2026 FIFA World Cup Day 14 recap: Dembele outshines Mbappe, Cape Verde nake history as Senegal edge close

It was another exciting day of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday as teams in Group G, Group H and Group I all played their final group games. 

Group I teams kicked off the action before Group H and Group G teams served drama until the very end. 

Here’s a recap of how all the action went down. 

Kylian Mbappe has always been France’s star man, but the Real Madrid man had to take a back seat in France’s 4-1 win over Norway. 

Mbappe had to watch as Ousmane Dembele took over with a hat-trick as France finished top of Group I with three wins out of three. 

The match was a battle for the top spot, but Norway gave up even before the game started after making ten changes to their starting lineup. 

However, France went strong, and they showed why it will be hard for any team to stop them in this competition. 

Playing without their manager Didier Deschamps, Les Bleus took the lead in the seventh minute through Dembele, who finished perfectly after he was released by Mbappe. 

The PSG star then made it two in the 20th minute with another brilliant finish. Norway did pull one back through Thelo Aasgaard a minute later, but Dembele completed his hat-trick in the 32nd minute to give France a 3-1 lead going into the break. 

The second half saw Norway given the chance to reduce the lead, but Jorgen Larsen fluffed his lines from 12 yards. France did not ease up, though, as Desire Doue added the icing on the cake with a strike in the fourth minute of added time. 

In the other group game, Senegal gave themselves a real chance of qualifying as one of the best third-place teams. 

The Teranga Lions found themselves in this position after losing to France and Norway in their first two games. However, they thrashed Iraq 5-0 on Friday night to boost their hopes of qualifying for the round of 32. 

Habib Diarra set the ball rolling with a goal in the fourth minute before Rebin Sulaka made Senegal’s job easier after he was sent off in the 13th minute for Iraq.

Despite the sending off, though, Pape Thiaw’s men had to wait until the 56th minute for their second goal through Ismaila Sarr. 

Pape Gueye then got on the act with a strike two minutes later before scoring his second in the 71st minute. Substitute Iliman Ndiaye scored the fifth in the 82nd minute to give Senegal a comprehensive win and Africa its biggest win in a World Cup match. 

With the win, Senegal are now in a great position to qualify for the round of 32, although they will have to wait for the games in Groups J, K and L to know their fate. 

Cape Verde have been one of the stories of this competition, and they are set to write another chapter after booking their spot in the round of 32. 

The Blue Sharks held Saudi Arabia to a goalless draw to seal second spot in Group H behind Spain. 

Pedro Leitão’s men had started their campaign with a goalless draw against Spain before holding Uruguay to a 2-2 draw. 

While they were expected to beat Saudi Arabia, a draw was still enough to progress after Uruguay lost to Spain. 

La Celeste needed to beat Spain in the other group game to progress, but Marcelo Bielsa’s men suffered a 1-0 defeat to crash out of the group stage for the second successive World Cup tournament.

Alex Baena’s strike was all Spain needed to win and finish top of Group I. 

Belgium started their campaign with disappointing draws against Egypt and Iran, but they turned it up against New Zealand to finish top of Group G. 

The Red Devils knew they had to win to keep their World Cup hopes alive, and they did not only win but did so in emphatic fashion. 

Arsenal star Leandro Trossard put them ahead in the 27th minute before doubling the advantage with his second in the 50th minute. 

Kevin De Bruyne made it three in the 66th minute, although Elijah Just pulled one back for New Zealand moments later. 

However, further goals from Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Saelemaekers gave Rudi Garcia’s men a comfortable win and the top spot in Group G. 

The Red Devils finished top after Egypt failed to beat Iran in the other group game. The Pharaohs needed to win or at least match Belgium’s result to finish top. 

However, despite scoring first, Egypt played out a 1-1 draw with Iran, missing out on the top spot due to goal difference. 

Mamhoud Saber put the Pharaohs ahead in the 5th minute, but Iran had the chance to draw level from the spot in the 11th minute through Mehdi Taremi

However, the former Porto striker saw his strike saved by Oufa Shobeir in Egypt’s goal. That miss did not prove too costly, though, as Ramin Rezaeian levelled the scores for Iran in the 14th minute. 

Rezaeian’s strike happened to be the final goal of the match, even though Iran thought they had won it through Shoja Khalilzadeh’s disallowed goal in added time. 

Team Melli are not fully out, though, as they have to wait to see if they qualify as one of the best third-place teams.