What you need to know: France, Norway face off at Boston Stadium in biggest matchup of group stage

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Powerhouse France and upstart Norway battle for control of Group I in the marquee matchup of the FIFA World Cup preliminaries.

Key Points

Both sides are tied on six points at the top of the Group I standings and have been among the most prolific teams at the World Cup — Norway has seven goals to France’s six.
The chief attacking threats for both teams — indeed two of the most feared strikers in the world and in this tournament — are France’s Kylian Mbappe and Norway’s Erling Haaland, who are both even on four goals (tied for second in Golden Boot Race).
France is one of the most dominant teams in the world, and has been for decades: winners in 1998 and 2018, runners up in 2006 and 2022.
Norway is playing in its first World Cup since 1998 and has kept up its torrid pace through qualification — they qualified for the World Cup with a perfect 8-0-0 record and 37 goals, the most in Europe.
The French national team is worth $1.7 billion, per the international soccer valuation site Transfermarkt.

Players to Watch

The key matchup is Mbappe vs Haaland. They are elite scorers for club and country and know the stage is set for a pivotal group game.
Antonio Nusa is a Norwegian winger who is a set up man for Haaland. Martin Ødegaard is their playmaker. With Haaland likely to be tightly marked, both players will need to deliver impeccable service and open up space.
Mbappe is the main man for France, but the entire front four for Les Bleus is stacked: Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, and Bradley Barcola, plus Mbappe.

Local connections:

France is staying near Boston Common and are using Boston as their home base through the group stage, with their trainings occurring at Bentley University in Waltham.

Quick Pitch Points

Team Nicknames: France are Les Bleus, Norway are Røde, Hvite, Blå (Red, White and Blue)
Odds: France is a -155 favorite on the moneyline and Norway is a +360 underdog; the over/under is 3.5 (+125o / -155u) goals.
Best World Cup finish: France, winners 1998 and 2018; Norway, round of 16 in 1998
Coaches: France, Didier Deschamps; Norway, Stale Solbakken
Captains: France, Kylian Mbappe; Norway, Martin Ødegaard
FIFA Rank: France, 2; Norway 22

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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