WC 2002-2022
France vs Iraq
No meeting in this window
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WC 2026 · HEAD-TO-HEAD · GROUP I MEETING
🇫🇷
France
GROUP IFIFA #17 PL
vs
🇮🇶
Iraq
GROUP IFIFA #570 PL
WHAT THIS MATCHUP MEANS
The story before a ball is kicked
France arrive in Group I as the world's elite — top-five FIFA ranked with 7 Premier League players in their squad. Iraq share that group as the underdog seed with 0 PL regulars.
The two meet directly in the group stage. The result is critical — Group I's order through R32 is decided across just three matchdays, and head-to-head between equally-ranked teams is the second tiebreaker after points.
The pre-match weight of evidence leans France's way clearly. Below: a six-dimension head-to-head, the Premier League club distribution per squad, and the Onside verdict.
INTERACTIVE · COMBINED DREAM XI
Build the best XI from BOTH squads
Tap any pitch slot to pick from France + Iraq. Switch formation any time. Saved on this device.
0 / 11FRA 0·IRQ 0
Sources: official 26-man squads via football-data.org · Premier League roster fallback when feed lags. Loading saved picks…
HEAD-TO-HEAD · 6 DIMENSIONS
France vs Iraq — where each one wins
Each row scores the two teams 0–100 on a dimension. Longer bar = stronger. The colour-coded chip on the right names the winner of each axis.
FormHow strong they are on paper (FIFA world ranking)
FRA +57100
43
PL footprintHow many Premier League players are in the squad
FRA +3232
0
Host edgeWhether they have home advantage as a host nation
LEVEL0
0
Group seedSeed position in their group of four
FRA +75100
25
ConfedTheir confederation's historical tournament strength
FRA +4292
50
ExperienceA proxy for tournament heritage (rank + confederation)
FRA +64100
36
France
Iraq
SQUAD CLUBS · PL PERSPECTIVE
Whose PL players are at the World Cup
If you own any of these clubs' assets in FPL, this matchup matters to your pre-season — tournament minutes here become Saturday minutes in August.
SQUAD · PL CLUB BREAKDOWN
Where France's 7 PL players come from
For FPL managers: if you own any of these clubs' assets, France's tournament minutes shape your pre-season. Crystal Palace leads with 2 players (29%).
Crystal Palace2 · 29%
Aston Villa1 · 14%
Chelsea1 · 14%
Liverpool1 · 14%
Arsenal1 · 14%
Man City1 · 14%
SQUAD · PL CLUB BREAKDOWN
Iraq
No current Premier League regulars in this 26-man squad. Iraq's tournament path won't directly shape FPL 2026/27 ownership decisions, but breakout performers here often become next-season targets.
ONSIDE VERDICT
Edge to France · clearly
- ·France sit #1 in the FIFA world ranking — 56 places clear of Iraq.
- ·France's squad carries 7 Premier League regulars vs Iraq's 0 — sharper match-fitness coming into the tournament.
- ·Historical confederation strength leans heavily France's way — every WC since 1934 has been won by a UEFA or CONMEBOL side.
REFERENCE · AXIS BREAKDOWN
| Axis | France | Iraq | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form | 100 | 43 | FRA +57 |
| PL footprint | 32 | 0 | FRA +32 |
| Host edge | 0 | 0 | level |
| Group seed | 100 | 25 | FRA +75 |
| Confed | 92 | 50 | FRA +42 |
| Experience | 100 | 36 | FRA +64 |
OTHER COMPARISONS
HEAD-TO-HEAD · MODEL RATINGS
France vs Iraq
FRANCE
IRAQ
FORM SCORE
99
40
ATTACK
94
35
DEFENCE
89
30
EXPERIENCE
84
22
SQUAD-STRENGTH BREAKDOWN
Strength by department
FRANCE
- Attack79
- Midfield74
- Defence69
- GK59
IRAQ
- Attack23
- Midfield20
- Defence15
- GK10
PREVIOUS WORLD CUP ENCOUNTERS
No previous WC encounters
These two haven't met at a World Cup in our 2002-2022 window. Qualifier + friendly history will be added as football-data feed warms up.
Source: openfootball/worldcup.json (CC0). World Cup 2002 → 2022 inclusive.
KEY PLAYERS · BOTH SIDES
The match-defining names
FRANCE
Top-3 by projected xP/90 — these are the players the model rates as match-defining for France.
View full France squad →IRAQ
Top-3 by projected xP/90 — these are the players the model rates as match-defining for Iraq.
View full Iraq squad →WC MATCHDAY BRIEF · ONE LIST, TWO SEASONS
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