- 1 France vs Iraq: the job is simple, Mbappe has to finish the work in Philadelphia
- 2 An attacking France, but still not watertight
- 3 A brave Iraq, but miles short
- 4 Expected line-ups:
- 5 2026 World Cup Prediction : France vs Iraq
- 6 First, a word on our predictions
- 7 No commitment from us
- 8 Information can change
- 9 Your role
- 10 Responsible gambling first
- 11 Legal age
- 12 About the visuals…
France vs Iraq: the job is simple, Mbappe has to finish the work in Philadelphia 
The second Group I match takes place at Lincoln Financial Field on Monday, 22 June. France opened its 2026 World Cup with a 3-1 win over Senegal, though it was not as comfortable as many expected. Iraq, meanwhile, lost 1-4 to Norway, in a game that was still hanging at 1-2 until the 75th minute. The gap in quality is obvious. The only question is whether Les Bleus really turn the screw or just do enough and move on.
An attacking France, but still not watertight 
The opener against Senegal told us two things about this France side. First, it can do serious damage going forward. Second, there is still work to do at the back. Mbappe made history against the Lions of Teranga, becoming France’s all-time leading men’s scorer ahead of Giroud and beating Just Fontaine’s World Cup goals record for France. At 27, the Madrid forward is clearly in this tournament to leave a lasting mark.
But the goal conceded in the second half, France’s sixth straight game without a clean sheet, is a reminder that this team can still be caught out. Deschamps is expected to make three changes for this one: Digne in for Theo Hernandez, Kone for Tchouameni, and Barcola back on the left after his goal against Senegal. The good news is that the first-choice defence should all be available despite recent fitness worries.
A brave Iraq, but miles short 
Iraq are playing in only their second World Cup, after 1986, and the standard in Group I leaves them very little room for error. Against Haaland’s Norway, the Lions of Mesopotamia held on for 70 minutes before falling apart and conceding three goals in 20 minutes. All of it came in surreal fashion: Aymen Hussein had already equalised for his team, only to then put the ball into his own net, becoming just the third player to score at both ends in the same World Cup match. Not exactly the dream script.
Graham Arnold tried to take the positives after the defeat, pointing to the fact that his side stayed in it for 70 minutes and kept up the intensity. He is backing a compact 4-4-2, with Hussein and Ali Al-Hamadi as the main threats on the break. Iraq have scored in 9 of their last 11 matches in all competitions, and the quality of Zidane Iqbal in midfield deserves respect. But against this France defence, chances will be few and far between. In theory, Iraq can still go through as one of the best third-placed sides, but a defeat here would shut the door on almost everything.
Expected line-ups:
France : Maignan ; Kounde, Saliba, Upamecano, Digne ; Rabiot, Kone ; Dembele, Olise, Barcola ; Mbappe
Iraq : Basil ; Ali, Tahseen, Hashem, Doski ; Bayesh, Al-Ammari, Iqbal, Ali Jasim ; Hussein, Al-Hamadi
on MathODDS
2026 World Cup Prediction : France vs Iraq
France to win, over 3.5 total goals
Let’s not kid ourselves: Iraq do not have the tools to trouble this France side in any serious way. Les Bleus have scored in 14 straight matches, with at least two goals in 13 of them. With Mbappe, Dembele, Barcola and Olise all in the same attack, this Iraqi back line is in for a long night.
The real question is whether Deschamps goes for the jugular or keeps an eye on the workload. We’re backing the attacking option: the players are in rhythm, confidence is high, and a convincing win would set up the rest of the tournament nicely. A 4-0 or 5-0 result would not be a shock here.
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