France delivered a commanding performance to beat Iraq 3-0 and strengthen their grip on Group I at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Monday night in Philadelphia.
Kylian Mbappe starred for Les Bleus with a brace, while Ousmane Dembele added the third as the former world champions dominated proceedings at Lincoln Financial Field.
France wasted little time asserting themselves and opened the scoring in the 14th minute. Michael Olise picked out Mbappe just outside the box, and the captain responded with a thunderous left-footed strike that flew past the Iraqi goalkeeper.
Iraq found it difficult to contain the French attack throughout the opening half, with Amir Al Ammari receiving the game’s first yellow card after bringing down Mbappe during a dangerous run.
The match was later halted due to severe weather conditions, leading to a lengthy delay before play resumed.
France quickly regained control after the restart and doubled their lead in the 54th minute. Dembele pounced on a defensive lapse before squaring the ball to Mbappe, who calmly tapped into an empty net to grab his second goal of the evening.
The French side completed the rout 12 minutes later. Olise, influential throughout the contest, surged forward from midfield and threaded a pass to Dembele, who took a touch before firing a low shot into the far corner to make it 3-0.
Despite their efforts to fight back, Iraq struggled to break through a disciplined French defence, as Didier Deschamps’ men comfortably saw out the match to claim all three points.
