Barcola in, Doue out as Deschamps makes three changes to France team
Jun 21, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; France forward Bradley Barcola (12) during a training session in preparation for their upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Iraq at University of Pennsylvania. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
PHILADELPHIA, June 22 : France coach Didier Deschamps made three changes to the side that beat Senegal in their World Cup opener for Monday's Group I clash with Iraq, bringing in Lucas Digne, Manu Kone and Bradley Barcola for Theo Hernandez, Aurelien Tchouameni and Desire Doue.
• Barcola comes into the attack alongside Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise after scoring off the bench against Senegal.
• Dembele still trusted by Deschamps despite low-key first game.
• France will secure a place in the round of 32 with a victory
• Mbappe looking to keep pace with Lionel Messi, who moved to 18 World Cup goals earlier on Monday.
Lineups:
France: Mike Maignan; Jules Kounde, Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba, Lucas Digne; Manu Kone, Adrien Rabiot; Michael Olise, Kylian Mbappe (captain), Bradley Barcola; Ousmane Dembele.
Iraq: Ahmed Basil; Hussein Ali, Zaid Tahseen, Akam Hashim, Merchas Doski; Ibrahim Bayesh, Zidane Iqbal, Amir Alammari, Zaid Ismael; Ahmed Qasem, Aymen Hussein (captain).
(Writing by Julien Pretot in New YorkEditing by Christian Radnedge)
