Zidane Iqbal is set to face France in the World Cup on Tuesday, a meeting that puts the 23-year-old Iraq midfielder at the center of one of the tournament’s most searched matchups. For Iraq, it is a chance to reset after a 4-1 loss to Noruega. For Iqbal, it is another step into the spotlight that has followed him since he became the first player of Pakistani origin to appear at a World Cup.
That is why France Vs Iraq is drawing attention now. Iqbal, who was born in Manchester, England and now plays for FC Utrecht, has become a rare figure in the tournament: an Iraq international with a name that points back to Zinedine Zidane, the France great he grew up learning about. He began in the Manchester United academy in 2017 at the age of 9 and made his senior debut four years later, before choosing to represent Iraq in international competitions.
The link to Zidane is part of the story, but it is not the whole one. Iqbal said that when he was younger he did not think much about the name, only later realizing there was “a great, great player called Zinedine Zidane.” He now carries that name into a group that has already become difficult after Iraq’s opening defeat, and into a World Cup stage where his own background has taken on added meaning. He has also said his decision to play for Iraq does not erase pride in his English and Pakistani heritage.
That is where the friction sits. Iraq entered the match under pressure, but Iqbal insists the team can still trouble stronger opponents because it sees itself as fighters in the group of death. He said nobody expects Iraq to get through the group stage, which removes some of the pressure and leaves room for belief. The contradiction is plain enough: a side coming off a 4-1 defeat is also asking to be judged on what it can do next, not what it has already lost.
Tuesday’s match will not answer everything, but it will show whether Iraq can turn that belief into something more concrete against France. For Iqbal, it is the sort of test he says he prefers because it lets him measure himself against high-level players. For Iraq, it is the next chance to prove the group is still open, even if the margin for error is already gone.
