🇸🇳 Senegal vs 🇮🇶 Iraq

Senegal are the reigning Africa Cup of Nations champions and have more Premier League players per capita than almost any other nation outside Europe. If someone tells you they don't rate Senegal, ask them which Premier League players they think aren't very good.

Sadio Mané is back and healthy after injuries disrupted the last couple of years. A fit Mané makes Senegal a genuinely different team — one of the most dangerous forwards in the world when everything's working.

They're in Group I with France, Iraq and Norway. France are the overwhelming favourites to top the group. Senegal beating France would be a monumental result — and is not quite as unlikely as it might sound, which is the interesting part.

Senegal reached the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup before losing to England. That's a solid consistent performance at back-to-back tournaments. They're not a one-off or a surprise story anymore.

Manager Aliou Cissé has been in charge since 2015, played in the 2002 World Cup side that reached the quarters, and has built a culture that takes winning seriously. He's one of the more experienced international managers in Africa.

Iraq are at their second consecutive World Cup, having returned to the tournament in 2022 after a long absence. Two in a row is real progress. Given everything that's happened in that country over the last 20 years, it's also a quietly remarkable thing.

They're in Group I with France, Senegal and Norway. France are enormous favourites. Iraq getting a point in this group would represent a genuine achievement worth celebrating.

Aymen Hussein is their best striker — plays domestically but is prolific in Asian competition and will be looking to make a first impression on a global stage.

Iraqi football has flourished in recent years despite enormous political instability. The domestic league is competitive, the fan culture is passionate, and the national team has become a source of genuine unity. Football doing what football occasionally does.

The 2026 tournament marks Iraq's growing maturity as a football nation. Two consecutive World Cups, earned through proper competition. That's a foundation worth building on.