Mbappe, France play Iraq in World Cup match: prediction, team news, lineups

Published 21 June 2026 · sports

Star forward Kylian Mbappe and France face Iraq in Boston with Les Bleus focused on securing a place in knockout phase. The 2026 World Cup

Star forward Kylian Mbappe and France face Iraq in Boston with Les Bleus focused on securing a place in knockout phase. The 2026 World Cup will have 13 different kickoff times. You can use the Al Jazeera Sport widget to find out exactly when your team is playing in your local time. Who: France vs Iraq What: FIFA World Cup 2026 Group I match Where: Philadelphia Stadium, Pennsylvania, US When: Monday, 5pm (21:00 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 18:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream. France are one win away from safely navigating the World Cup “group of death,” with Les Bleus looking to take all three points to secure Round of 32 qualification against Iraq in Boston. Two goals from Kylian Mbappe helped France recover from a shaky first half in their opening match against Senegal in New Jersey, with Didier Deschamps’ side eventually running out 3-1 winners. Iraq, featuring at the World Cup for the first time since 1986, are looking to bounce back from a heavy 4-1 defeat in their opening group game against Norway. All you need to know before France vs Iraq France go through the gears It’s hard to avoid reaching for the “game of two halves” cliche to describe France’s win over Senegal on Tuesday. Les Bleus were a shadow of themselves in the first half, with a number of star players failing to perform up to expectations on the pitch.

But the Qatar 2022 finalists were in another league in the second half, with Real Madrid’s Mbappe scoring two brilliant goals as he became France’s all-time top scorer. Substitute Bradley Barcola made an instant impact off the bench, scoring his first-ever World Cup goal just two minutes after coming on, highlighting the depth of star talent available to Deschamps. France may tweak, not tinker, for Iraq clash Deschamps has often favoured stability at major tournaments and is unlikely to deviate from that approach, despite an enviable range of options in his playing squad. The most likely changes are expected on the left flank, with Barcola set to replace Desire Doue in attack and Lucas Digne in line to come in for Theo Hernandez at left back. Another adjustment could come in midfield. Deschamps has held lengthy discussions with Manu Kone in recent days and the 25-year-old was paired with Adrien Rabiot during training this week, suggesting he could be handed a starting role. Iraq face another huge challenge The Lions of Mesopotamia were the final team to book their place at the 2026 World Cup, following a gruelling campaign which saw them play a record number of qualifiers. Their reward was a spot in Group I, which many experts believe is the most difficult of the 12 at the tournament. After a 4-1 humbling against Norway, Iraq now face Qatar 2022 runners-up France before their final group game against African Cup of Nations (AFCON) finalists Senegal.