Iraq FIFA World Cup 2026 preview: player to watch out for, tactics, predicted matchday XI

Iraq are the clear underdogs in what is the 2026 FIFA World Cup ‘group of death’, with France, Senegal and Norway their first round opponents.

Ironically, it was the 48th and last team to clinch a place in the World Cup after beating Bolivia in the intercontinental play-offs.

And the West Asian country’s journey to get there has not been a smooth one. It missed out on direct qualification in the third round of the AFC qualifiers by one point before goal difference denied it again in the next round.

Even the do-or-die match against Bolivia was dogged by problems with the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, which forced airspace closures, leaving several players stranded in Iraq while coach Graham Arnold was stuck in the United Arab Emirates. Many had to travel long hours by road to locations where flights were still available to find their way to Mexico, where Bolivia waited.

The arduous journey was all worth it in the end as Iraq won 2-1 that night and managed to end the four-decade wait to return to the ‘greatest show on earth’ after a grueling 21-match qualifying campaign.

While Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Sadio Mane are prolific goalscorers for their countries, Iraq has its own marksman in the form of Aymen Hussein. The 30-year-old has been part of the senior squad since 2015 and is second on the list of all-time top scorers in Iraq.

He is supported by Ipswich City’s Ali Al-Hamadi, who became the first Iraqi player to play in the Premier League in 2024. In addition, Iraq will also be able to count on the services of Manchester United academy product Zidane Iqbal, who currently plays football in the Netherlands with Utrecht.

With both the top two and the eight best third-placed teams advancing to the knockouts, Iraq’s path to the final is proof enough that the country will not go down without a fight, and it will hope to do better than its only appearance in 1986, when it lost three out of three in the group stage.

Player to watch out for

Aymen Hussein: It would not be an exaggeration to say that Aymen Hussein helped Iraq to the World Cup. His nine goals on the way to qualification, including the winner against Bolivia in the final of the intercontinental play-offs, underline the 30-year-old’s impact on this side. And in a tournament where surprises are never far away, having his experience increases Iraq’s chances of achieving the impossible.

Manager

The Round of 16 defeat to Argentina as Australia manager in 2022 will still be fresh in Graham Arnold’s mind as he prepares for a second successive appearance in the Finals. With Iraq, however, a tougher task awaits the 62-year-old, who will become the first Australian to take charge of two countries at the World Cup.

World Cup statistics

• Appearance: 1

• Best result: group stage (1986)

• FIFA ranking: 57

• MP: 3

• W: 0

• D: 0

• L: 3

• GF: 1

• GA: 4

• Highest active scorer: Aymen Hussein (32)

TEAM

• Goalkeepers: Fahad Talib, Jalal Hassan, Ahmed Basil
• Defenders: Hussein Ali, Manaf Younis, Zaid Tahseen, Rebin Sulaka, Akam Hashem, Merchas Doski, Ahmed Hassan Makenzie, Zaid Ismail, Frans Putros, Mustafa Saadoon
• Midfielders: Amir Al ⁠Ammari, Kevin Yakob, Zidane Iqbal, Aimar Sher, Ibrahim ⁠Bayesh, Ahmed Qasim, Youssef Amyn, Marko Farji
• Forward: Ali Jassim, Ali Al Hamadi, Ali Yousef, Aymen Hussein, Mohanad Ali

Predicted XI (4-4-2)

Jalal Hassan (gk), Hussein Ali, Zaid Tahseen, Akam Hashem, Merchas Doski, Youssef Amyn, Aimar Sher, Zidane Iqbal, Amir Al⁠Ammari, Ali Al Hamadi, Aymen Hussein

Published on June 10, 2026