In Group I – a true constellation of stars: Mbappe, Haaland or Mane, who will shine brightest?

The World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19 in Canada, USA, and Mexico.

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Group I teams will play in Toronto (Canada), Boston, New Jersey, and Philadelphia (USA).

France

Talent – in abundance. Les Bleus (or the Blues) arrive at the World Cup as the biggest favorites.

Recent results also speak volumes – 2018 gold, 2022 silver, losing the final only after a penalty shootout.

France can become only the fifth country in history to win the World Cup at least 3 times. Having triumphed in these championships, they would join Brazil (5), Germany and Italy (4 each), and Argentina (3).

On France’s side is not only talent but also experience. D. Deschamps is the longest-serving coach in his position (since 2012) to arrive at this championship. However, it is already known that after these championships, D. Deschamps’ era will end, and Zinedine Zidane is expected to replace him.

“Personally, I will never forget it,” said K. Mbappe about the 2022 final lost to Argentina and Lionel Messi, having scored a hat-trick in that final and joining the unique Geoff Hurst, who had previously managed to achieve this (in the 1966 final with the England national team).

And if the seasons at the royal Real Madrid club are not going well, K. Mbappe becomes a different beast in the French national team. The 27-year-old forward now needs just one more accurate shot to reach the national team’s all-time goal record (57, belonging to Olivier Giroud).

And what about stars like Ousmane Dembele (from “Pari Saint-Germain”), Michael Olise (from Munich “Bayern”), or Jules Kounde (from “Barcelona”).

Senegal

The “Lions of Teranga” or African champions at heart. It was they who won the penalty shootout last year in the Nations Cup, although they later lost this title because they walked off the pitch in the final, protesting against the referee’s whistles.

Senegal is not a frequent guest at World Cups. This will be only their fourth attempt (third in a row), and the first one went best – in 2002, when the tournament took place in Japan and South Korea.

If France has K. Mbappe, then Senegal has Sadio Mane. The left-winger is already 34, but the footballer is still a very prominent figure on the field. He also holds Senegal’s all-time goal record (55).

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Need more talent? Iliman Ndiaye from Liverpool “Everton”, Pape Gueye from “Villarreal”, Nicolas Jackson from Munich “Bayern”, or Ismaïla Sarr from London “Crystal Palace”.

Iraq

Other lions – of Mesopotamia. The Iraqis’ nickname sounds formidable, although this country cannot boast of achievements in World Cups.

So far, they have participated in the world championships only once – in 1986, when all three matches were lost. An interesting detail is that the championship, just like then, will again take place in Mexico. Perhaps this time they will be more successful?

The Iraq national team was brought back to the World Cup by a coach from Australia. For 62-year-old Graham Arnold, these will be his third championships – he previously participated twice with his native Australia, but did not achieve great success.

In a group where confrontations with France, Senegal, and Norway await, Iraqis are immediately predicted to finish last, and even a single point in battles against formidable opponents would be considered a victory.

Norway

The Vikings, who have been lurking in the football shadows for too long, are stepping onto the brightest stage for the first time this millennium. So far, their best performances were reaching the round of 16 (1938 and 1998).

And although they will participate only for the fourth time, the Norwegians can certainly surprise. Many football experts see this team as the one that can surprise the most.

25-year-old Erling Haaland, who likes to call himself a “robot”, scores more goals (55) for the national team than he plays matches (49).

An interesting detail is that Erling’s father, Alfie Haaland, also played in the World Cup in 1994.

Let’s add London “Arsenal” attack architect Martin Ødegaard or the rapidly rising “Leipzig” winger Antonio Nusa.

How did the Norwegians fare in the qualifiers? Just don’t ask the Italians… These teams played in one group, and the Norwegians were superior 7:1 (over two matches).

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Prepared based on publications by AP, “The Athletic”, and “The Guardian”.