Official lineups
France: Maignan - Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne - Koné, Rabiot - Dembélé, Olise, Barcola - Mbappé.
Iraq: Basil - Ali, Tahseen, Akam Hashem, Merchas Doski - Bayesh, Al-Ammari, Iqbal, Jasim - Hussein, Al-Hamadi.
That's it for today!
What a great day for Mbappé and his teammates, despite an awful weather and a 2-hour half-time break.
France is officially qualified to the last 32.
Here is the recap
2 minutes of added time
Mbappé so close once again
Mbappé goes on a brilliant run and unleashes a shot from inside the box, but his effort flashes just past the left post
Iraq keep it tight
Mbappé and Akliouche try to link up but the Iraqi defence cuts out the pass. France are being made to work for their chances.
Another double change for Les Bleus
Jules Kounde makes way for Malo Gusto while Monaco's forward Maghnes Akliouche replaces Bradley Barcola.
Interesting chance for Al-Hamadi
Al-Hamadi dribbles the last French defender but shoots past Maignan's right post.
Mbappé's wild stats
100th selection for "the kid from Bondy"
60 goals, 40 assists
What a legend!
Hard to breathe for Iraq
Since the restart, Lions have struggled to get meaningful possession.
Les Bleus dominate every aspect of the game!
Double change on Deschamps' side
Dembele is replaced by Desire Doue while Michael Olise makes way for Manchester City's magician Rayan Cherki
Dembelé Ballon d'OOOOOOORRRRRRR
Ousmane Dembélé makes it three !!
Olise's brilliant ball finds him unmarked in the area, and Dembélé finishes with precision
What a relief for the PSG superstar and incumbent Ballon d'Or
Double change for Iraq
Tahseen replaced by Rebin Sulaka
Ismaeel makes way for Youssef Amyn
Missed opportunity for Rabiot
Adrien Rabiot blows a great chance at rebound. He heads the ball just wide of the left post!
GOOAAAAALLLLLLL
Kylian Mbappé strikes again!
Ousmane Dembélé lays the ball off after catching a missed pass and Mbappé finishes from close range into the bottom right corner
Match underway
@James Lang, Reuters
The match should restart at 8pm
Mopping up after the storm
Groundstaff are working to clear standing water from the field. The severe weather has left the Philadelphia pitch in poor condition and they're racing against time to make it playable...
Match resumption confirmed!
Teams are returning to the pitch for warm-up. The second half will resume at 19:50 local time.
Crowd erupts!
Some supporters give up
Spectators are beginning to leave the stadium as the weather delays show no sign of ending. "There are still thunderstorm warnings and this could drag on for hours. We're heading home, we're not confident the match will even get back underway."
Weather on two fronts
A tale of two skies in Philadelphia!
Sunshine on one side of the stadium, menacing dark clouds on the other...
Les Bleus arrive at World Cup 2026 as one of the tournament's supreme favourites, seeking to win a third world title and cement their status among football's elite nations. Didier Deschamps' side opened Group I with a dominant 3-1 victory over Senegal, demonstrating the attacking prowess that makes them genuine title contenders. Now facing Iraq in their second group match, a win would mathematically secure their passage to the last 32.
Read moreF24 - World Cup 2026 - Fixtures and results
Iraq, meanwhile, are in desperate need of points after opening their Group I campaign with defeat. The Iraqis face an uphill battle against a France side already brimming with confidence and tournament experience. Yet in football, as today's weather chaos in Philadelphia suggests, nothing is ever entirely predictable. An unexpected violent thunderstorm could delay kick-off at an undetermined time. Under US safety regulations, the match cannot resume until 30 minutes have passed without lightning detected within 13 kilometres.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
