分类： sports

After four decades away from the world’s biggest football stage, Iraq made a landmark return to the FIFA World Cup in Philadelphia, delivering a moment that transcended the final scoreline and reignited collective passion and hope across the global Iraqi community. Though the two-time world champion France claimed a comfortable 3-0 victory over the underdog side, Iraqi fans who packed the stands refused to let the result dim their enthusiasm — proving that for this nation that has endured decades of crisis, football is far more than a game: it is a lifeline of unity and optimism.

For Ali Alkabasi, the journey to this match was a lifetime in the making. He first watched Iraq compete at a World Cup on television when he was just 13 years old. Forty years later, he stood inside Philadelphia’s stadium, cheering on his nation as it faced one of the tournament’s most formidable contenders. Even with a lopsided 3-0 defeat in Iraq’s second group stage match, Alkabasi said he felt nothing but gratitude to witness his country play on the global stage in person.

“It is more than enough just to see Iraq competing at the World Cup,” Alkabasi told reporters. “The team’s performance was not bad at all. We knew what to expect from the result — France plays at an entirely different level. But what mattered is that our players did not just resort to booting long balls nonstop. They actually tried to build organized attacks, and that is something to be proud of.”

When the final whistle blew, every Iraqi supporter rose to their feet to applaud the team off the pitch. Even when trailing by three goals, fans cheered every Iraqi attack as if an equalizing comeback was still within reach. Fans traveled from across the United States and as far as South Australia to pack the stands, turning the stadium into a sea of Iraqi national colors for a nation that has faced decades of unthinkable hardship, from repeated conflict and political upheaval to the rise of armed extremism. For this dispersed community, Iraq’s World Cup return was nothing short of a dream come true.

Halah Maykhan, an Iraqi-American who traveled from Wisconsin to attend the match, called the four-decade-long wait for this moment a fantasy realized. “We are living the dream right now,” she said. “My homeland Iraq has qualified for the World Cup, held here in America where I live — that is a double dream for me. This is a point of tremendous pride for every Iraqi people.”

Maykhan praised the team for uniting Iraqis from all corners of the globe, regardless of where they call home. “We stand behind this team no matter what the scoreboard says,” she said. “They may lack the experience that top sides have, but we still hope they do well — and we hope all Arab teams thrive at this tournament.”

The match got off to a fast start for France, with superstar Kylian Mbappé silencing the raucous Iraqi crowd with a stunning opening goal in the 14th minute. But the silence did not last: fans quickly rallied, roaring chants of “Iraq! Iraq!” that echoed through the stadium. The pattern repeated twice more: each French goal only temporarily dampened the support for the Lions of Mesopotamia, with fans cheering their team on through every minute of play.

Despite the massive gap in ranking and resources between the two sides, Iraq rejected a purely defensive, parking-the-bus approach. The side pushed to maintain possession and play through France’s high pressing, earning respect from fans even in defeat. Mohammed Abduljabbar, who traveled to Philadelphia from Texas, acknowledged the result was disappointing, but emphasized that the team gave everything they had against a far more experienced opponent.

“Their performance was solid,” Abduljabbar said. “There were a few mistakes, of course, but there were also some really beautiful plays. We are so proud of them, and grateful that they brought us all here to the World Cup. The feeling of watching Iraq play live in a World Cup stadium is indescribable.”

Beyond football, Iraq’s World Cup run has become a powerful symbol of renewed national unity, cutting through long-standing sectarian and religious divides. On match day, Kurdish and Assyrian flags waved alongside the Iraqi national banner, with every fan standing shoulder to shoulder behind the team. Husam Nafea, an Iraqi fan who drove four hours from Virginia to attend the match, said the nation has risen above internal divisions to come together behind the team more strongly than ever.

“Wherever we go, all Iraqis are happy and united as one,” Nafea said, wrapped in an Iraqi flag outside the stadium after the match. “And we hope that this unity lasts long after the tournament ends.”

Over the past 40 years, Iraq has endured coups, multiple wars, foreign invasion, civil unrest, and the rise and fall of the ISIL extremist group. While the nation now enjoys a period of relative stability, it remains surrounded by persistent geopolitical tensions across the Middle East. For Nawres Almamoori, who traveled all the way from South Australia to see Iraq play, the team’s World Cup qualification brings much-needed joy to a people who have endured far too much hardship.

“Iraqis have been through so much, and they still face ongoing struggles,” Almamoori said. “They deserve every bit of this joy.”

The match itself was not without off-pitch drama: a severe storm with heavy rain and thunder forced a nearly two-hour halt to play at halftime, leaving fans and players waiting out the downpour. Even as supporters trudged through the rain to reach their seats, no one questioned why they were there. Iraqi fan Hassan Raad said neither the brutal weather nor the lopsided final result mattered to him.

“Rain, sun, freezing cold, desert heat — we are here for our boys,” Raad said. “The score doesn’t change anything. Our job as fans is to stand by this team, no matter what.”

