an injury-disrupted season for Arsenal.
Norway should bank three points against a limited Iraq side but they managed only three shots on target in March's friendlies against the Netherlands and Switzerland.
The latest 2026 World Cup odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Who will be the top goalscorer from World Cup Group I?
Mbappe, Dembele, Haaland and Mane are among the superstar forwards involved in Group I but France winger Olise could be worth backing to outscore them.
He had a stunning season for Bayern Munich, scoring 15 Bundesliga goals and another five in the Champions League, and notched twice in five World Cup qualifying starts for France.
Coach Deschamps is likely to manage the workloads of Mbappe and Dembele, who were hampered by injuries during their club seasons at Real Madrid and PSG.
Olise's pace, trickery and long-range shooting ability make him a huge threat to opposition defences.
And he should handle the heat in the USA, where he scored three goals in 361 minutes of Club World Cup action for Bayern last summer.
The latest 2026 World Cup odds are available on LiveScore Bet
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