France vs Iraq Full Match
The world's attention turned to the World Cup on June 23, 2026, as France took on Iraq in a high-stakes encounter. With both sides eager to establish their dominance, the match offered a display of tactical discipline and individual brilliance.
Early Pressure and the Mbappé Breakthrough
From the opening whistle, France sought to impose their rhythm, with Manu Koné providing an early warning in the very first minute. The French pressure didn't take long to bear fruit, and in the 14th minute, Iraq's resistance was broken. Kylian Mbappé received a pass from Michael Olise and, with a clinical left-footed strike from outside the box, tucked the ball into the bottom left corner to open the scoring. Iraq tried to respond but suffered a significant blow in the 26th minute when their main striker, Aymen Hussein, was forced off with an injury, replaced by Ali Al Hamadi.
Despite Iraqi attempts to reorganize, the French remained in control of the proceedings. The match saw a brief hydration break due to the intense heat, and VAR intervened to cancel a decision before the interval, but the territorial dominance of Didier Deschamps' side was evident as they took a narrow lead into the break.
Consolidating the Lead in the Second Half
Returning from the locker rooms, France left no room for surprises. In the 54th minute, the partnership between their stars shone again: Ousmane Dembélé set up Kylian Mbappé in the center of the box, and the captain made no mistake, finishing low into the bottom right corner to double the advantage. Shortly after, Michael Olise nearly made it three, but his left-footed effort rattled the crossbar.
The constant pressure culminated in a third goal in the 66th minute. This time the roles were reversed in the build-up, with Olise finding Ousmane Dembélé, who finished accurately into the bottom left corner. Iraq did have chances through Ali Al Hamadi and Rebin Sulaka, but their finishing lacked precision, and the French defense remained resolute.
Management and the Final Whistle
With the result effectively sealed, France took the opportunity to rotate their squad, bringing on Rayan Cherki, Désiré Doué, and Malo Gusto. The tempo slowed slightly, though Mbappé had a few more chances to complete a hat-trick, only to be denied by goalkeeper Ahmed Basil or miss the target by a narrow margin.
In the final minutes, Marcus Thuram came on for Mbappé to a round of applause, while Iraq fought bravely to find a consolation goal that never came. The match ended in a categorical 3-0 victory for the French, confirming their status as favorites in the competition.