Ateka Saleh, another Iraqi-American from Wisconsin, echoed that sentiment ahead of kickoff. “No matter what happens today, they have already given us everything by getting us all here together, to celebrate this moment with them,” Saleh said. “So we just want to say thank you to them. We are incredibly proud of this team.”

In a thrilling Group J clash at the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, Algeria pulled off a dramatic second-half comeback to secure a crucial 2-1 victory over World Cup debutants Jordan on Wednesday night. The result keeps Algeria’s knockout stage qualification hopes alive, while Jordan was left heartbroken after falling short of what would have been a historic debut win against one of Africa’s top football nations. The match unfolded as two distinct halves, with Jordan dominating the first 45 minutes before Algeria flipped the script after the break to claim all three points.

Thousands of Jordanian fans in attendance got exactly the start they dreamed of in the opening period. Though Algeria controlled most of the possession, Jordan executed a disciplined defensive game plan and posed constant danger on rapid counterattacks. Their tactical discipline paid off in the 36th minute, when a lightning-quick transition ended with Mousa Al-Tamari finding teammate Nizar Al-Rashdan, who coolly converted his chance to put the underdog debutants up 1-0. The goal sparked wild celebrations among the Jordanian fanbase, and for the rest of the first half, a massive Group C upset looked increasingly likely. Just before halftime, Algerian midfielder Ramiz Zerrouki picked up a yellow card, a tangible marker of the growing frustration building for the North African side.

Whatever Algeria’s manager said in the locker room at halftime worked. The North African side emerged a completely different team after the break, immediately upping their tempo and pinning Jordan deep inside their own half. As pressure mounted, Jordan was forced into repeated desperate fouls to break up Algerian attacks, with H. Abu Dahab picking up a yellow card for a hard challenge in the 64th minute.

Algeria’s sustained pressure eventually produced an equalizer in the 69th minute. Captain Riyad Mahrez created the chance with clever build-up play, setting up Nabil Benbouali to slot home the leveling goal. The equalizer not only restored parity on the scoreboard, but also shifted the psychological momentum firmly in Algeria’s favor.

As fatigue began to set in for Jordan, who had put in a relentless defensive shift in the first half, Algeria kept pushing forward for a winner. It came in the 82nd minute, when striker Amine Gouiri produced a clinical finish to put Algeria ahead for the first time in the match, making the score 2-1.

Jordan pushed hard for a late equalizer in stoppage time to salvage a draw, but Algeria’s defense held firm to see out the result. When the final whistle blew, Algeria’s players were able to breathe a collective sigh of relief after securing the vital three points.

The win comes at a make-or-break moment for Algeria, who suffered an opening defeat to Argentina and could ill afford another loss. With three points from two matches, Algeria’s fight for a knockout stage spot in Group J remains wide open going into the final group round. For Jordan, the result is a devastating disappointment: the debutants held a lead for nearly 50 minutes and came within 10 minutes of a stunning historic win, only to fall victim to Algeria’s second-half pressure, highlighting how fine the margins are at the world’s biggest football tournament.

Even in defeat, Jordan can still take pride in their performance as they continue their historic first World Cup campaign. The side proved they can compete with seasoned top-tier opposition, writing a new chapter for football in their country. For Algeria, the comeback win reinforced their reputation as one of Africa’s strongest football nations. With elite talent like Mahrez, Gouiri and Benbouali, the side demonstrated the quality required to turn around matches even when facing adverse conditions.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup delivered one of its most enthralling matches to date on Monday night, as Norway edged out Senegal 3-2 in a nerve-wracking, edge-of-your-seat encounter at the sold-out MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The result leaves Norway on the cusp of qualification for the knockout round, while Senegal faces an early tournament exit despite a heroic second-half fightback that had fans on their feet for the full 90 minutes.

Both sides came out of the gates with relentless intensity, determined to claim three critical points in Group D. Norway’s attack revolved around the creative magic of playmaker Martin Ødegaard, who constantly probed for link-ups with star striker Erling Haaland, who entered the match as one of the tournament’s top performing forwards. On the Senegal side, manager’s tactics relied on the blistering pace of winger Ismaïla Sarr and the veteran leadership of forward Sadio Mané to unlock Norway’s defense. For most of the first half, both backlines held firm, repelling every attacking threat, but Norway broke the deadlock just before halftime. Right-back Marcus Holmgren Pedersen capitalized on a rare lapse in concentration from Senegal’s defensive unit to slot home the opening goal, sending Norway into the break with a 1-0 advantage.

Less than five minutes after the restart, Norway extended their lead, delivering a seeming knockout blow to the African side. As has been the case repeatedly through this World Cup, Haaland found himself in exactly the right place at the right time. The prolific Norwegian goalscoring machine pounced on a loose ball in the box to double his side’s lead, putting Norway 2-0 up and putting the result seemingly out of reach.

But Senegal refused to fold. Where many top international sides would have dropped their heads after conceding two early second-half goals, the African champions threw all caution to the wind and threw themselves forward in search of a comeback. Their aggression paid off quickly when Sarr found the back of the net to cut the deficit in half, injecting new life into the Senegalese side and turning the entire tide of the match. Suddenly, Norway was pinned deep in its own half as Senegal won more duels, claimed second balls consistently, and bombarded the Norwegian penalty area with wave after wave of attack.

