Mbappé broke the deadlock
France, one of the top favorites and the runner-up in the last World Cup, kicked off the 2026 World Cup with a challenging match against Senegal. The Roosters, who won the title by defeating Brazil 3-0 in the 1998 final on home soil, lost to Senegal in their opening match in 2002—despite entering the tournament as defending champions—and went on to have a poor run, being eliminated in the group stage. Although France reached the final again in 2006, they lost to Italy; they have continued to be a force to be reckoned with, finishing as champions in one of the last two tournaments and as runners-up in the other. For head coach Didier Deschamps, one of the key architects of these great successes, this will be a very special tournament as it marks his last with the national team. Although they struggled quite a bit in the first half of their opening match against Senegal in North America—despite aiming for the championship—and had to wait until the 68th minute to break the deadlock, Kylian Mbappé’s two goals secured a 3-1 victory. If you’d like to join Deschamps and his players for their second match—which is expected to be a much more comfortable game against the group’s weakest link—you can secure France vs. Iraq match tickets at the best prices on the seatpin website.
France vs. Iraq match tickets on seatpin
Just as there’s fierce competition among national teams at the World Cup, there’s also a friendly rivalry among the big stars. Argentine Lionel Messi, who scored a hat trick against Algeria, reached 16 goals in World Cup finals, tying Miroslav Klose for the all-time lead. Kylian Mbappé also brought his World Cup finals goal tally to 14 with two goals against Senegal. A hat trick against Iraq—in a week when Messi is likely to go scoreless—could propel the French striker to the top of the all-time scoring list. With Messi now approaching 40, Mbappe is expected to reach the top by 2030 at the latest—assuming he avoids any setbacks. As Mbappe rapidly climbs toward the top by increasing his goal tally, you can join him on this journey by visiting the seatpin website right now to purchase tickets for the France vs. Iraq match.
Iraq is doing its best despite difficult conditions
When we talk about Group I having three strong teams and one weak link, we’re actually being a bit unfair to Iraq. Iraq still seems far from having the chance to compete on equal footing with its rivals. Still struggling to recover from the turmoil that began with the 2003 U.S. invasion and the fall of Saddam’s regime, Iraq was unable to host its home matches within its own borders for many years due to security issues. For the Lions of Mesopotamia—who managed to win the 2007 Asian Cup amid political instability, damaged facilities, ongoing terrorism, sectarian conflicts, and curfews—even reaching the finals is a major achievement. Against Norway, the Asian representative played exceptionally well—especially toward the end of the first half—and even scored the equalizer through Aymen Hussein; had the opponent lacked a star player like Haaland, they might have started the tournament with a point. While the 4-1 score is disappointing, it’s important to note that the actual play on the field never reflected that result. In their second match, facing an opponent at least as tough as Norway, Graham Arnold and his players will once again give it their all. If you don’t want to leave them alone in this honorable battle, seatpin is your best choice for France vs. Iraq match tickets.
