Deschamps relishing Mbappe and Haaland showdown as France and Norway meet in Group I

Didier Deschamps has welcomed the prospect of a Kylian Mbappe vs Erling Haaland showdown after France were drawn alongside Norway in Group I of the 2026 World Cup, with the sides set to meet on June 26th.

Both players have been in stunning form this season — Mbappe is joint-top scorer across Europe's top five leagues with 25 goals, while Haaland was the standout performer in UEFA qualifying, netting 16 times in eight games to fire Norway to the tournament as the continent's top scorers.

"It will be a great duel," Deschamps said. "Both teams have lots of other big names, but Kylian and Haaland are two players recognised around the world. They will be two of the contenders to be top scorer."

France also open the group against Senegal on June 16th — a fixture that brings back uncomfortable memories of 2002, when Papa Bouba Diop's goal knocked the defending champions out at the group stage. Deschamps is taking nothing for granted. "It's one of the toughest groups, if not the toughest," he said, before adding a note of caution about the broader tournament: "We have ambition, but with the necessary humility. We need to perform well right from the start before thinking about what comes next."

Opta currently rates France as the second most likely winners at 14%, behind only Spain at 17%.