Iraq-France World Cup clash gets underway

Shafaq News- Philadelphia

France and Iraq are set to kick off their World Cup Group I match at Philadelphia Stadium, with both teams confirming their starting lineups before a fixture carrying major qualification stakes.

Canadian referee Drew Fischer will officiate the match, scheduled for Tuesday at 00:00 Baghdad time. Stadium gates opened after a 40-minute delay caused by weather concerns in Philadelphia.

France enter with three points after beating Senegal 3-1 and can move closer to the knockout stage with another win, while Iraq need a result after opening with a 4-1 defeat to Norway, where Aymen Hussein scored their only goal before Norway pulled away in the second half.

Iraq coach Graham Arnold starts Ahmed Basil in goal, with Hussein Ali, Zaid Tahseen, Akam Hashim, and Merchas Doski in defense. Ibrahim Bayesh, Ali Qasem, Zidane Iqbal, Amir Al-Ammari, and Zaid Ismael start behind captain Aymen Hussein, who leads Iraq’s attack.

France coach Didier Deschamps starts Kylian Mbappe in attack, supported by Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, and Bradley Barcola. Mike Maignan starts in goal behind Lucas Digne, Dayot Upamecano, Jules Kounde, and William Saliba. Manu Kone and Adrien Rabiot start in midfield, with Aurelien Tchouameni on the bench.