Kylian Mbappé’s two-goal salvo against Senegal did more than secure France’s opening 3-1 victory in Group I; it propelled the 27-year-old past Olivier Giroud as his nation’s all-time leading scorer and lifted him to 14 World Cup goals, level with Gerd Müller and one shy of Ronaldo. The first half in Philadelphia had been tense and goalless, with Didier Deschamps’ side managing a single shot on target. The breakthrough came after the interval, when Michael Olise was shifted into a central playmaking role and Bradley Barcola’s introduction added thrust. Mbappé struck twice, the second a clinical finish that broke a tie with Pelé on the tournament’s all-time list and left him two behind the record of 16 shared by Miroslav Klose and Lionel Messi.

Iraq’s return to the World Cup stage after a 40-year absence was far less auspicious. Graham Arnold’s team briefly drew level through Aymen Hussein after Erling Haaland’s opener, but Norway’s aerial dominance — six of their starting eleven stood taller than 1.90 metres — proved overwhelming. The Scandinavians won 63 per cent of aerial duels and Haaland added a second as Iraq conceded four times, a collapse Arnold attributed to a loss of concentration in the final 20 minutes. The coach, speaking ahead of the France match, struck a defiant tone: “I’ve always been a coach who enters the pitch expecting to win, not trying not to lose.” He even joked about fielding three goalkeepers to contain Mbappé.

Viewed from Paris, the encounter with Iraq is framed as a formality on the path to a third world title. French media note that Les Bleus have scored in 14 consecutive matches, with at least two goals in 13 of those, yet Deschamps has flagged defensive fragility — his team has conceded in six straight games. The probable lineup suggests continuity, with Barcola likely to start after his impactful cameo, though Lucas Digne and Manu Koné could rotate into the backline and midfield. In Baghdad, the mood is pragmatic: Iraq’s only previous World Cup, in 1986, ended with three defeats, and another loss here, combined with a Norway win or draw against Senegal, would extinguish their hopes of a top-two finish.

A French victory would guarantee progress to the round of 32 with a game to spare, a format that for the first time admits 48 teams and allows eight of the twelve third-placed sides to advance. For Iraq, even a point would keep alive the possibility of sneaking through as one of those best third-placed finishers. The match, refereed by Canada’s Drew Fischer, marks the first official meeting between the two nations at a World Cup. Deschamps, wary of complacency, has told his squad not to underestimate opponents who, in Arnold’s words, “competed for 70 minutes” against Norway before errors proved fatal.

After the final whistle in Philadelphia, attention will turn immediately to the group’s other fixture: Norway versus Senegal. A Norway win would leave Iraq needing to beat Senegal in their last match and hope other results fall kindly. France, meanwhile, would then face Norway on 26 June with top spot in the group at stake, a position that could offer a more favourable path in the expanded knockout bracket.