Just as Senegal looked set to grab an equalizer, Norway struck on the counterattack, and once again Haaland was at the center of the action. He played a key role in the build-up to Norway’s third goal, restoring the Scandinavian side’s two-goal advantage and appearing to seal all three points. But even then, the drama was far from over. Senegal rallied once again, scoring a second to bring the deficit back to one goal, and threw every outfield player forward in stoppage time for a last-ditch push for an equalizer. Norway survived multiple scares in the final minutes, holding on to claim the full three points when the final whistle blew.

With this victory, Norway sits on six points from two group stage matches, level with France, who defeated Iraq 3-0 earlier on Monday. The two group leaders will face off in their final group match, a clash that will almost certainly decide who claims the group’s top spot heading into the round of 16. For Senegal, the path to qualification is now all but closed: after back-to-back defeats to France and Norway, the side remains stuck on zero points with just one match remaining. Despite the disappointing result, the fighting spirit the side displayed on Monday night proved why the country remains one of the most respected football powerhouses on the African continent.

For Norway, this 2026 World Cup marks a long-awaited return to the game’s biggest stage, with the nation qualifying for the first time since 1998. Led by a golden generation of talent including Haaland, Ødegaard, and Alexander Sørloth, the Scandinavian nation is openly dreaming of a deep, historic run in the tournament. For neutral fans, Monday’s clash will go down as one of the most memorable group stage matches in recent World Cup history, a game that blended end-to-end attacking football, nonstop tension, raw emotion, and relentless fight from both sides. Even for Norway, the match made clear that every step of a World Cup run requires a full battle, even against an opponent that enters the knockout round with its back against the wall.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup Group I qualifying campaign delivered a dramatic, rain-soaked fixture at Philadelphia Stadium on June 22, where France secured a dominant 3-0 victory over Iraq that strengthens their push for a top-two group finish and leaves Iraq on the brink of elimination. The night was defined by two key storylines: Kylian Mbappé’s continued chase of the all-time World Cup scoring record, and a nearly two-and-a-half hour weather delay that tested the patience of players and fans alike.

From the opening whistle, Les Bleus seized total control of the tempo. Just two minutes into the match, a sharp through ball from Manu Kone put Mbappé in a dangerous position, with only a last-ditch defensive intervention denying France an early opener. The French attacking trio of Mbappé, Jules Koundé and Michael Olise carved through Iraq’s backline with quick, fluid combinations, putting the Asian side under constant pressure. In the sixth minute, Iraq defender Amir Al Ammari picked up an early yellow card for a hard tackle on Mbappé, a clear sign of how difficult the French star was to contain.

That pressure eventually paid off in the 14th minute, when Mbappé turned past a defender on the edge of the penalty area and struck a stunning volley into the far corner of the net. The goal marked Mbappé’s 15th World Cup goal, moving him one step closer to breaking Lionel Messi’s all-time record of 13 World Cup knockout stage goals and the overall tournament scoring record held by Miroslav Klose.

France continued to dominate possession after the opening goal, but Iraq refused to drop completely deep and managed a handful of threatening counter-attacks. However, the match was brought to an abrupt halt in the 37th minute, when a severe thunderstorm rolled over the stadium. With lightning striking in close proximity, the referee suspended play to protect players and fans, prompting spectators to either don rain ponchos or evacuate the stands for shelter. For nearly two and a half hours, the fixture was paused while storm crews cleared standing water from the pitch and waited for the dangerous weather to pass.

When the all-clear was finally given, fans filed back into their seats, and the damp crowd quickly shifted from anxiety to celebration. Play resumed with France picking up exactly where they left off, maintaining their high intensity against a tiring Iraqi side. In the 56th minute, Mbappé capitalized on a catastrophic error from Iraqi goalkeeper Ahmed Basil, who misread a rushed backpass from Ahmed Qasem. Ousmane Dembélé played a clever square pass to the French captain, who tapped the ball into an empty net for his second of the night, putting France up 2-0.

Les Bleus kept pushing for more, and in the 67th minute, Olise — who had already hit the crossbar with a curling effort earlier in the half — produced a clever assist to set up Dembélé for his first ever World Cup goal, stretching the lead to 3-0. The soaked crowd celebrated wildly, dancing in their rain ponchos as the French attack continued to create chances.

Even with a three-goal deficit, Iraq fought hard until the final whistle, and came close to grabbing a consolation goal through forward Ali Al Hamadi, but could not find a way past French goalkeeper. In stoppage time, a visibly disappointed Mbappé — who had missed two late chances to complete a hat-trick — was substituted off for Marcus Thuram, ending his night two goals closer to history.

The result leaves France on the cusp of qualifying for the Round of 32, while Iraq’s tournament hopes hang by a thread. The battle for the top two spots in Group I remains tightly contested, with Norway and Senegal still in the hunt for qualifying places alongside France.