France brought an embarrassment of riches to the 2026 FIFA men's World Cup.
Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Boot at the 2022 World Cup, where France suffering a heartbreaking loss Argentina on penalties in the final, and more recently, claimed a second straight Pichichi Trophy with Real Madrid as LaLiga's top scorer. Ousmane Dembélé is the reigning Ballon d'Or winner. Michael Olise is a world-class winger. You get the point.
Iraq head coach Graham Arnold is well aware of what his team is up against when they meet France at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Monday, June 22.
"I asked if we could play three goalkeepers, but they said no," Arnold cracked at his Sunday presser. "Look, they've got some incredible players, and it's an honor."
"We will go out, and we will play — we're focused on ourselves," Arnold continued. "When I say that, it's our own performance. We can't control France's performance, but we can control our own. And it's making sure that the players are completely ready to go out there and show the world what they're about, and that's the most important thing."
France, affectionately known as Les Bleus, showed why they're a threat to reach a third straight World Cup final when they torched Senegal in a 3-1 opening win last week. Mbappe, of course, netted a brace to open his Golden Boot defense.
Iraq is appearing in the World Cup for the first time in 40 years and opened with a 4-1 loss to Norway, in which Manchester City star Erling Haaland also scored a brace for Norway. Iraq's defense, or lack thereof, of Haaland is not an encouraging preview for how they'll fare against Mbappe and company.
France and Norway are currently tied atop Group I with 3 points apiece, with Iraq and Senegal scrapping to get a result in the second match week.
Source: Newsweek
