By Ibrahim Kegbegbe
Defending champions France, Norway and Argentina began their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaigns with victories on Tuesday, boosting their hopes of reaching the knockout stage.
France defeated Senegal 3-1 in their Group I opener, avenging the shock defeat they suffered to the West Africans in the opening match of the 2002 tournament.
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Kylian Mbappé scored twice to become France’s all-time leading scorer, while Bradley Barcola added the third goal as Didier Deschamps’ side made a winning start to their title defence. Senegal pulled one back late in the encounter but could not prevent Les Bleus from claiming maximum points.
In the second match of the day, Norway marked their return to the World Cup with a convincing 4-1 victory over Iraq.
The Scandinavians, appearing at the tournament for the first time since 1998, produced a dominant display to secure three points and move level with France at the top of Group I. Iraq struggled to cope with Norway’s attacking pressure and were unable to recover after conceding early.
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Later in Kansas City, reigning world champions Argentina opened their Group J campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win over Algeria.
The Merit Newspaper reports that Argentina controlled much of the contest and made their superiority count with a clinical performance that underlined their status as one of the favourites for the title. The victory handed Lionel Scaloni’s side a perfect start as they seek to retain the trophy they won in Qatar four years ago.
The results leave France and Norway level on three points in Group I, while Argentina top Group J after the opening round of matches.
The victories by the three sides continued the trend of strong starts by tournament favourites as the race for places in the Round of 32 gathers momentum at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
