France v Iraq prediction, lineups & tips: World Cup 2026 Group I

Kylian Mbappe arrived at the FIFA World Cup 2026 needing one goal to become France's all-time top scorer. He needed just 66 minutes against Senegal to get there, and he added a second in stoppage time to move to 58 international goals, within two of Miroslav Klose's all-time World Cup record. Now Iraq stand between him and another entry in the history books.

France are second in Group I on three points after their 3-1 win over Senegal at MetLife Stadium last week. The scoreline flatters their first half, in which Senegal were the better side and hit the post. The transformation after the break was complete: Michael Olise moved centrally, Mbappe found his range, and Bradley Barcola came off the bench to add a third. Didier Deschamps, in his final tournament before stepping down after 14 years in charge, will want to seal the last 32 with a game to spare here.

Norway sit above France on goal difference having beaten Iraq 4-1, which means Deschamps has an additional incentive to run up the score rather than play conservatively. France have scored in 14 successive matches, netting more than once in 13 of those, and their xG for the Senegal match was 1.79 against just 0.53 conceded, numbers that undersell their second-half dominance.

Iraq are back at the World Cup for the first time since 1986, the culmination of a gruelling 21-match qualifying campaign under Australian coach Graham Arnold. Their reward was a place in what many consider the toughest group of the tournament: France, Norway and Senegal. Matchday one brought a 4-1 beating from Norway, a result that leaves them needing at minimum a draw from their remaining two fixtures to have any chance of advancing as one of the eight best third-placed sides.

Arnold has not hidden from the scale of the challenge. At his pre-match press conference, he quipped: "I asked if we could play three goalkeepers, but they said no." He was more serious on his team's approach: "I have always been a coach that goes out expecting to win a game, not trying not to lose. We will go out with the belief and expectation to win." Iraq's xG-against of 2.52 in their only game here tells its own story about the quality they will face again at Lincoln Financial Field.

France have won five of their last six matches, their only defeat a 2-1 friendly loss to Ivory Coast on 4 June. Before that reverse they beat Colombia (3-1), Brazil (2-1) and Northern Ireland (3-1). Iraq have no wins in their last three, losing to Venezuela (2-0) and Norway (4-1), with a draw against Spain (1-1) their best recent result. Their last victory was a friendly against Andorra in May. William Saliba has confirmed he is managing a minor back complaint carried over from a long Premier League and Champions League season with Arsenal, though he trained fully and is expected to start. Ali Jasim, withdrawn in the 73rd minute against Norway with a neck injury, has also been confirmed fit by Arnold.

William Saliba, who has been managing back pain throughout the tournament, was candid at France's Saturday press conference: "I've had some minor niggles for several months. I've been gritting my teeth because there was the Champions League and the Premier League. But the coaching staff are handling it very well. The World Cup comes round only once every four years, so you've got to grit your teeth."

The Arsenal centre-back also offered a word of caution to anyone expecting a walkover: "We've watched some of the videos from their game against Norway and I think they have a good team. It won't be easy, even if people think that because we're playing Iraq we'll automatically get the three points."

France v Iraq kicks off at 10pm BST on Monday, 22 June 2026 at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia. The match is live on BBC One in the UK, with a stream available via BBC iPlayer. It is also available on Fox Sports in the United States.