France vs Iraq prediction, tips and odds | World Cup 2026

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France face Iraq in their second Group I fixture at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Monday 22 June at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

Les Bleus opened the tournament with a Kylian Mbappe-inspired 3-1 victory over Senegal, while the Lions of Mesopotamia suffered a 4-1 defeat to Norway on the opening day despite a headed equaliser from Aymen Hussein.

Form and preview ahead of France vs Iraq

France dominated the second half against Senegal after a challenging first period in which Didier Deschamps’ side struggled to find space in the final third.

The head coach altered the shape at the interval, moving Michael Olise into a central role behind Mbappe and freeing Ousmane Dembele to operate on the right flank.

Mbappe broke the deadlock in the 66th minute from an Olise through ball and in doing so moved past Olivier Giroud’s long-standing mark of 57 goals to become France’s all-time leading scorer with 58, before sealing the result with a long-range strike in added time (90+6′).

Bradley Barcola found the net in the 82nd minute, just 131 seconds after coming on as a substitute.

France have won four of their last five matches, scoring 12 goals and conceding six across that run, with their solitary defeat during that spell coming in a friendly against Ivory Coast (1-2), when Deschamps was already experimenting with his squad ahead of the tournament.

Les Bleus sit third in the FIFA rankings and are among the favourites for the title alongside Spain and Argentina, and victory on Monday would mathematically secure the 2018 World champions a place in the round of 32 with a game to spare, allowing Deschamps to rotate further in the final group match.

In Group I after matchday one, Norway lead on three points with a goal difference of +3, while France also have three points with a difference of +2; Senegal and Iraq sit on zero points at the foot of the table.

Iraq, returning to the World Cup stage after a 40-year absence following a qualification campaign spanning 21 matches, culminated their journey with a 2-1 victory over Bolivia in the intercontinental play-off in Monterrey, where Hussein netted the decisive goal in the 53rd minute.

The preparation period sent mixed signals: the win over Andorra (1-0) and the draw with Spain (1-1) in La Coruna demonstrated a side capable of competing, but a 2-0 defeat to Venezuela reflected the defensive frailties in Graham Arnold’s setup, which was further laid bare in their World Cup opening defeat to Norway.

In that loss at Boston Stadium, the Lions of Mesopotamia’s defence collapsed after Hussein’s equaliser in the 39th minute; an error from goalkeeper and captain Jalal Hassan gifted Erling Haaland his second goal before Leo Ostigard added a third, while Iraq’s lone goalscorer compounded his side’s misery with an own goal in stoppage time.

Arnold’s men have scored five goals and conceded eight across their last five outings, keeping just one clean sheet against Andorra.

Iraq sit 57th in the FIFA rankings, 54 places behind France, and approach this fixture knowing that only a miraculous result would revive their chances of progressing from the group.

Team news and line-ups for France vs Iraq

France

Deschamps is expected to make three changes from the side that started against Senegal, according to reports from L’Equipe.

Lucas Digne is likely to replace Theo Hernandez at left-back after the Al-Hilal defender struggled defensively on the opening day.

In midfield, Manu Kone of Roma should come in for Aurelien Tchouameni, who is being rested with the knockout rounds in mind.

Barcola, who scored within 131 seconds of entering the pitch against Senegal, is set to start on the left wing in place of Desire Doue, while Mbappe, Olise and Dembele remain in the attacking trident.

This will be Mbappe’s 100th cap for France, and the captain has 14 World Cup goals to his name, just two behind the joint all-time record held by Miroslav Klose and Lionel Messi.

Malo Gusto had a minor muscular alert during the week but has recovered, though Jules Kounde is expected to retain his place at right-back, with Adrien Rabiot completing the double pivot alongside Kone.

Iraq

Arnold is expected to retain the same 4-4-2 shape from the Norway match, although one position in particular has attracted significant debate within the Iraqi camp.

Goalkeeper and captain Hassan has overcome a minor fitness concern and is available, but after his unconvincing display against Norway, including the error that led to Haaland’s second goal, local reports suggest that Ahmed Basil could start between the sticks instead.

Ali Jasim, the 22-year-old midfielder, was withdrawn in the second half of the defeat to Norway due to a knock, but the Al-Najma man has trained fully this week and is available for selection.

Al Shammari (undisclosed) will sit out Iraq’s fixture against France as a precautionary decision by Arnold, with the forward expected to be ready for the final group match against Senegal.

Hussein, who has 34 goals in 96 international appearances, will spearhead the attack alongside Ali Al-Hamadi of Ipswich Town, who offers pace on the counter.

The Iraqi back line face a daunting task, with Hussein Ali (Pogon Szczecin) and Merchas Doski (Viktoria Plzen) tasked with containing Barcola and Dembele on the flanks, while Zaid Tahseen and Akam Hashim will have Mbappe as a constant threat through the middle.

Betfred price France to win and Mbappe to score at around 1.88 – see our Betfred sportsbook review for a full breakdown of their football betting markets.

Predicted line-ups for France vs Iraq

Predicted France XI (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne; Kone, Rabiot; Dembele, Olise, Barcola; Mbappe.

Predicted Iraq XI (4-4-2): Jalal Hassan; Hussein Ali, Zaid Tahseen, Akam Hashim, Merchas Doski; Ahmed Qasem, Amir Al-Ammari, Zaid Ismael, Ibrahim Bayesh; Ali Al-Hamadi, Aymen Hussein.

France vs Iraq head-to-head record

This will be the first ever official meeting between France and Iraq in any competition at any level of international football.

Iraq’s only previous World Cup appearance came at Mexico 1986, where the Lions of Mesopotamia exited the group stage with three defeats: 0-1 to Paraguay, 1-2 to Belgium and 0-1 to the host nation.

Ahmed Radhi scored the only Iraqi World Cup goal in that tournament against Belgium, a record that stood for 40 years until Hussein’s header against Norway at this edition.

The complete absence of any historical precedent between these sides means that analysis is based entirely on current form and squad quality rather than any inherited head-to-head dynamic.

Predictions and betting tips for France vs Iraq