World Cup 2026 Group Standings, Schedule After Friday's Results Ahead of Knockout Bracket

The knockout bracket for the 2026 World Cup continued to take shape Friday with Groups G, H and I drawing to a close.

The six fixtures featured some heavy hitters. Belgium's fate is still to be decided after it drew its first two matches. Spain has its toughest test so far in the form of Uruguay. And Group I saw France and Norway each tied with six points following back-to-back victories.

Here's an overview of what unfolded across North America.

Friday Schedule and Results

Group I: France 4, Norway 1

Group I: Senegal 5, Iraq 0

Group H: Cabo Verde 0, Saudi Arabia 0

Group H: Spain 1, Uruguay 0

Group G: Egypt 1, Iran 1

Group G: Belgium 5, New Zealand 1

Group Standings

Group G

Team	Played	Points	GD
1. Belgium	2	5	+4
2. Egypt	2	5	+2
3. Iran	2	2	0
4. New Zealand	2	1	-6

Group H

Team	Played	Points	GD
1. Spain	3	7	+5
2. Cabo Verde	3	3	0
3. Uruguay	3	2	-1
4. Saudi Arabia	3	1	-4

Group I

Team	Played	Points	GD
1. France	3	9	+7
2. Norway	3	6	+2
3. Senegal	3	3	0
4. Iraq	3	0	-9

Full group standings are available at FIFA's official website

Friday Highlights

Egypt 1, Iran 1

Egypt secured its spot in the World Cup knockout round for the first time ever by holding on to a 1-1 draw with Iran.

The Iranian team came within a few inches of winning and taking the top spot in Group G when Shoja Khalilzadeh appeared to score in the 93rd minute, but the goal was taken off the board when VAR determined him to be offside by the front half of his foot.

All of the offense in this one came very early, with Egypt striking first when Mahmoud Saber found the back of the net in the fifth minute.

It didn't take long for Iran to answer back, as Ramin Rezaeian scored his second goal of the tournament in the 14th minute off a rebound from to even things up.

That would be the end of the scoring for both teams, though Iran had a chance to go up 2-0 with a penalty shot in the 11th minute from Mehdi Taremi that Mostafa Shobeir made an incredible save on.  

Even though the result was a draw, Egypt secured the second slot in Group G and will play Australia in Seattle on July 1.

Despite the heartbreaking finish and an 0-3-0 record in the group, Iran could reach the knockout round as one of the top eight third-place teams. Amir Ghalenoei's club is one of six teams with three points.

Belgium 5, New Zealand 1

The Belgians had no problems in their final group match against New Zealand, cruising to a 5-1 win that secured the top spot in Group G.

There was a little drama in the first half when Belgium only went into the break with a 1-0 lead, though Leandro Trossard finally broke the the Red Devils' goal drought in the 28th minute.

Their lone goal through the first two matches was Mohamed Hany's own goal in a 1-1 draw against Egypt on June 15.

After the halftime intermission, the floodgates opened with four goals for the Belgian side. Trossard started the barrage with his second of the match in the 50th minute.

Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Saelemaekers would get in on the action to turn the match into a blowout.

The second-half output was critical because Belgium and Egypt both finished group play with a 1-2-0 record and five points, but the goal differential favored the Belgians by a 4-2 margin.

By virtue of winning the group, Belgium will wait to learn its opponent in the Round of 32. South Korea is the most-likely matchup for the Belgians on July 1 in Seattle.

Spain 1, Uruguay 0

Uruguay are out, with barely a whimper.

Spain eliminated Uruguay on Friday with a 1-0 victory, leaving Uruguay with just two draws and a loss in the Group Stage. Álex Baena's first-half goal was the death knell for Uruguay.

Here's a damming stat from Uruguay's perspective—the country had more cards on Friday (four in total, one red) than they had goals during this tournament (three). They were more bark than bite at this year's World Cup.

As for Spain, they'll face either Austria or Algeria in the Round of 32.

Cabo Verde 0, Saudi Arabia 0

Cabo Verde are through. Let the celebrations begin.

Cabo Verde's draw against Saudi Arabia on Friday, paired with Spain's victory over Uruguay, advanced the African nation to the Round of 32.

Yes, their prize is a trip with holders Argentina, a brutal opponent for the knockout phase. But who cares? Cabo Verde just made history, advancing to the knockout rounds—the smallest country to ever do so—in its first-ever World Cup. You can't script it up much better than that.

Enjoy this one, Cabo Verde. You've been one of the best stories of this year's World Cup.

France 4, Norway 1

Thirty-two minutes.

That's all the time France star Ousmane Dembélé needed to earn a hat trick as Les Bleus swept Norway aside 4-1.

Dembélé gave his country the lead in the seventh minute. He faked cutting in with his left before putting a right-footed shot past Norwegian goalkeeper Egil Selvik.

The 2025 Ballon d'Or winner made it a brace in the 20th minute. This time he did keep the ball on his left foot and curled a shot from outside the 18-yard box into the far post.

Thelo Aasgaard scored for Norway to make it a 2-1 game, but Dembélé wasn't done. He registered his third goal with another left-footed effort inside the far post.

With a two-goal cushion, France cruised for much of the remainder of the match. Jørgen Strand Larsen did let the French off the hook in the 50th minute when he couldn't convert a penalty. Goalkeeper Mike Maignan made a diving save to his left.

Désiré Doué put the finishing touches on France's win with a goal in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time.

The French came into the World Cup as one of the favorites and lived up to that reputation in the group stage. They won all three of their matches and had a goal differential of plus-seven.

Senegal 5, Iraq 0

Facing a must-win situation, Senegal hammered Iraq 5-0 with goals from Habib Diarra, Ismaïla Sarr, Pape Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye.

Diarra wasted little time putting the Lions of Teranga ahead. Off a corner kick, he was in the right place to get a deflection on the ball and leave Iraq goalkeeper Ahmed Basil with little chance of making the save.

A tough start for Iraq got even worse in the 13th minute, when defender Rebin Sulaka received a red card. Holding Senegal to just one goal in the first half was a positive result all things considered.

The proverbial dam broke, however, after Jalal Hassan replaced Basil at halftime. Sarr and Gueye scored in quick succession.

Gueye notched a brace for good measure and Ndiaye capped off the outburst in the 82nd minute.

With a third-place finish in the group, Senegal could potentially punch its ticket to the round of 32.