Senegal vs Iraq Preview

Friday evening at BMO Field in Toronto brings together two sides who arrive at this fixture already eliminated from the 2026 World Cup. Both Senegal and Iraq have lost their opening two group games and sit on zero points in Group I, where France and Norway have already secured qualification. With nothing riding on the result in terms of progression, pride and performance are all that remain — and both nations will be keen to end their tournament on a positive note.

Senegal have been competitive without getting the results their efforts perhaps warranted. Their most recent outing was a 3–2 defeat away to Norway on 23rd June — a game they were very much in, and which required the Norwegians to work hard for the win. Prior to that, they lost 3–1 away to France on 16th June in a match where the scoreline flattered Les Bleus at times. Earlier in this run, a 0–0 draw away in Saudi Arabia on 10th June showed their defensive resilience, a 3–2 defeat away to the USA on 31st May was another close-run thing, and a 3–1 home win over Gambia on 31st March rounds out a sequence where Senegal have rarely been outclassed but have consistently come up short in the final reckoning. They remain a physically imposing and technically capable side who will fancy their chances here against equally depleted opposition.

Iraq’s group stage has been a difficult education. Their most recent outing was a 3–0 defeat away to France on 22nd June — a tough way to go out of the tournament. Prior to that, they lost 4–1 at home to Norway on 16th June in a match that exposed their defensive frailties against high-quality attacking sides. Earlier in this run, a 2–0 home defeat to Venezuela on 10th June in a friendly, a 1–1 draw away in Spain on 4th June, and a 1–0 home win over Andorra on 29th May complete the picture — one win, one draw, and three losses, with seven goals conceded in their last two competitive outings alone. Iraq have struggled for both cohesion and cutting edge, but this represents their most winnable fixture of the group stage.

In Group I, both Senegal and Iraq sit on zero points with a goal difference of -3 and -6 respectively — Senegal three goals better off. France top the group on six points, Norway sit second on six points, and neither of these sides can affect the standings above them. The only question is which of the two bottom sides finishes third. A Senegal win would leave them third on three points and goal difference ahead of Iraq; a draw would keep both level on one point; an Iraq win would move them to three points and leapfrog Senegal on goal difference if they close the three-goal gap.

These sides have no previous competitive or friendly meetings on record — this is an entirely new fixture with no head-to-head history to draw on.

In the UK, the match is live on ITV 4 and available to stream via ITVX, with radio commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live. In Senegal, viewers can follow on RTS 1. Iraqi audiences can catch the action on beIN SPORTS CONNECT and Al Rabiaa Sport TV, while US viewers have access via Fox Sports 1, fuboTV, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, and UNIVERSO.

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Lineups & Injuries

Senegal (4-2-3-1) Mendy, Diatta, Koulibaly, Niakhaté, Diouf, Gueye, Gueye, Sarr, Camara, Mané, Jackson

Iraq (4-3-3) Fahdil, Doski, Hashem, Al-Ammari, Ali, Bayesh, Hussein, Iqbal, Qasem, Ismael, Tahseen

Senegal: No missing players listed.

Iraq: No missing players listed.

Both squads are reported as fully available for this final group stage fixture, giving both coaches a free hand in selection.

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Group I Table

Pos.	Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	P
1	France	2	2	0	0	6	1	+5	6
2	Norway	2	2	0	0	7	3	+4	6
3	Senegal	2	0	0	2	3	6	-3	0
4	Iraq	2	0	0	2	1	7	-6	0

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Senegal Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
❌	Norway	3–2	Senegal	World Cup	23-06-26
❌	France	3–1	Senegal	World Cup	16-06-26
🤝	Saudi Arabia	0–0	Senegal	Friendly	10-06-26
❌	USA	3–2	Senegal	Friendly	31-05-26
✅	Senegal	3–1	Gambia	Friendly	31-03-26

Iraq Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
❌	France	3–0	Iraq	World Cup	22-06-26
❌	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

Head-to-Head

No previous meetings on record between these sides.

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TV Listings / Streaming

Country	Channel
Great Britain	ITV 4, ITVX, BBC Radio 5 Live
Ireland Republic	ITV 4, ITVX, RTE Player, BBC Radio 5 Live
Senegal	RTS 1, DStv Now, SuperSport Premier League ROA
Iraq	beIN SPORTS CONNECT, beIN Sports MAX 1 Arabia, Al Rabiaa Sport TV
USA	Fox Sports 1, fuboTV, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, UNIVERSO, UNIVERSO NOW
France	beIN Sports 2, beIN SPORTS CONNECT, myCANAL
Canada	TSN2, TSN+, RDS 2, CTV
Australia	SBS On Demand, SBS Viceland
Germany	ORF eins, SRF info, MagentaTV
Spain	DAZN Spain, DAZN Mundial 2, Movistar+