June 07, 2026
Jon Tuleya/PhillyVoice
France and Iraq will face off in the third World Cup match staged in Philly this summer.
The World Cup is about to take over stadiums across North America and Philadelphia and for some, it's the sporting experience of a lifetime. For other more casual sports fans, and for many four-for-four Philly fans, it's hard to really unpack what's about to happen.
Over the course of around six weeks, the stadium typically called Lincoln Financial Field will host six games, five group stage matches and one knockout game boasting teams from nine different countries.
It's time for a crash course.
We'll help introduce you to each of the national squads competing in Philly in June and July, continuing with Iraq, a middle eastern nation making its first appearance in the World Cup since 1986.
Some more things to know about Iraq:
The team's run to qualify for the 2026 World Cup is arguably its most impressive and proudest soccer accomplishment. A look at their path to qualifying:
They are huge huge underdogs, to the point where surviving the first 30 minutes without falling behind could be considered to be a victory for them. In contrast to France's high-powered offense, Iraq's best chance at competing will be to frustrate France's attack while trying to slow down the pace of things. If it doesn't get ugly, it's good for the Iraqis.
Goal differential will be on the Iraqi's mind, as a third place finish and Wild Card berth into the knockout round is likely their path to move forward. They'll need to hang in there against Norway as well, and defeat Senegal in their other group stage matches.
• Aymen Hussein: He has the fifth most goals of any Iraqi soccer player ever, but had a rough time entering the U.S. last week when he was detained in Chicago. He was eventually given entry into the country. He scored the pivotal goal to help Iraq earn a berth into the World Cup.
• Zidane Iqbal: Iqbal is English-born but making his World Cup debut with Iraq. He plays professionally as a midfielder for Utrecht in the Netherlands but came up with Manchester United when he was younger.
• Ali Al-Hamadi: Iraq's best defensive player is Al-Hamadi, who is on the Premiere League roster right now for Ipswich Town. His father was a lawyer and activist who spoke out against Sadaam Hussein two decades ago.
• They have scored one World Cup goal, netted by Ahmed Radhi against Belgium in 1986.
• Ancient history takes center stage in Iraq, as much of ancient Mesopotamia was located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in what eventually became Iraq.
• During the Islamic Golden Age, scholars in Baghdad, the capital, made major advances in mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and philosophy.
• It's actually an extremely diverse country, boasting Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen and Assyrians.
• The 46 million people living in Iraq — six million more than live in California. It has roughly the same size population as Spain does.
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