Haaland is on a collision course with Mbappé, and the World Cup is better for it - ESPN

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — In an expanded 48-team World Cup that will see a total of 72 games, FIFA will be delighted that one of their final group games will be a high-stakes clash between two of the tournament's biggest stars.

Norway's 3-2 victory over Senegal at the New York/New Jersey Stadium (MetLife Stadium) on Monday has set up a mouth-watering clash in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Friday between Norway and France to decide who will win Group I. In other words, it will pit Erling Haaland against Kylian Mbappé in what will be the biggest meeting of superstars this World Cup has seen so far, and a jeopardy-filled battle. ​

Both Norway and France have each opened their tournaments with two wins and, in doing so, have already punched their tickets to the knockout stages. Don't be fooled, though, as there is still much to play for. ​

— Laurens: France star Kylian Mbappé is fast becoming 'Mr. World Cup'
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— Messi, Haaland, Mbappé, Kane: Who will be the World Cup's top scorer?

Whichever team advances as group winners probably will be granted a potential knockout path of Sweden (round of 32) Germany (round of 16), Morocco or Netherlands (quarterfinal) and Spain (semifinal). The team that finishes second could instead face a gauntlet of top teams: Ivory Coast (round of 32), Brazil (round of 16), England (quarterfinal) and Argentina (semifinal).

Through another lens, when looking at the tournament through each team's biggest stars, that is quite the difference. The loser on Friday would instead be granted a run of Yan Diomande, Vinícius Júnior, Harry Kane and Lionel Messi. ​

It's easy to see which quarter of the draw a team might prefer. ​

In truth, this