Dembele's 32‑minute hat‑trick rewrites World Cup scoring history

On Friday, Ousmane Dembele netted a hat‑trick for France against Norway in just 32 minutes, becoming the second‑fastest scorer of three World Cup goals. He opened the scoring with a right‑footed shot, added a second shortly after, and completed the hat‑trick in the 32nd minute. Erich Probst remains the only player to have scored a faster World Cup hat‑trick, doing so in 24 minutes for Austria against Czechoslovakia in 1954. Probst's record has stood for 72 years. Gary Lineker recorded a 36‑minute hat‑trick in the 1986 World Cup against Poland, while Gerd Müller achieved a 38‑minute hat‑trick in 1970 versus Peru. Both performances sit behind Dembele's recent feat.

Messi becomes all-time World Cup top scorer with 17 goals vs Austria

Dembele, the reigning men’s Ballon d’Or winner, is now tied with Kylian Mbappé for second place in the 2026 Golden Boot race. Lionel Messi leads with five goals, while Dembele, Mbappé, Brazil’s Vinicius Junior and Norway’s Erling Haaland each have four. Haaland did not start for Norway, who made ten changes to their lineup. Despite the alterations, Norway and France were already assured of knockout‑stage qualification as they contested first place in Group I.

Deschamps leaves World Cup squad for mother's funeral, misses Norway

If Norway finish second in Group I, they will meet Ivory Coast in the next round; the group winner will face a third‑place team from another group. Both teams therefore entered the match with their progression secured.