France vs Iraq

France face Iraq at Lincoln Financial Field (69,796 capacity) in Philadelphia on June 22, 2026, with kickoff at 5:00 PM EDT (UTC-4) in Group I of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

France won the 2018 World Cup in Russia with a squad of extraordinary depth, Kylian Mbappe scoring twice in the final against Croatia at 19 years old. They reached the 2022 final in Qatar and lost to Argentina on penalties after Mbappe scored a hat-trick in 80 minutes, the greatest individual performance in a World Cup final since Geoff Hurst in 1966. They still lost. The 2026 squad carries that specific grief: the knowledge that they were good enough to win and did not. France do not arrive in Philadelphia looking for a competitive group-stage match. They arrive wanting a World Cup.

Iraq qualified through the AFC qualification process, competing in a confederation where Japan, South Korea, and Australia are the established powers. Reaching the World Cup required consistency over two years of competitive matches. The Iraqi program has developed steadily since its Asia Cup win in 2007, the only major international trophy the Lions of Mesopotamia have lifted. That 2007 squad, which won the tournament during a period of acute national difficulty, is still spoken about in Baghdad as one of football’s genuine emotional achievements. The 2026 squad knows what it represents to a country where football carries weight beyond sport.

When is this match? 5:00 PM EDT in Philadelphia means 10:00 PM BST in London, 11:00 PM CEST in Paris, and 6:00 AM JST in Tokyo. Iraqi diaspora communities across Dearborn, Michigan and across the United Kingdom will follow in prime evening hours. Lincoln Financial Field, home to the Philadelphia Eagles, holds 69,796 for a venue more accustomed to American football.

France lost a World Cup final after Mbappe scored a hat-trick. That is the standard of opposition Iraq are facing on June 22 in Philadelphia.

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