Overview
Senegal and Iraq will enter the final match of Group I of the 2026 World Cup with the goal of nurturing hopes of winning tickets to the round of 16 through slots for third-placed teams with the best results.
Senegal started the tournament not as expected when they lost to France 1-3 and Norway 2-3 respectively. Although Ismaila Sarr scored a double against Norway, coach Pape Thiaw's team still could not avoid defeat.
The opportunity to win one of the top two positions has closed for Senegal, but they still have hope of going further if they win and compete for a spot for the best third-placed teams.
However, the "Teranga Lions" need to quickly improve their form. Two consecutive defeats have equaled the number of defeats in the World Cup group stage compared to all three previous participations combined. If they continue to lose to Iraq, Senegal will for the first time in history lose all 3 group stage matches at a World Cup.
Senegal's biggest highlight is Ismaila Sarr. With a double against Norway, this striker has scored 3 goals in nine appearances at the World Cup, equaling the record of legend Papa Bouba Diop in the first 10 matches at the tournament.
Meanwhile, Iraq is in a more difficult situation when they are at the bottom of the group with a goal difference of -6 after two defeats against Norway (1-4) and France (0-3). Even a victory against Senegal is not necessarily enough to help the Asian representative advance.
In the match against France, Kylian Mbappe scored a double before Ousmane Dembele scored to seal a 3-0 victory, officially ending Iraq's opportunity to compete for the top two positions.
If they continue to suffer defeats with a similar margin, Iraq will become the third team in World Cup history to lose all 3 group stage matches with a margin of 3 goals or more, after Mexico (1930) and New Zealand (1982).
The West Asian representative has also lost all 5 of its first matches at the World Cup and is at risk of becoming the second AFC team not to win in the first 6 matches at the tournament, after South Korea in the period 1954-1998.
However, Iraq still has a bright spot in midfield. Akam Hashim set a new record for this country's football at the World Cup with 86 touches and a pass accuracy rate of 68/71 in the match against France. These are the highest stats of an Iraqi player in a match at the biggest football festival on the planet.
Head-to-head record
The confrontation in the last match of Group I of the 2026 World Cup will be the first time Senegal and Iraq have faced each other in history.
Senegal has a fairly impressive record against AFC representatives at the World Cup when still undefeated after two encounters. "Teranga lions" drew 2-2 with Japan at the 2018 World Cup before defeating host Qatar 3-1 at the 2022 World Cup.
Meanwhile, this will be the first time Iraq has faced a team from the African National Football Confederation (CAF) at a World Cup.
Score prediction: Senegal 1-0 Iraq
The match between Senegal and Iraq takes place at 2:00 a.m. on June 27 (Vietnam time).
