Why Senegal and Iraq are still in the World Cup even though they have zero points
Here’s why Iraq and Senegal still have a shot at making the World Cup knockout stage, even though they’ve lost both their games so far.
Early Tuesday morning, both teams faced tough defeats in their second matches, making their path forward look tricky. Iraq lost their first game 4-1 to Norway, then fell 3-0 to France, with two goals from Kylian Mbappe and one from Ousmane Dembele. Senegal also started with a 3-1 loss to France, where Mbappe scored twice, and then lost 3-2 to Norway, with Erling Haaland scoring two goals against them.
With these big losses, many thought their chances of advancing were gone. In fact, teams like Haiti, Turkey, Tunisia, and Jordan are already out after losing their first two games.
But Group I is different! Both Senegal and Iraq still have a chance to move on because they play each other in their final group game on Friday. This game is super important—it’s like an extra knockout match depending on other results.
In the 2026 World Cup, eight out of the 12 teams that finish third in their groups will still qualify for the last 32. FIFA ranks these teams first by points earned, then by goal difference, and finally by the number of goals scored.
Because Senegal and Iraq face each other last, a win—especially a strong one—could help boost their goal difference and give them a good chance to be one of the best third-placed teams.
Right now, Senegal is the favorite to win this match, so they still have a solid chance to move on. If they do make it to the round of 32, they’ll likely face one of the group winners from groups A, B, D, G, K, or L, such as Mexico, Canada, United States, Egypt, Colombia, or England.
So, it’s not over yet for Iraq and Senegal—Friday’s game could change everything!