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Arun - June 22, 2026
France take on Iraq at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Monday evening in a Group I fixture they are expected to win comfortably, and victory here would seal their place in the last sixteen with a game to spare. Our France vs Iraq prediction covers the full match.
Les Bleus opened their campaign with a 3-1 win over Senegal, while Iraq were beaten 4-1 by Norway on their return to the World Cup for the first time in 40 years. France lead Group I on goal difference ahead of Norway, with both sides on three points.
Didier Deschamps has no injury or suspension concerns and is expected to make three changes from the side that beat Senegal. The changes are tactical rather than enforced, with Deschamps taking the opportunity to rotate and manage minutes ahead of the knockout stages.
Lucas Digne comes in at left-back in place of Theo Hernandez. Manu Kone replaces Aurelien Tchouameni in the midfield double pivot alongside Adrien Rabiot.
Bradley Barcola, who scored against Senegal from the bench after becoming the youngest Frenchman to net on his World Cup debut since Thierry Henry 28 years ago, is handed his first start of the tournament in place of Desire Doue.
William Saliba has publicly acknowledged playing through a minor physical problem, telling reporters that he has been gritting his teeth because the World Cup comes around only once every four years. He is expected to start alongside Dayot Upamecano in central defence regardless, with Jules Kounde continuing at right-back. Mike Maignan remains in goal.
The attacking structure is expected to remain consistent. Ousmane Dembele, who won the Ballon d’Or this year, could shift to the right to accommodate Barcola on the left, with Michael Olise continuing in the central number ten role where he was outstanding against Senegal.
Kylian Mbappe leads the line having already surpassed Olivier Giroud as France’s all-time top international scorer in the opener, where his brace took his tally to 57 goals for Les Bleus.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
GK: Mike Maignan
Defenders: Jules Kounde, Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba, Lucas Digne
Midfield: Adrien Rabiot, Manu Kone
Attacking mid: Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola
Forward: Kylian Mbappe
Graham Arnold has no suspensions and a largely fit squad heading into this fixture. Ali Jasim limped off during the Norway match but has trained fully in the days since and is available for selection.
Ali Al-Hamadi is listed as a doubt and his availability will be assessed before kickoff. If Al-Hamadi misses out, Aymen Hussein leads the line alongside an alternative partner.
Arnold faces difficult selection decisions after the 4-1 defeat to Norway. Iraq were overrun in the first half, with Erling Haaland scoring twice before the break. The coach praised his side’s performance for 70 minutes in post-match comments, pointing to Hussein’s equaliser as evidence of spirit, but the defensive errors that allowed Norway to pull clear must be addressed.
Goalkeeper Jalal Hassan had an unconvincing display and there is speculation in local media that Ahmed Basil could be considered, though Hassan’s 101 international caps make him hard to drop.
Zidane Iqbal, the 23-year-old former Manchester United academy product, came on in the final 30 minutes against Norway and made a positive impression. He is pushing hard for a start here, with Arnold likely to call on his technical quality to try to build something from midfield against a France side that may be more conservative than usual.
Amir Al-Ammari and Zaid Ismael continue in the engine room. For all our World Cup 2026 tips and predictions throughout the tournament, head to the hub.
Formation: 4-4-2
GK: Jalal Hassan
Defenders: Hussein Ali, Zaid Tahseen, Akam Hashem, Merchas Doski
Midfield: Ibrahim Bayesh, Amir Al-Ammari, Zaid Ismael, Ali Jasim
Forwards: Ali Al-Hamadi / Zidane Iqbal, Aymen Hussein
