Senegal vs. Iraq Match Preview: A Battle for Pride | OneFootball

Senegal and Iraq face each other this Friday at BMO Field in Toronto on the final matchday of Group I at the 2026 World Cup. Although both national teams arrive without points after two defeats, the match still holds some competitive value.

A win would keep their slim mathematical chances of advancing as one of the best third-placed teams in the tournament alive, while a draw or a loss would mean a definitive farewell.

Below is all the key information you need to know before the Senegal vs. Iraq game. Let’s get into it.

Senegal vs. Iraq

Kickoff: 3:00 pm ET/12:00 pm PTBMO Field, TorontoWatch on FOX, Telemundo and fuboTV

Senegal’s campaign has been one of the biggest disappointments of the group stage. The Lions of Teranga arrived at the tournament hoping to compete for qualification spots and showed some promising moments in attack, but ultimately fell 3-1 to France and 3-2 to Norway.

Despite boasting internationally renowned players such as Sadio Mane, Ismaïla Sarr, and Nicolas Jackson, the African side was always playing from behind and entered the final matchday needing a large margin of victory to keep its hopes alive.

Iraq’s situation is more complicated. In its return to the World Cup after four decades, the Lions of Mesopotamia have suffered from the big gap in quality separating them from the most powerful national teams.

Defeats of 4-1 to Norway and 3-0 to France left the team with a goal difference of -6, a figure that virtually eliminates it even if it manages to get a win.

Senegal vs. Iraq: Team News & Predicted Lineups

Pape Thiaw’s side is now winless in its last four matches, including a 3-2 defeat to the United States and a scoreless draw against Saudi Arabia in its warmup games for the tournament.

The Lions of Teranga, who reached the round of 16 in the 2022 edition, are now on the verge of elimination, although a convincing victory could open the door to qualification as one of the best third-place teams.

Edouard Mendy has been ruled out with a knee injury, opening the door for Le Havre goalkeeper Mory Diaw to make his World Cup debut. Diaw has earned six caps for Senegal.

No major changes are expected elsewhere in the lineup, with Kalidou Koulibaly leading the defense. The Al-Hilal veteran center back has made 105 appearances for his national team.

Idrissa Gana Gueye, 36, will once again be the main piece in midfield, giving the wingers and attacking midfielder greater freedom to combine near the opposition penalty area.

Even though Iraq has shown some good things, it has conceded seven goals in its two matches so far.

The step up from Asian qualifying has been evident. Defeats of 4-1 to Norway and 3-0 to France demonstrated that the Iraqi national team struggles to maintain defensive concentration for 90 minutes against top-level opponents.

The absence of Aymen Hussein is the biggest blow for Iraq. The Al-Karma striker, the team’s only scorer at this tournament, is unavailable due to a muscle injury.

Ipswich Town’s Ali Al-Hamadi will surely take his place in attack, bringing a more dynamic profile but a lower presence in the penalty area than Hussein, reducing the attacking potential of Arnold’s side.

Zidane Iqbal will be responsible for providing fluidity to Iraq’s play from midfield, though against Senegal’s high press, he will need to move the ball more quickly to find space between the lines.

Predicted Senegal XI vs. Iraq: Diaw; Diatta, Koulibaly, Niakhaté, Diouf; Camara, I. Gueye, P. Gueye; Sarr, Jackson, Mané.

Predicted Iraq XI vs. Senegal: Basil; Ali, Tahsen*, Hashem, Doski; Al Ammari*, Qasem, Ismail, Iqbal, Bayesh; Al-Hamadi.

Asterisk (*) indicates player on a yellow card.

Match prediction: Senegal 3-1 Iraq.