After the flood, France beat Iraq (3-0) and Qualified for the Knockout Round of the 2026 World Cup

Easy winner over Iraq (3-0) thanks to a double from Kylian Mbappé and an achievement from Ousmane Dembélé, the Blues will face Norway for first place in Group I.

Incredible and unprecedented situation in the World Cup. The France of Kylian Mbappé, author of a double, snatched this Monday 22nd June 2026 in Philadelphia his qualification for the round of 16 of the World Cup by beating iraq 3-0 at the end of a crazy encounter, interrupted for more than two hours due to the risk of storms and bad weather.

The Blues will remember for a long time this game really like no other, which sealed their presence in the next round. Their captain Kylian Mbappé too, who celebrated his 100th selection in pairs goals, his 59th and 60th in blue (14th, 54th), but would undoubtedly have hoped to celebrate this great moment in a completely different context.

An endless break because of the storms

Never in the history of the competition have we witnessed such a scenario and the vagaries of the weather have almost eclipsed the performance of the men of Didier Deschamps and their superstar who, with two successes in two matches, offered themselves the right to snatch first place in Group I against Norway, Friday in Foxborough (Massachusetts).

Started at 5 p.m. local time (11 p.m. French), the game lasted until 8:48 p.m. following regularly updated announcements from FIFA to comply with very strict regulations from the American authorities, which provides that any outdoor event may be interrupted or delayed if lightning is detected within a radius of 13 km.

A first big downpour occurred in the 35th minute, but the game continued before a sequence of events at half-time.

A first message from the announcer first asked spectators to leave the stands of the enclosure and take shelter before an official from the International Federation temporarily stopped the match.

Followed a very long wait for the fans, forced to take refuge in the passageways, and the players, stuck in their locker rooms. It was necessary wait more than ’1 hour and 45 minutes before seeing the French and Iraqis return for the warm-up and the resumption of the match, the rain nevertheless continued to fall. Unheard of in a World Cup match.

Messi-Mbappé duel

Before the flood hit Philadelphia, Kylian Mbappé had already started his recital and perfectly launched his team on the path to the round of 16 by celebrating his 100th cape in the most beautiful way, with a magnificent curling shot (14th).

Back from the locker room and on a completely soggy pitch, the record holder for goals in the selection easily doubled the lead upon receiving a serve from Ousmane Dembélé after a huge restart error from the Iraqi defense (54th).

The Blues superstar did not want to let it slip away alone Lionel Messi in the ranking of top scorers in the final phase, the Albiceleste genius having also scored twice against Austria with Argentina (2-0) a few hours earlier.

With now 16 achievements on the clock, the French genius remains two lengths behind the Argentine record holder (18) and continues this long-distance duel which keeps football fans around the world in suspense.

Ousmane Dembélé launches his world championship

Deschamps will also have noted with satisfaction the third goal scored by Ousmane Dembélé (66th). After a worrying start to the tournament, the Ballon d’Or was perhaps finally released and his big hug with the coach as he left the field (68th) clearly reflected the relief of the entire French camp about him.

Deschamps, who had made a slight turnover despite the weakness of the opponent with only three changes at kick-off compared to the team which had dominated Senegal 3-1 (starts of Lucas Digne, Manu Koné and Bradley Barcola), was then able to rotate his squad.

There will indeed be a shock to come, in barely four days in Foxborough (Massachusetts), against Erling Haaland’s Norway. With a crucial stake, first place in Group I. But there is no doubt that the French will not soon forget the emotions experienced in Philadelphia and this endless match against Iraq.