WC 2002-2022
Iraq vs Senegal
No meeting in this window
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WC 2026 · HEAD-TO-HEAD · GROUP I MEETING
🇮🇶
Iraq
GROUP IFIFA #570 PL
vs
🇸🇳
Senegal
GROUP IFIFA #148 PL
WHAT THIS MATCHUP MEANS
The story before a ball is kicked
Iraq arrive in Group I as the underdog seed with 0 Premier League players in their squad. Senegal share that group as the top-fifteen FIFA seed with 8 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 Senegal'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 Iraq + Senegal. Switch formation any time. Saved on this device.
0 / 11IRQ 0·SEN 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
Iraq vs Senegal — 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)
SEN +4443
87
PL footprintHow many Premier League players are in the squad
SEN +360
36
Host edgeWhether they have home advantage as a host nation
LEVEL0
0
Group seedSeed position in their group of four
SEN +5025
75
ConfedTheir confederation's historical tournament strength
SEN +1050
60
ExperienceA proxy for tournament heritage (rank + confederation)
SEN +2636
62
Iraq
Senegal
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
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.
SQUAD · PL CLUB BREAKDOWN
Where Senegal's 8 PL players come from
For FPL managers: if you own any of these clubs' assets, Senegal's tournament minutes shape your pre-season. Chelsea leads with 2 players (25%).
Chelsea2 · 25%
Everton2 · 25%
West Ham1 · 13%
Sunderland1 · 13%
Spurs1 · 13%
Crystal Palace1 · 13%
ONSIDE VERDICT
Edge to Senegal · clearly
- ·Senegal sit #14 in the FIFA world ranking — 43 places clear of Iraq.
- ·Senegal's squad carries 8 Premier League regulars vs Iraq's 0 — sharper match-fitness coming into the tournament.
REFERENCE · AXIS BREAKDOWN
| Axis | Iraq | Senegal | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form | 43 | 87 | SEN +43 |
| PL footprint | 0 | 36 | SEN +36 |
| Host edge | 0 | 0 | level |
| Group seed | 25 | 75 | SEN +50 |
| Confed | 50 | 60 | SEN +10 |
| Experience | 36 | 62 | SEN +26 |
OTHER COMPARISONS
HEAD-TO-HEAD · MODEL RATINGS
Iraq vs Senegal
IRAQ
SENEGAL
FORM SCORE
40
79
ATTACK
35
78
DEFENCE
30
70
EXPERIENCE
22
70
SQUAD-STRENGTH BREAKDOWN
Strength by department
IRAQ
- Attack23
- Midfield20
- Defence15
- GK10
SENEGAL
- Attack66
- Midfield61
- Defence56
- GK46
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
IRAQ
Top-3 by projected xP/90 — these are the players the model rates as match-defining for Iraq.
View full Iraq squad →SENEGAL
Top-3 by projected xP/90 — these are the players the model rates as match-defining for Senegal.
View full Senegal squad →WC MATCHDAY BRIEF · ONE LIST, TWO SEASONS
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