Match details
France
World CupWhy this tip?
France has now secured three points and can be confident of advancing from the group stage with another group stage victory.
France, who are two-time World Cup winners – one in 1998 and the most recent one in 2018, have an opportunity to secure their spot in the round of thirty-two at the upcoming FIFA Men’s World Cup as they take on Iraq, the lowest ranked team competing in the event, in a Group C matchup in Philadelphia.
In their opening group stage contest France dominated Senegal with a strong performance. France struggled early in their opening contest, which was a lackluster-ish first-half, but found their form in the second half, and got a group-stage victory. France has now secured three points and can be confident of advancing from the group stage with another group stage victory.
In contrast, Iraq made its return to the World Cup stage, after being absent since 2006, and it did so with a “baptism by fire” in their opening contest against Norway. The match where Iraw was beaten 4-1.
- Competition: FIFA World Cup 2026
- Matchday: Group Stage – Group I (Matchday 2)
- Date: Monday, June 22, 2026
- Kick-off time: 10:00 PM
- Venue: Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia Stadium), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Why this match matters
Although France will likely gain all six possible points from this competition, they would make a strong selection to pair in multi-bets that require a win. As an example, using France could help build your overall multi-bet. In their first two contests, it seems as though France is finding their rhythm on the offensive side of the ball, while Iraq exposed a lot of vulnerabilities in their defensive end of the field.
France vs Iraq head-to-head stats
Previous meetings
0
Head-to-head record
None.
France recent form
France ‘s last five matches
- France vs Senegal 3:1
- France vs Northern Ireland 3:1
- France vs Ivory Coast 1:2
- France vs Colombia 3:1
- France vs Brazil 2:1
Goals scored and conceded
The French did very well to dominate Senegal and win 3-0. The team has won four of their previous five competitive matches. Of those five wins, four were by four or more goals (i.e. they preferred fast-paced games with many opportunities), and both teams have found the back of the net in each of the past five French competitive contests. Therefore, we should expect France’s contests to generally be exciting.
Key trends from recent matches
Iraq recent form
Iraq’s last five matches
- Iraq vs Norway 1:4
- Iraq vs Venezuela 0:2
- Iraq vs Spain 1:1
- Iraq vs Andorra 1:0
- Iraq vs Bolivia 2:1
Goals scored and conceded
Iraq has shown a lot of vulnerability defensively thus far in the tournament. They let Norway get four goals past them in their first game, showing how susceptible they are to a high-pressure attack and a well-coordinated group of forwards. Iraq allowed multiple free kicks from set positions and was disorganized at times during the Norwegian attack.
Iraq has also been struggling to produce offense. The Lions of Mesopotamia have only managed to put the ball into the back of the net once in their most recent competitive outing.
Key trends from recent matches
Of late, Iraqi football has been quite dismal. In their last four competitive outings, they lost three and tied one. It is usually difficult for them to create significant momentum after going down early in the contest.
On the bright side, fans who participate in goal markets may like to know that Iraq has scored on every opponent they’ve faced in three out of their last five games. While they may lose big, they still show heart and determination to score at least once. This is similar to France’s trend of allowing opposing teams to score lately.
Team news
France team news
Didier Deschamps has no injury concerns going into this matchup. However, versatile defender Jules Kounde has been nursing a minor muscle issue that needs to be watched closely. But with France’s deep bench, Kounde shouldn’t miss too many minutes if anything happens.
Ousmane Dembele will continue to create havoc offensively for Kylian Mbappe as he pursues the all-time leading scorer mark in international soccer.
Playmaker Michael Olise is expected to pull the strings in the attacking midfielder role.
Iraq team news
Iraq will rely heavily on fit and fearless captain Jalal Hassan, who will likely be the busiest player on the field in Philadelphia. The defense will try to contain zaid tahseen and ali hashim in order to improve organizational skills and reduce individual errors compared to their performance against Norway.
Amir al-ammarai is expected to be the main source of quality and composure in midfield as he tries to disrupt French possession and spark quick counter-attacks.
Ayman Hussain is expected to lead the charge for Iraq up front and get whatever he can from limited service that he may receive in the attacking third
Predicted lineups
France predicted XI
France probable XI: Maignan, Kounde, Saliba, Upamecano, Digne, Rabiot, Kone, Dembele, Olise, Barcola, Mbappe
Iraq predicted XI
Iraq probable XI: Hassan, Ali, Tahseen, Hashem, Doski, Bayesh, Al-Ammari, Ismael, Jasim, Hussein, Al-Hamadi
Best betting markets for France vs Iraq
Match winner: France
There are many great reasons why you can put your money in France. 1) France is the second ranked football team in the world (behind Brazil). 2) France has won the World Cup twice (in 1998 and 2018), which gives them a huge advantage over Iraq. 3) France has some of the best players in the world including Kylian Mbappé, Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba, Raphael Varane and Dayot Upamecano.
However, despite being favourites to beat Iraq, France still needs to get the job done. This is because if France loses to Iraq, then Nigeria could potentially go through to the next round instead of France.
Over/Under goals
Over 2.5 Goals
Backing France to win & over 2.5 Goals is one of the top ways to add value to your money when backing France to win outright. The attacking options available to France are endless; Iraq has shown time and again that their defending is fragile and we believe there is every chance of at least 3 goals with France emerging victorious.
Both Teams to score (gg)
France have struggled all year to keep clean sheets, while Iraq were able to find the net against a poor Norwegian side despite playing poorly themselves. Backing gg is a good option for anyone who believes France will win by at least 2 Goals, but also concede.
Over 3.5 match Goals
Anyone seeking greater value may wish to back both Teams to score 3+ Goals each. France have been guilty of scoring in excess of 3 Goals in many games alone this season, and given how porous Iraq’s defense was against Europe recently, there is a good chance this match will be played at a frantic pace with numerous Goals scored.
France to score in both halves
It would appear obvious that France will look to establish a quick lead from the kick-off so they do not fall behind once again. In addition to having enough firepower to breach the Iraqi defense quickly and continue applying pressure after the halftime interval.
Where to bet on France vs Iraq
France vs Iraq prediction
Best bet
Our number 1 tip for this match-up is backing France to win & over 2.5 Goals. There is such a massive gulf in skill, tactical knowledge and tournament experience between France and Iraq that it seems like a foregone conclusion that France will dominate this match from the get-go. They have too much talent and firepower for an Iraqi defense which was completely overwhelmed by Europeans just last week.
France will likely control the tempo from kickoff until full-time and take home a comfortable, high-scoring victory.
Correct score prediction
We see a 4-1 victory for France as the most logical result for this Group i clash. France will clearly be able to unlock the Iraqi defense repeatedly during the course of the 90 minutes however due to their recent propensity to lose concentration and allow Iraq to get some sort of consolation goal from a counter attack or set piece, we think there is a possibility that Iraq may manage to grab a consolation goal.
Match analysis and verdict
There really isn’t a case you can make for anything other than a dominant European performance from France. The plan of action for Les Bleus will include utilizing the pace and creative talents of Mbappe and Dembele from the onset to test Iraq’s narrow block. Once the initial breakthrough occurs the game will likely open up quite considerably and create significant space for the French midfield players to operate in.
Iraq’s only hope of competing effectively will come about if they are able to maintain an entirely unblemished defensive shape and hope that France are extremely profligate in front of goal. Against a team of France’s calibre though, defensive recklessness is punished immediately.
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