There will be 13 different kick-off times for the 2026 World Cup. Al Jazeera Sports Widget lets you know exactly when your team will play in local time.
Who: France vs Iraq
Content: 2026 FIFA World Cup Group I matches
Location: Philadelphia Stadium, Pennsylvania, USA
Date and time: Monday, 5pm (21:00 GMT)
How to follow: Get everything ready on Al Jazeera Sports from 18:00 GMT ahead of the live text commentary stream.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
France need just one win to safely survive the World Cup’s ‘Group of Death’, while Les Bleus aim to grab all three points and qualify for the Round of 32, where they will face Iraq in Boston.
In the first match against Senegal in New Jersey, Kylian Mbappé’s brace helped France recover from a shaky first half, with Didier Deschamps’ side eventually winning 3-1.
Iraq, playing in the World Cup for the first time since 1986, will be looking to bounce back from a 4-1 defeat in their first group game against Norway.
What you need to know before France vs. Iraq:
France passes through the gears
It’s hard to describe France’s win over Senegal on Tuesday without using the clichéd phrase “a game of two halves.”
Les Bleus were underwhelming in the first half, with many of their star players failing to live up to expectations on the pitch.
However, the Qatar 2022 finalists moved into another league in the second half, with Real Madrid’s Mbappé scoring two spectacular goals to become France’s all-time top scorer.
Substitute Bradley Barcola made an immediate impact off the bench, scoring his first World Cup goal just two minutes into the game, underscoring the depth of Deschamps’ star talent.
France may nudge, not tweak, heading into Iraq conflict
Deschamps often emphasizes consistency at major tournaments and is unlikely to deviate from that approach despite the squad having an enviable range of options.
The most likely changes are expected on the left flank, with Barcora replacing Desire Douet in attack and Lucas Digne replacing Theo Hernandez at left-back.
There is a possibility that further adjustments will be made in the midfield.
Deschamps has held lengthy discussions with manager Manu Cohn in recent days, with the 25-year-old hinting that he could be handed a starting spot alongside Adrien Rabiot in training this week.
Iraq faces new major challenges
The Mesopotamian Lions were the last team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after a grueling campaign that saw them play a record number of qualifying rounds.
Their reward was a spot in Group I, considered by many experts to be the toughest of the tournament’s 12 teams.
Following a humiliating 4-1 win over Norway, Iraq will face Qatar 2022 runners-up France before facing African Cup of Nations (AFCON) finalists Senegal in their final group match.
To avoid elimination, Graham Arnold’s side face the huge task of drawing or winning against France, who have reached the last two World Cup finals.
France vs Iraq predictions
According to statistics provider Opta’s supercomputer, Les Bleus are the clear favorites.
According to Oputa, France has an 88.5 percent chance of victory, while Iraq has only a 3 percent chance of a stunning victory.
Their supercomputer says there’s only an 8.5 percent chance of a tie at Boston Stadium on Monday.
Opta currently predicts that France are the most likely to win the World Cup, ahead of pre-tournament favorites Spain.
France vs Iraq: Live stream, kickoff time
France: beIN Sports and Groupe M6 (11pm CET) Iraq: beIN Sports (Tuesday 12am ADT) UK: BBC One and BBC iPlayer (10pm BST) US: Universo, FOX, FOX One, Telemundo App, Telemundo Network, Peacock (5pm EDT)
What is the position of Group I?
Norway defeated Iraq 4-1 in Boston to take first place in Group I on goal difference.
France is in second place with three points, while Senegal and Iraq are in third and fourth place, respectively, with zero points.
The top two teams in each of the 12 groups and the top eight teams in third place advance to the next stage, the Round of 32, which was first introduced at the World Cup.
form guide
(From the past 5 games, latest results)
France: WWWWW
Iraq: LLDWW
France have won five of their last six matches, with their only slip-up coming in a shock defeat to Ivory Coast in a World Cup pre-game.
On the other hand, Iraq has lost consecutive games to Norway and Venezuela, and has not won in their last three games.
Their last win came in a pre-World Cup friendly against Andorra in May.
France vs Iraq: Head-to-head
This is the first time the two sides will face each other in an international match.
Team News: France
Deschamps plans to make some minor adjustments for this match, with Barcola expected to come off the bench and start against Senegal.
Digne and Conet could also start for France on Monday.
Team News: Iraq
Ali Jassim was forced off with an injury in the match against Norway, but is now available to start for Iraq.
Ahmed Bashir could start in goal instead of Jalal Hassan.
France’s expected lineup:
Mike Maignan (goalkeeper); Jules Kounde, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, Lucas Digne. Adrien Rabiot, Manu Kohn. Ousmane Dembele, Michael Oliseh, Bradley Barcola. Kylian Mbappé.
Iraq’s projected lineup:
Ahmed Basil (goalkeeper); Hussein Ali, Zaid Tahseen, Akam Hashem, Melkas Doski. Ibrahim Bayesh, Amir Al-Anmari, Zidan Iqbal, Ali Jassim. Aymen Hussein, Ali Al Hammadi.
