France vs Iraq
France can be the first country in their group to clinch a spot in the knockouts when they face Iraq at the Lincoln Financial Stadium in Philadelphia on Monday night, and Norway can follow suit if they take care of business against Senegal three hours later at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Didier Deschamps’ side is off to an auspicious start, as expected. France are fresh from a 3-1 win against Senegal to open their World Cup 2026 campaign, with their skipper, Kylian Mbappe, leading the way. However, it took them longer than they’d have liked to seize the lead, so that’s something they might have worked on over the past few days.
Meanwhile, Iraq were on the receiving end of a 4-1 bashing from Norway, as they couldn’t find an answer to Erling Haaland, who helped himself with a brace in his finals debut. The Mesopotamian Lions enter this match as the massive underdogs, but Les Bleus have no room for complacency.
Talking Points
France’s Mbappe in hot pursuit
After an underwhelming first half against Senegal in their World Cup opener, France roared back to win 3-1, opening a seventh successive major tournament with a victory. Kylian Mbappe stole the show once more, as the Les Bleus captain scored a brace to take his tally to 58 goals in 99 caps, which made him the nation’s all-time leading scorer after leapfrogging Olivier Giroud (57 goals).
And by doing so, Mbappe has climbed up the World Cup’s all-time scoring list. With 14 goals (and counting), the Real Madrid striker is only two behind Lionel Messi, the tournament’s joint-top scorer alongside Miroslav Klose, and he can finish on top by the time the competition ends in the next few weeks.
But Mbappe is not the only one Iraq must be worried about, as Bradley Barcola also found the back of the net against Senegal. Michael Olise’s trickery and pace will also wreak havoc on the Mesopotamian Lions’ porous defence, having recorded four goal involvements in his last two caps (three goals and one assist). Desire Doue and Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele also carry threats in the final third.
Iraq on the verge of making unwanted history
After losing 4-1 to Norway in their first World Cup match in 1986, Iraq are still searching for their maiden win in the finals. However, they won’t get it against France, which would make them the first Asian nation to lose their first five World Cup matches.
During their opener against Norway last time out, Graham Arnold’s men started well and almost took an early lead. But Ali Al-Hamadi’s effort went too high from the edge of the box, and Erling Haaland broke the deadlock in the 29th minute.
Aymen Hussein scored the equaliser 10 minutes later, but Iraq fell behind for good before halftime when Haaland completed his brace. After Leo Ostigard made it 3-1 during the 76th minute, Hussein’s own goal in stoppage time capped off a miserable day for Iraq.
History
Monday marks the first competitive meeting between France and Iraq. Les Bleus may be the overwhelming favourites, but there’s a small feeling of trepidation on their end, as they lost their last two matches against Asian sides without scoring a single goal.
France have scored at least two goals in 14 of their last 16 matches, but clean sheets have been rare for them lately. On the other hand, Iraq have scored before halftime in four of their last five, and they’ve picked up bookings in each of their last seven.
Iraq’s last match against a European side was a commendable 1-1 draw against Spain, but the mood has shifted ever since.
Betting Tip
The World Cup 2026 odds, unsurprisingly, back France to defeat Iraq in Philadelphia on Monday, which would make them the first nation in Group I to secure their berth in the knockouts. The gap between these two sides is highlighted in the 1X2 market, with Les Bleus at 1.08 and the Mesopotamian Lions at a whopping 19.50 to win.
Since there’s little value to bet in the 1X2 market, we’ll look at the possible goal count of this contest, and we expect a ton of new World Cup 2026 highlights, courtesy of France. With that said, SBOTOP bettors can add Over 3.25 at 1.77, Over 3.75 at 2.26, and Total Goal 4-6 at 2.24 to the parlay besides our recommended bet. Meanwhile, any Correct Score with Iraq getting a point is a long shot, with 22.00 the lowest offer.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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