Mexico, France and Norway surge into World Cup knockout stage

Mexico, France and Norway all secured places in the round of 16 by pairing early scoring with control of their group matches in FIFA’s expanded 48-team World Cup. The tournament runs from 11 June to 19 July and includes 104 matches, a format that has made every group result carry heavier weight.

Mexico set the tone with a 2-0 win over South Africa on 11 June at Mexico City Stadium. Julián Quiñones scored in the 9th minute and Raúl Jiménez added a second in the 67th, giving Mexico the kind of early cushion that lets a side dictate the rhythm rather than chase it. The result put Mexico on the path to the knockout stage before the group had fully settled.

France followed a similar script, but with a more established scorer at the center of it. Kylian Mbappé scored twice in a 3-1 victory over Senegal on 16 June at New York/New Jersey Stadium, taking his international total to 58 goals and becoming France’s all-time leading scorer. France then beat Iraq 3-0 on 22 June to secure qualification, and FIFA noted that the French had won all three of their group matches at a World Cup for the first time since 1998.

Norway’s run carried the same structural marks. A 4-1 win over Iraq, built on a double from Erling Haaland and a goal from Leo Østigård, gave Norway its third group victory and confirmed its return to the World Cup for the first time since 1998. It was only Norway’s fourth World Cup appearance, a reminder of how quickly a strong group stage can reset a team’s place in the tournament picture.

The pattern taking shape is clear: the teams separating themselves early are not relying on narrow escapes. Mexico got an immediate lead from Quiñones, France leaned on Mbappé’s finishing, and Norway used Haaland’s power to turn chances into separation on the scoreboard. In a World Cup with 48 sides and little margin for error, the first teams to move are the ones imposing their attacking leaders before the knockout bracket even arrives.