France vs Iraq - prediction, team news, lineups | World Cup 2026

Striving to seal a World Cup 2026 last-32 spot with a crippled to spare, France's 2nd Group I contention pits them against Iraq successful Philadelphia connected Monday evening.

Les Bleus survived a scare to flooded Senegal 3-1 successful their tourney opener, portion their unfancied foes were battered 4-1 by Norway archetypal up, making it unsurprising to spot France voted the steadfast favourites for this lucifer crossed the best betting sites for the World Cup.

Match preview

The established World Cup superstars person been retired successful unit during the earliest rounds of the tournament, including France leader Kylian Mbappe, whose sanction present features successful a fewer much pages of the footballing annals.

Either broadside of Bradley Barcola's delightful decorativeness and Ibrahim Mbaye's effect for Senegal, Mbappe became the highest antheral French scorer of each clip - surpassing Olivier Giroud successful the process - arsenic good arsenic breaking Just Fontaine's grounds for the astir World Cup goals for the French men's team.

While astir 100 cardinal fans person voted connected an online petition to footwear Mbappe retired of Real Madrid, the 27-year-old continues to find harmless haven nether Didier Deschamps, whose broadside are present 1 triumph distant from an aboriginal knockout qualification.

Les Bleus are presently having to settee for 2nd spot successful the standings owing to Norway's much emphatic triumph implicit Iraq, though, and Deschamps's men person present failed to support a cleanable expanse successful six consecutive games pursuing Mbaye's consolation for Senegal.

However, outscoring the absorption has been the sanction of the crippled for France, who person present recovered the backmost of the nett successful 14 successive matches, scoring aggregate times successful 13 of those contests.

France's penchant for goals spells information for an Iraq broadside who shipped 4 to an Erling Haaland-inspired Norway connected matchday one, though caput manager Graham Arnold took a much upbeat tune astatine afloat time.

The erstwhile Australia manager - who witnessed his broadside concisely reconstruct parity done Aymen Hussein's equaliser - expressed pridefulness astatine his side's show for 70 minutes of the Group I match, earlier idiosyncratic mistakes allowed Norway to widen the chasm.

The fourth-placed Lions of Mesopotamia tin inactive upset the likelihood and suffice for the past 32, but decision connected Monday coupled with Norway taking astatine slightest a constituent from their gathering with Senegal would extinguish their already-slim top-two hopes, leaving them praying for a third-placed reprieve.

Having besides crashed retired aboriginal successful 1986 with 3 losses to their name, Iraq are inactive without a azygous constituent astatine the World Cup Finals, and a tally of conscionable 1 triumph from six matches suggests that Arnold's men volition beryllium waiting a small longer for that historical lift-off moment.

The Lions of Mesopotamia tin instrumentality immoderate comfortableness from scoring successful 9 of their past 11 fixtures successful each competitions, but specified a statistic is apt to beryllium trivial successful their first-ever gathering with the 2018 World Cup winners.

France World Cup form:

France signifier (all competitions):

Iraq World Cup form:

Iraq signifier (all competitions):

Team News

France person been exercising caution implicit antiaircraft quartet William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, Theo Hernandez and Malo Gusto successful caller days, but determination is thing to suggest that they volition not beryllium acceptable to look Iraq connected Monday.

However, Hernandez is reportedly successful enactment to driblet retired for Lucas Digne successful 1 of 3 changes to the Bleus XI, different of which volition spot Manu Kone regenerate Aurelien Tchouameni successful the centre of the park.

After becoming the youngest Frenchman to people connected his World Cup debut since Thierry Henry 28 years ago, Barcola is besides being tipped to regenerate Desire Doue connected the left-hand side.

On Norway's end, wide antheral Ali Jasim was withdrawn successful the 2nd fractional of the decision to Norway owed to a knock, but the 22-year-old has trained afloat this week and is disposable for selection.

Goalkeeper Jalal Hassan has besides flooded a insignificant fittingness concern, but aft his unconvincing show against Norway, section reports are speculating that Ahmed Basil could commencement successful betwixt the sticks instead.

Striker Hussein - memorably detained for respective hours by US migration officials - followed up his bedlam-inducing equaliser against Norway with an ain goal, becoming conscionable the 3rd antheral to people astatine some ends successful a World Cup lucifer successful the process.

France imaginable starting lineup:

Maignan; Kounde, Saliba, Upamecano, Digne; Rabiot, Kone; Dembele, Olise, Barcola; Mbappe

Iraq imaginable starting lineup:

Basil; Ali, Tahseen, Hashem, Doski; Bayesh, Al-Ammari, Iqbal, Ali Jasim; Hussein, Al-Hamadi

We say: France 4-0 Iraq

France's antiaircraft vulnerabilities were well-documented up of their gathering with Senegal, who further exposed the chinks successful Deschamps's armour, but yet to nary avail.

Iraq should not adjacent acquisition a sliver of joyousness successful beforehand of goal, arsenic Les Bleus sail into the past 32 with a cleanable expanse successful tow.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.