France beats Norway 3-1 as Maignan saves penalty, Opta rates French side top World Cup contender

In the Group I match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on 26 June, France took a 3-1 lead over Norway. A penalty was awarded in the second half, but French goalkeeper Mike Maignan saved Strand Larsen's spot‑kick, preserving the margin.

A separate statistical analysis by Opta’s supercomputer ran 25,000 simulations of the tournament and placed France as the favourite to win, assigning it an 18.66 % chance of claiming the title, ahead of defending champion Argentina and European champion Spain.