France routs Norway, Spain advances as Uruguay exits World Cup

France turned Boston into a celebration of its own on June 26, with Ousmane Dembélé scoring three times in a 4-1 win over Norway, while Uruguay’s afternoon in Guadalajara ended in elimination and silence. The same matchday that lifted French supporters left Uruguay facing the end of a World Cup run that had already been put under strain by Cape Verde’s stubborn resistance and Spain’s control.

Cape Verde’s tournament had begun with a statement in Atlanta on June 15, when it held Spain to a 0-0 draw in a match FIFA recorded as the island nation’s World Cup debut. For Cape Verde supporters, the result carried the weight of history, and press coverage treated it as one of the biggest surprises of the 2026 World Cup. The team doubled down on that sense of occasion on June 21 in Miami, drawing 2-2 with Uruguay and keeping its place in Group H firmly alive while pushing Marcelo Bielsa’s side deeper into trouble.

That Miami result left Uruguay with only two points in Group H, a total that made the final meeting with Spain a must-not-lose game. The Athletic noted that Uruguay needed at least a draw to stay in the conversation, while Spain could secure top spot with a win. Instead, Uruguay fell in Guadalajara and exited the tournament, a collapse that turned what had been a tense group stage into a final, brutal accounting of missed chances.

France’s route past Norway carried a different emotional charge. Norway entered the game with Erling Haaland on the bench, and once Dembélé began scoring, the contest tilted hard and fast toward French control. The 4-1 scoreline in Boston gave France the kind of decisive group-stage finish that sends one fan base home dreaming and another replaying the same 90 minutes in frustration.

Across Atlanta, Miami, Boston and Guadalajara, the day moved from historic joy to blunt heartbreak. Cape Verde’s supporters had already celebrated a debut that looked bigger than the result itself; France’s fans left with a hat trick and a rout; Spain advanced; and Uruguay walked off a tournament that had slipped away one draw at a time.