France can secure their place in the round of 32 of the World Cup as early as this Monday evening. France face Iraq in Philadelphia, at 23pm French time, for their second Group I match. The match is played at Lincoln Financial Field and will be broadcast on M6 and beIN Sports 1.
Win, pass
A victory would put France on six points after two matchdays. In the new 48-team World Cup format, the top two teams from each group and the eight best third-placed teams qualify for the round of 32. With six points, Les Bleus would therefore be safe, even before their final match against Norway. This threshold is already sufficient given the state of the other groups: in several groups already well advanced, the third-placed teams can no longer reach six points. France therefore doesn't need to wait for the result of Norway-Senegal to know what it must do: beat Iraq and secure qualification.
The French national team is on a good run.
The team of Didier Deschamps a successful entry France secured a 3-1 victory against Senegal in the tournament. Kylian Mbappé scored twice, Bradley Barcola added another after coming on as a substitute, and Ibrahim Mbaye pulled one back for Senegal in stoppage time. This win also marked a new record: Mbappé became France's all-time leading scorer with 58 goals, surpassing Olivier Giroud. He now has 14 World Cup goals.
Group I before France-Iraq
After the first matchday, Norway leads Group I with three points and a goal difference of +3. France is second with three points and +2. Senegal is third with zero points and -2. Iraq is bottom of the group with zero points and -3 after their 4-1 defeat against Norway. The final matchday will see Norway face France and Senegal take on Iraq on Friday, June 26 at 21 p.m. But Les Bleus can avoid any calculations by winning tonight.
A slightly tweaked starting eleven
Didier Deschamps is expected to make three changes to the team that faced Senegal. Lucas Digne is likely to start at left-back, Manu Koné in midfield, and Bradley Barcola on the left wing. The probable starting eleven: Maignan – Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne – Koné, Rabiot – Dembélé, Olise, Barcola – Mbappé.
Iraq with its back to the wall
For its part, Iraq has no margin for error after its heavy defeat against Norway. Another loss would leave it with zero points after two matches and severely jeopardize its chances of qualifying. The Iraqi national team, coached by Graham Arnold, is playing a first-ever match against France: the two teams have never faced each other before.
