Iraq coach Graham Arnold remains confident his side can still qualify for the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup despite a 3-0 defeat to France on Monday, insisting all attention has now shifted to a decisive Group I final against Senegal.
France were powered by a brace from Kylian Mbappe in a match that was interrupted for more than two hours due to severe weather. It was the second straight match in which Iraq have conceded twice to one of the world’s best strikers after Erling Haaland scored a double in Norway’s 4-1 win in the opener.
Despite back-to-back defeats, Arnold believes Iraq’s hopes remain alive, with eight of the top third-placed teams advancing to the round of 32.
“For me now it’s all about Senegal,” Arnold said. “With eight third-place teams advancing, we still have a chance.”
Arnold was encouraged by his team’s performance in the first half, even though Mbappe opened the scoring with a long-range strike. However, he felt that the lengthy weather delay disrupted Iraq’s momentum, and a goal-kick error immediately after the restart allowed France to double its lead.
“There wasn’t much I could do,” Arnold said. «I showed the players some more footage from the first half to point out where France hurt us. But mainly they just had to stay relaxed and be ready when we went back out.»
The Australian had special praise for Mbappe, describing the France captain as one of the game’s most difficult players to contain.
«He’s an incredible player. His speed is unstoppable,» Arnold said. «That’s why we defended a little deeper than I normally would. If you leave space behind the defense, Mbappé will destroy you.»
After coming up against both Haaland and Mbappe in successive games, Arnold believes the race for the tournament’s Golden Boot will be a fascinating contest.
“Haaland scores goals, Messi scores goals and Mbappe scores goals,” he said. “It will be a very good battle between the three for the top scorer.”
Published on June 23, 2026
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