Senegal vs – Senegal face Iraq at Toronto Stadium at 8pm BST (3pm local time) as they look to turn a point-less start into a push for the World Cup 2026 knockout round. With a 56.62% chance to reach the next round listed by Opta, the African champions need a win to lift th
The night is set in Toronto Stadium. At 8pm BST — 3pm local time — Senegal and Iraq kick off with the kind of pressure that doesn’t need a microphone.
Senegal are entering the match without a point, having lost to France and Norway. Still, there’s belief they can do more than just survive the group stage. In recent matches. they have shown flashes — enough for the game against Iraq to feel like the moment they either spark a turnaround or let it slip away for good.
A win would take Senegal to three points and improve a goal difference that currently sits at -3. Right now. they are outside the top eight of all third-placed teams. but the math offers a way up: if results fall into place. Senegal could leapfrog Scotland and South Korea at least. Opta has Senegal’s chances of reaching the next round at 56.62% — but reaching it starts with one thing tonight.
Iraq arrive with a plan built for intensity. Their team is expected to be organised and passionate, and their tournament message has been clear from the start. Coach Graham Arnold. before the tournament. promised his side was “capable of doing something that will shock the world.” Beating one of Africa’s best sides would be the kind of statement that travels far beyond the final whistle.
Both teams step onto the field with different weights on their shoulders — and different definitions of what “enough” looks like in a competition this tight.
Senegal line up in a 4-3-3: Mory Diaw; Abdoulaye Seck, Ismail Jakobs, Krepin Diatta, Moussa Niakhate; Idrissa Gana Gueye, Lamine Camara, Habib Diarra; Sadio Mane, Ismaila Sarr, Ibrahim Mbaye.
Iraq play a 4-3-3 of their own: Ahmed Basil; Rebin Sulaka, Akam Hashim, Mechas Doski, Frans Putros; Ibrahim Bayesh, Zidane Iqbal, Amir Alammari; Ali Jasim, Ahmed Qasem, Ali Alhamadi.
What’s at stake tonight is the simplest part of the story. Senegal need the win to move off three points behind expectation and to swing the goal difference that currently keeps them outside the third-placed race. Iraq need the result that matches the promise their coach made — the one that turns a group-stage moment into a headline the world can’t ignore.
Senegal vs Iraq World Cup 2026 live Toronto Stadium Graham Arnold Sadio Mane Ismaila Sarr Idrissa Gana Gueye