Iraq
Lions of Mesopotamia
Manager
The Story
Forty years is a long time to wait. Iraq return to the World Cup as the 48th and final team confirmed for the 2026 tournament, having beaten Bolivia 2-1 in Monterrey on March 31 to claim the last available spot. The Lions of Mesopotamia took the most complicated route of any team in this field, grinding through a 21-match, 28-month AFC qualifying campaign that required five separate rounds before the intercontinental play-off. That journey tells you everything about this squad's resilience. Graham Arnold, the Australian who previously steered the Socceroos to the 2022 round of 16, took charge in May 2025 after Jesús Casas was sacked following a 2-1 loss to Palestine. Arnold walked straight into a qualification crisis and delivered. Since his appointment, Iraq won nine of his first 14 matches in charge. His tactical fingerprints are obvious: a disciplined 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 base, two defensive midfielders screening the back four, and quick vertical transitions aimed directly at Aymen Hussein's chest. Iraq sit 57th in the FIFA rankings, the lowest-ranked side in Group I by some distance. Their group draw is brutal: France, Norway, and Senegal. There is no charitable reading of that. France are world-class, Erling Haaland makes Norway dangerous at any moment, and Senegal carry genuine physical power. Iraq's realistic target is a first-ever World Cup win and a chase at one of the eight third-place spots that advance to the Round of 32. The pre-tournament warm-ups have offered genuine encouragement. A 1-1 draw with reigning European champions Spain on June 4 in A Coruña, where left-back Merchas Doski produced a stunning equaliser, sent a message. Passport complications then scuppered a planned Costa Rica match, so these final tune-ups carry extra weight. Nine of the 26-man squad play club football in Europe, giving Arnold genuine tactical variety. The domestic core, drawn heavily from Al-Shorta and Al-Zawraa, provides the physicality and fight Arnold demands. Short on elite individual quality, this squad simply has to accept that reality. What it does possess is collective organisation, tested resilience, and a captain in Jalal Hassan who brings over 100 caps of experience to the back line. For Iraq and their supporters, merely being here is historic. Winning even one game would be a national moment.
Iraq's defensive organisation under Arnold is legitimate, not just hopeful. The compact mid-block forces opponents into wide areas, and only two of Iraq's last 13 matches ended in defeats by two or more goals, including a draw against Spain. Aymen Hussein and Ali Al-Hamadi give them a physical, direct forward partnership that can punish any lapse in concentration from opposing centre-backs, particularly from set pieces and aerial deliveries.
Iraq have almost no experience against elite European possession sides. When opponents pin them deep and circulate the ball at pace, the defensive structure can fracture, as seen in the 2-0 Arab Cup loss to Algeria. The squad's ceiling in individual quality is also a genuine constraint: nine European-based players add class, but the gap between Iraq's best and France's worst is significant enough to make deep progress very unlikely.
Key Players
Aymen Hussein
Al-Karma FC · age 29
Iraq's all-time leading scorer among the current generation with 33 international goals, Hussein is the Lions' offensive heartbeat. He netted the decisive goal against Bolivia to seal World Cup qualification and led Asian qualifying with eight goals before that famous night in Monterrey. A powerful, old-fashioned number nine who wins aerial duels and holds the ball up under pressure, he gives Arnold's direct system its focal point. Every Iraq attacking move eventually runs through him.
Zidane Iqbal
FC Utrecht · age 22
A Manchester United academy graduate now excelling at FC Utrecht in the Eredivisie, Iqbal is the most technically polished player in Arnold's midfield. He provides press resistance and quick combination play in tight spaces, the kind of quality Iraq will need when they inevitably spend large periods defending against France and Norway. Still only 22 and under-the-radar for most casual football followers globally, he is the breakout candidate at this tournament. His ceiling is considerably higher than Group I.
Ali Al-Hamadi
Luton Town · age 24
The first Iraqi to play in the English Premier League, Al-Hamadi scored the opener in the Bolivia play-off win and brings Premier League-standard physicality and directness to Iraq's attack. His ability to run in behind defenders and create space for Hussein makes the Lions a genuine dual threat up front. At 24, this World Cup is his coming-out party on the global stage. His English football experience gives him composure in big moments most of his teammates have never encountered.
Jalal Hassan
Al-Zawraa SC · age 35
At 35, Jalal Hassan holds 100 caps and the captain's armband, making him the most capped player Arnold has at his disposal. The Al-Zawraa goalkeeper is the squad's anchor. Everything defensive runs through him.
Amir Al-Ammari
Cracovia · age 27
The national hero who converted the stoppage-time penalty in Basra to beat the UAE and send Iraq to the intercontinental play-off, Al-Ammari is a tireless, high-energy central midfielder who does the ugly work that makes Iraq's press function. Based at Polish top-flight club Cracovia, he brings European league conditioning to Arnold's engine room. He wins second balls, carries the ball forward under pressure, and never stops running. Iraq are a significantly better side with him on the pitch.
Warm-Up Matches
- v Andorra2026-05-29 · undisclosedW1-0
- v Spain2026-06-04 · Estadio Abanca-Riazor, A CoruñaD1-1
- Scheduledv Venezuela2026-06-10 · Illinois, USA
Recent Form
Tournament Prediction
Iraq are not dark horses. They are honest underdogs who earned the right to be here through one of the most gruelling qualification campaigns in this tournament's history. Respect that. But Group I is genuinely one of the toughest draws possible. France are a legitimate title contender, Norway have Haaland and a direct, physical game that will cause Iraq serious problems aerially, and Senegal are formidable enough to beat most teams on their day. Arnold's defensive structure can be competitive for 60 or 70 minutes, as the Spain draw proved. Staying in matches is realistic. Winning one is another matter. The Norway game on June 16 is Iraq's only plausible result-hunting fixture, and even there, Haaland's aerial dominance exploits the exact weakness Iraq carries. A best-case scenario sees Iraq take a point, potentially from Norway if Arnold's low block holds and Hussein nicks a set-piece goal. Realistically, three losses and an exit in the group stage is the most likely outcome. The historical significance of simply competing again after 40 years is the real story here.
Betting Markets
Iraq to reach the Group Stage.
Confidence: High