World Cup Group of Death 2026 Fixtures and Predictions for All Matchups

The 2026 World Cup will begin on Thursday, and this year's iteration of the tournament will feature an all-time high field of 48 teams. The larger field will help to ensure that the World Cup is truly a global competition. However, it may also mean that there is no true "Group of Death" in 2026.

The Group of Death is a term regularly given to the toughest collection of teams partnered together for group-stage play.

While there are a couple of candidates for the 2026 Group of Death, one specific group appears to have the edge over the rest. You'll find our pick for the most difficult group here, along with match fixtures and early predictions.

Who is the 2026 Group of Death?

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Because of the 2026 tournament format, there doesn't appear to be a group that is a full tier above all the rest, and there are a couple of reasons for this.

In group-stage play, each team plays one match against each of the other teams in its group in a standard round-robin format. Three points are then awarded for each win, with one point awarded for a draw and none for a loss. Points are then used to determine group rankings—along with tiebreakers such as goal differential and goal total, if needed.

Naturally, a group of top-tier teams tends to make for a very difficult and often unpredictable group stage.

However, this year's expansion has created a spread-out field with few top contenders grouped together. It has also made it somewhat easier to advance to the knockout stage. Previously, the top two squads from each group would advance. Now, the top two teams will advance, along with the eight best third-place teams.

In other words, being in the Group of Death isn't quite the challenge it previously was, and identifying the group of death is a subjective process.

However, Group I, which includes France, Senegal, Iraq, and Norway, looms as the 2026 Group of Death. The group features the highest average of FIFA ratings (h/t Mark Carey of The Athletic), along with two of the globe's top players, France's Kylian Mbappé and Norway's Erling Haaland.

France, which won the tournament in 2016 and was the 2022 runner-up, was the second-ranked team (behind Spain) in the World Cup power rankings recently compiled by Bleacher Report's Leo Collis. Norway and Senegal were ranked 17th and 15th, respectively.

Group I Fixtures and Match Predictions

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Kylian Mbappe of France and teammates salute the supporters following the international friendly football match between France and Northern Ireland

Tuesday, June 16 at 3 p.m. ET

France 2, Senegal 2

Tuesday, June 16 at 6 p.m. ET

Norway 4, Iraq 1

Monday, June 22 at 5 p.m. ET

France 2, Iraq 0

Monday, June 22 at 8 p.m. ET

Norway 1, Senegal 1

Friday, June 26 at 3 p.m. ET

France 3, Norway 1

Friday, June 26 at 3 p.m ET

Senegal 1, Iraq 1

Prediction Overview

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Erling Haaland

Projected Group I Table

France: 7 Points (2-1-0)

Norway: 4 Points (1-1-1)

Senegal: 3 Points (0-3-0)

Iraq: 1 Point (0-1-2)

France, which defeated Northern Ireland in Monday's friendly, might not be the team to beat in this year's tournament, but it's certainly close.

"France will be up there when all is said and done. It's just a matter of putting all the pieces in the right place," Collis wrote. "With friendly victories in March against Brazil and Colombia, Les Bleus have also made a notable statement to upcoming opponents."

Les Bleus have won five of their last six games and have only suffered one defeat in their last 10, a 2-1 loss to Ivory Coast on June 4. France boasts a solid defense and an offense that defender Lucas Hernandez called "the best attack in the world," per The Guardian's Luke Entwistle.

While France may not emerge from the group stage unblemished, it's probably the best bet to emerge from Group I undefeated.

Is France a true contender to win it all? Given the squad's results in the last two World Cups, it would be foolish to think otherwise.

Les Bleus recently fell from No. 1 to No. 3 in the FIFA world rankings, and last year's 5-4 loss to Spain in the Nations League can't be forgotten. However, the talent and depth of France's offense makes it a team that could again push to the final game.

Norway and Senegal are also legitimate threats to advance to the Round of 32, though perhaps not true World Cup contenders.

Haaland is an elite scoring threat who will give Norway a chance to steal a victory or two in group play. However, Norway, which is ranked 31st in the FIFA rankings, may lack the overall talent to go deep into the knockout stage.

"A defeat to the Netherlands and a draw with Switzerland in March's international fixtures are perhaps informative about Norway's standing against opponents of a higher standard," Collis wrote.

Senegal, meanwhile, is a seasoned and balanced team that recently won the African Cup of Nations title before having it stripped for a late-match walk-off. FIFA's 15th-ranked squad has twice reached the knockout stage and could do so again this year.

However, Senegal is a long shot to replicate its 2002 run to the quarterfinals.

Iraq is the underdog of Group I and probably has slim hopes of advancing past the group stage. However, that doesn't mean that Iraq will be an easy out for Norway, Senegal, and France either.

Now coached by longtime Australia manager Graham Arnold, Iraq just notched a 1-1 draw with Spain earlier this month.

A 2-1 win over Bolivia allowed Iraq to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986. While the team is highly unlikely to reach the knockout stage, it should have a respectable showing in the group stage, especially considering its position in the Group of Death.