France vs Iraq Preview

Monday’s Group I fixture at Lincoln Financial Field sees France take on Iraq, with Les Bleus sitting second on goal difference behind group leaders Norway after an impressive opening win. Iraq, meanwhile, head into this contest bottom of the table and facing a daunting task against one of the tournament favourites.

France’s tournament opener produced a 3-1 victory over Senegal on 16th June, a result that underlines their attacking quality heading into the knockout stages. Prior to that, they beat Northern Ireland 3-1 at home in a pre-tournament friendly. Before that, they lost 1-2 at home to Ivory Coast. Earlier in this run they won 1-3 away to Colombia, and in their oldest result here they beat Brazil 1-2 away. Les Bleus have scored freely throughout this run and possess a frontline capable of breaking down any defence in the tournament.

Iraq’s World Cup bow brought a heavy 4-1 defeat at home to Norway on 16th June, a result that leaves them bottom of Group I with work to do. Prior to that, they lost 0-2 at home to Venezuela in a warm-up friendly. Before that, they drew 1-1 away to Spain. Earlier in this run they beat Andorra 1-0 at home, and in their oldest result here they won 2-1 at home to Bolivia. The Lions of Mesopotamia have shown they can compete with mid-table opposition, but the step up against France represents arguably their toughest test of the tournament so far.

There is no previous meeting on record between these two nations, making this the first-ever fixture between France and Iraq.

France sit second on three points and a goal difference of +2, just behind Norway on +3, while Iraq prop up the group on zero points having conceded four goals in their opener. A France win here would move them to six points and put them in a commanding position to qualify, while Iraq desperately need a positive result to keep any realistic hope alive heading into the final round.

In the UK, this match is live on BBC One and available to stream via BBC iPlayer. In the United States, viewers can watch on FOX Network or fuboTV. French fans can follow the action on M6 or beIN Sports 1, while Iraqi viewers can tune in on beIN SPORTS CONNECT or Al Rabiaa Sport TV.

Possible Lineups

France (4-2-3-1) Maignan, Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba, Hernández, Tchouaméni, Rabiot, Doué, Dembélé, Olise, Mbappé

Iraq (4-4-2) Hassan, Doski, Hashem, Tahseen, Jasim, Al-Ammari, Ismael, Hussein, Ali, Bayesh, Al Hamadi

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Group I Table

Pos	Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	P
1	Norway	1	1	0	0	4	1	+3	3
2	France	1	1	0	0	3	1	+2	3
3	Senegal	1	0	0	1	1	3	-2	0
4	Iraq	1	0	0	1	1	4	-3	0

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France Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
✅	France	3-1	Senegal	World Cup	16.06.26
✅	France	3-1	Northern Ireland	Friendly	08.06.26
❌	France	1-2	Ivory Coast	Friendly	04.06.26
✅	Colombia	1-3	France	Friendly	29.03.26
✅	Brazil	1-2	France	Friendly	26.03.26

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Iraq Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
❌	Iraq	1-4	Norway	World Cup	16.06.26
❌	Iraq	0-2	Venezuela	Friendly	10.06.26
🤝	Spain	1-1	Iraq	Friendly	04.06.26
✅	Iraq	1-0	Andorra	Friendly	29.05.26
✅	Iraq	2-1	Bolivia	World Cup	01.04.26

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Head-to-Head

No previous meetings on record between these two nations.

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TV Listings / Streaming

Country	Channel
Great Britain	BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live
Ireland	RTE 2, RTE Player, BBC One, BBC iPlayer
USA	FOX Network, fuboTV, Telemundo
France	M6, M6+, beIN Sports 1
Iraq	beIN SPORTS CONNECT, Al Rabiaa Sport TV, Almanasa
Germany	Das Erste, ORF eins, MagentaTV
Australia	SBS, SBS On Demand
Canada	TSN1, TSN+, RDS
Italy	DAZN Italia
Spain	DAZN Spain, DAZN Mundial