FIFA World Cup 2026: How Iraq fought the demons of war and conflict to get to the brink of qualification?

Iraq are one match away from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the veteran coach is feeling little pressure and has a huge performance ahead of him.

How can Iraq qualify for the FIFA World Cup?

Iraq must win an elimination play-off against the winner of Bolivia versus Suriname in March 2026. Bolivia and Suriname meet days earlier, with both knockout matches scheduled in Mexico.

For Iraq fans, a 40-year wait through their country’s turbulent modern history to return to the World Cup could end in the last of an epic 21-match qualifying campaign.

That’s more games than any other team played to reach the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

But the entire success story has been a work in progress over the past year.

Appointment of a proven coach

Graham Arnold – who succeeded Jesus Casas as Iraq head coach in May – has seen it and done it before during World Cup qualifying.

He guided his native Australia through a win-or-go-home match against Peru in Doha to reach the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. His daring coaching helped Australia win the penalty shootout by sending on replacement goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne, who made the decisive save.

«The funny thing is I didn’t feel that much pressure,» Arnold said The Associated Press of coaching Australia in that play-off, compared to the tension “I felt the other day.”

“Australia is my country, and I love Australia so much, but I have been given a task that can change a country forever,” he said. “And I really enjoy the task.”

Arnold’s off-field tactic: social media ban

Some in Arnold’s squad play for clubs in Europe, including Al-Ammari in Poland, former Manchester United prospect Zidane Iqbal in the Netherlands and German-born Merchas Doski in the Czech Republic. Most are still in Iraq.

“They’ve had a lot of pressure and there’s a lot of expectations,” he acknowledged of the mental challenges.

«I’ve banned them from social media for the last two camps, from the day they came in until the day we left. And we haven’t lost a game.»

From the darkness of war to the light of the FIFA World Cup

“If ever a country was desperate to qualify, this is it,” Arnold told The Associated Press in Zurich after FIFA made the play-off draw on Thursday.

«I’ve never seen anything like it last night,» he said, of Iraq scoring a penalty in the 17th minute of stoppage time to eliminate the United Arab Emirates in an Asian play-off.

There were 62,000 people there to watch Iraq win 2-1 and 3-2 on aggregate at the stadium in Basra, a city often known for its military conflicts and unrest since Iraq last played at the World Cup in 1986.

A video circulating online showed Arnold behind the team dugout refusing to watch Amir Al-Ammari prepare to score the decisive penalty.

«The whole Iraq thing is a misconception. You know, they went through a war; they’re still recovering from that war.»

Baghdad was subjected to ‘shock and awe’ bombing by the US military in 2003 to begin overthrowing Saddam Hussein’s regime. For much of the past two decades, FIFA ruled that Iraq was not safe enough to host matches in international competitions such as the World Cup.

«The roads are busy, everything is busy. But I’ve been there for five and a half months out of six, and I think it’s normal,» Arnold said, adding that he isn’t bothered by the heat and dust storms.

One match remains in Mexico, the only country where Iraq played at a World Cup. In 1986, Iraq lost three close matches, including one to the host country team.

Iraq wants to return.

“There are 45 million people living in Iraq, and there are probably another 10 million people living elsewhere because of the war,” Arnold said.

“So there’s a lot of emotion around it.”

Published on November 21, 2025