France defeats Iraq 3-0 in World Cup group match

France recorded a 3‑0 victory over Iraq in the Group I stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on 22 June at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The match was halted for more than two hours after a severe storm alert, but resumed to see Kylian Mbappé net a second double of the tournament, bringing his World Cup tally to 16 goals, second only to Lionel Messi. Ousmane Dembélé supplied the first assist, and France secured qualification for the round of 16.

Coverage of the fixture also highlighted the stark economic gap between the two nations. France’s per‑capita GDP stood at about US$61 000 in 2024, versus US$14 000 for Iraq, while France’s public debt was roughly 94 % of GDP compared with Iraq’s 43 %. French research and development spending reached 2.18 % of GDP, far above Iraq’s 0.04 %, and France attracted 1.6 % of GDP in foreign direct investment, whereas Iraq experienced a net outflow of capital.