Opinions, analysis and commentary
France strolled to a 3-1 win over Senegal, and Kylian Mbappe became the country’s all-time leading scorer in the process. That has hardened into a narrative: France is cruising, Iraq is next, and Sunday is a formality. The first-half numbers from the Senegal game don’t support that comfort. Iraq won’t arrive with Senegal’s attacking talent, but they have a low block, a target man who headed home their tournament opener, and reasons to believe a slow French start could be made to count.
France’s front three combined for a single touch inside Senegal’s box before halftime, and only Mbappe managed a shot in the opening 45 minutes. Senegal had five shots and 0.28 xG in the same period, with Jackson hitting the post and Sarr blazing over an open chance. France’s return was 1 shot and 0.02 xG.
The fix came at halftime: Olise moved centrally, Dembele shifted wide, and the switch unlocked Mbappe’s two goals and Barcola’s strike off the bench. If France again needs 45 minutes to click, a compact opponent limiting service into the box can keep a game level deep into the second half.
| France | Senegal | |
| 1st-half shots | 1 | 5 |
| 1st-half xG | 0.02 | 0.28 |
Source: ESPN, Opta Analyst match data. France 3-1 Senegal, 16 June 2026.
Iraq arrives at Lincoln Financial Field on June 22 for a first-ever meeting with France, with no head-to-head history between the nations. The gap in quality is real: France field Mbappe, Olise, Dembele, and Desire Doue, while Iraq, back at the World Cup for the first time since 1986, relies on domestic-league players alongside Europe-based names like Zidane Iqbal and Ali Al-Hamadi.
Graham Arnold’s side lost 4-1 to Norway in their opener, managing 38.7% possession and one shot on target. A draw or narrow loss would keep Iraq’s knockout hopes alive into the final group game against Senegal, and that is the realistic target Arnold’s squad will be building toward.
Aymen Hussein is Iraq’s most important attacking weapon. The veteran has scored 33 goals in 93 caps, including the decisive strike in Iraq’s playoff win over Bolivia that sealed qualification, and he was the joint top scorer at the 2023 Asian Cup with six goals.
Against Norway, Al-Ammari’s chipped cross in the 39th minute found Hussein, who headed past goalkeeper Orjan Nyland for the equalizer. He nearly repeated it after the break, meeting a Bayesh cross that drifted just wide. Hussein is at his most dangerous attacking crosses rather than running onto through-balls. Against France centre-backs Saliba and Upamecano, both aerial-dominant, that route is tougher than it was against Norway, but cross-based service remains Iraq’s clearest path to goal.
The 4-1 scoreline understates how competitive parts of Iraq’s opener were. Norway led through Haaland, who finished a 14-pass move in the 29th minute, before Hussein’s header levelled it at 39. Norway retook the lead four minutes later after Iraq lost the ball cheaply in their own half, and Iraq held that 2-1 deficit until the 76th minute, when Ostigard scored from an Odegaard corner. An injury-time own goal from Hussein completed the margin.
Norway had 61.3% possession and five shots on target to Iraq’s one. Two of the four goals came from a set piece and a buildup error, meaning lapses under pressure are the bigger risk against France rather than any single tactical pattern.
Deschamps’ France have been held by sides with far less quality than they carry. Bosnia, reduced to ten men, drew 1-1 in 2021 qualifying. Luxembourg held them scoreless in 2019. Tunisia’s 1-0 win at the 2022 World Cup came against a rotated side that had already advanced, but the result still happened.
Iraq won’t be the favourites, and nobody expects them to be. But staying competitive past the hour mark, limiting France to the kind of passive first half they produced against Senegal, would represent genuine progress for a side back at this tournament for the first time in 40 years. The Iraq vs France FIFA World Cup 2026 match asks one question of Arnold’s squad: can they make France work harder than France wants to?
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Has France ever played Iraq in international football?
France and Iraq have never met in any competition before this fixture. Sunday’s match at Lincoln Financial Field is the first-ever head-to-head between the two nations.
How did France beat Senegal at the 2026 World Cup?
France won 3-1 after a halftime tactical switch moved Michael Olise centrally to unlock the attack. Mbappe scored twice, substitute Barcola added a third, and France had managed just 0.02 xG before the break.
Who is Aymen Hussein?
Aymen Hussein is Iraq’s veteran striker with 33 goals in 93 international caps. He sealed World Cup qualification with the decisive goal in the playoff win over Bolivia and was the joint top scorer at the 2023 Asian Cup with six goals.
How does France set up tactically at the 2026 World Cup?
France has lined up in a 4-2-3-1 at this World Cup, built around a Tchouameni and Rabiot double pivot sitting in front of a back four of Kounde, Saliba, Upamecano, and Hernandez. Mbappe leads the attack with Olise, Dembele, and Doue operating behind him.
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