Kalidou Koulibaly starts on the bench for Senegal in their crucial World Cup 2026 match against Iraq. The defender, who previously played for Napoli and Chelsea and now represents Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, struggled significantly in the last game against Norway.
He remarked, “Every ball I touched went wrong,” leading to his absence from the starting lineup today.
We’ve received an email from John Brennan titled ‘Pedant corner.’ He raises an interesting point.
“Hi Daniel, Not to be too pedantic, and maybe this belong to a rival podcast of Football Weekly, but can we describe Senegal as being neighbors of either Morocco, Cote D’Ivoire or South Africa when they don’t share a border with any of them? “I attended the Iraq v France game and despite the rain, it was a beautiful occasion. The Iraq fans provided plenty of noise and color despite clearly being outclassed (I missed the 2 nd goal as I had turned to the Iraqi sitting beside me to say there was a mistake in there keeper. We agreed the goal wasn’t entirely his fault as the pass from defender was terrible). The highlight for me was on the train to the game seeing an American/Iraqi with his son who was 7/8 years old dressed in their Iraqi shirts carrying Iraqi flags and thinking how rare it must be for them to be able to show their roots without fear in America. As an Irishman in suburban Long Island, I know I can fly an Irish flag outside my house without ant problem. An Iraqi flag? Going by the way some of the people talk here in my town, I wouldn’t recommend it.”
In his message, John also reflected on his experience at the Iraq vs. France match, noting the vibrant atmosphere despite the rain. He shared, “capable of doing something that will shock the world” He recounted how he missed the second goal while discussing a mistake made by the Iraqi goalkeeper, agreeing that it wasn’t entirely the keeper’s fault due to a poor pass from the defender.
John continued, “The highlight for me was on the train to the game seeing an American/Iraqi with his son dressed in their Iraqi shirts carrying Iraqi flags.” He expressed the significance of this moment, especially for families showing their roots in America, where he noted, “As an Irishman in suburban Long Island, I know I can fly an Irish flag outside my house without any problem. An Iraqi flag? Given the opinions I hear in my town, I wouldn’t recommend it.”
As for the match itself, neither Senegal nor Iraq has kept a clean sheet so far, although they faced formidable opponents like Haaland and Mbappé.
Senegal needs to secure at least two goals to advance, as a -1 goal difference might suffice to progress to the last 32. The Senegalese lineup features Mory Diaw in goal, with a defense of Abdoulaye Seck, Ismail Jakobs, Krepin Diatta, and Moussa Niakhate, while midfielders Idrissa Gana Gueye, Lamine Camara, and Habib Diarra support forwards Sadio Mane, Ismaila Sarr, and Ibrahim Mbaye. Iraq counters with a similar 4-3-3 formation, including Ahmed Basil as goalkeeper and players like Rebin Sulaka and Akam Hashim in defense.
This week has been promising for African football. South Africa has advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time, Morocco showcased their potential with a decisive victory, and Côte d’Ivoire qualified from a challenging group after tying on points with Germany.
Despite some derogatory comments regarding the tactical skills present in African football, Senegal aims to add their name to the list of successful teams today. Currently without a point after losses to France and Norway, the African champions displayed moments of their talent during those matches.
A win over Iraq would boost them to three points and enhance their current -3 goal difference. At the moment, Senegal sits outside the top eight of third-placed teams, but if results go their way, they could surpass Scotland and South Korea. Data from Opta suggests that Senegal has a 56.62% probability of progressing to the next round.
However, they need to secure a victory first. Iraq, under the guidance of coach Graham Arnold, is expected to put up a strong fight. Arnold stated before the tournament that his team is “capable of doing something that will shock the world,” and defeating one of Africa’s top teams would certainly create a stir.
The match is set to kick off at Toronto Stadium at 8pm BST, 3pm local time. Keep an eye out for team updates and more as the game unfolds.
