June 26 closed Groups G, H and I with six final group games: Belgium beat New Zealand 5–1, Egypt drew Iran 1–1, Spain beat Uruguay 1–0, Cape Verde drew Saudi Arabia 0–0, France beat Norway 4–1, and Senegal beat Iraq 5–0. 1

Belgium’s night turned Group G upside down. Yahoo Sports reported that Belgium moved from two straight draws to winning the group, with Leandro Trossard scoring twice, Kevin De Bruyne adding the third, Romelu Lukaku answering New Zealand’s late goal, and Alexis Saelemaekers finishing the 5–1. 2

Egypt still made history. The same Group G report said Iran’s stoppage-time winner was ruled out for offside, leaving Egypt through as runner-up while Iran waited on the third-place table. 2

Group H belonged to Spain, but Cape Verde stole the emotion: Spain topped the group after Uruguay 0–1 Spain, while Cape Verde’s 0–0 with Saudi Arabia left them on three points and Uruguay out on two. 1

France finished Group I perfect after Norway 1–4 France, with the AP/WTOP standings line listing France at 3-0-0 and 10 goals scored. OptaJoe posted that Ousmane Dembélé’s hat-trick arrived 32 minutes into the match, the second-earliest World Cup hat-trick in a game behind Erich Probst’s 24-minute mark in 1954. 13

The verified X pulse matched the chaos: ESPN FC called the opening 15 minutes of Egypt-Iran "A real battle" after Egypt’s fastest World Cup goal, a Shobeir penalty save, and Iran’s fastest World Cup goal. 4 ESPN FC also posted "Look what it means to Cape Verde" after Cape Verde’s qualification moment. 5 FIFA World Cup’s official account posted: "Belgium earn their spot in the knockouts!" 6