Group I Matchday 2: France Face Iraq, Norway Face Senegal — Are Either Pick Still Safe?
France play Iraq and Norway play Senegal today in World Cup 2026 Group I. Both group leaders look like obvious Last Man Standing picks again, but is that the trap?
22 June 2026
Group I was the one group that mostly went to script on Matchday 1: France beat Senegal 3-1 thanks to a late Mbappé double, and Norway thrashed Iraq 4-1 behind two Haaland goals. Today, the same four teams swap opponents, and the picture looks deceptively simple.
France vs Iraq, Philadelphia, 10PM BST
France scraped through a nervy first half against Senegal before Mbappé and Barcola settled it, and Iraq have just lost their first World Cup match in 40 years by three clear goals. On paper this is the easiest pick in the round.
For Last Man Standing pools, that's exactly the problem. France looked vulnerable for 65 minutes against a side ranked far below Iraq, and "obvious" picks against well-organised lower-ranked sides have already burned plenty of players this tournament — see Spain against Cabo Verde. If you've got a genuinely safer option elsewhere, this might be one to bank carefully rather than blindly. For predictor games, a tight scoreline before France find their rhythm is the more likely shape, not another late goal rush.
Norway vs Senegal, East Rutherford, 1AM BST
Norway were ruthless against Iraq, with Haaland scoring twice on his World Cup debut, and they'll start big favourites again here. Senegal, by contrast, need a response after going down 3-1 having had the better of the first half against France.
This is the more interesting predictor match of the two: Senegal have shown they can create chances against good sides, they just need to convert them before falling behind. For LMS purposes, Norway remain the strong pick in this group, but anyone who's already nervous about Haaland's fitness or rotation risk should keep an eye on team news before locking it in.
The pool strategy takeaway
Group I hasn't punished anyone yet the way Group G or Group H have. France and Norway are both unbeaten with three points, and both should win again today. That makes this the group where the real risk isn't the result, it's saving these picks too long and running out of safe rounds before the group stage ends. If Group I is your insurance policy, today's results should tell you whether it's still worth holding.
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