June 06, 2026
Tommy Gilligan/Imagn Images
Philly will host a game played by France, one of the biggest favorites in the World Cup this year.
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 France, one of the favorites to win the Cup after a win and second place finish over the last two events.
Some more things to know about France:
In one of the biggest mismatches in the entire World Cup, France is favored to win handily over Iraq — a team that would be happy with a draw in this game, and a third place finish in Group I and shot at an at large bid into the knockout round.
Some of the best players in the entire world hail from France, sprawling into all different top leagues in Europe. They won the World Cup eight years ago and came close four years ago. Philly will get to witness one of the front-runners up close and personal in this mid-June match, and it could be a total dismantling.
• Kylian Mbappé: He's one of the best soccer players in the entire world, currently a super star for Real Madrid. He led France to a World Cup title in 2018 and runner-up in 2022. He knows how to finish, how to create scoring chances, and basically everything else about scoring goals at the highest level in the sport.
• Ousmane Dembélé: A winger with six seasons playing for Barcelona and three and counting for Paris Saint-Germain, Dembélé is yet another scoring threat on the potent France attack. He was on the 2018 second place squad.
• Michael Olise: He is yet another offensive star, and spends his regular seasons playing at the highest level in Germany. This will be his first World Cup.
• France has won two World Cups (2018 and 1998) and has come in second twice (in 2022 and 2006). They've qualified for 17 World Cups in all and are one of the biggest soccer powers in the world.
• If they make the final in July, they'll be the second country to make it to three straight World Cup title bouts (Germany did it in 1982, 1986 and 1990)
• Paris is the capital, and by total size France is the biggest country in the European Union.
• The country has a huge population as well, near 70 million citizens, the 23rd most popular country on earth.
SIGN UP HERE to receive PhillyVoice's Sports newsletters.
Follow Geoff on Twitter/X: @geoffpmosher
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
