Back
Arun - June 4, 2026
Iraq return to the World Cup for the first time in 40 years and the significance of that return cannot be measured in football terms alone.
After qualifying in the most dramatic fashion, beating Bolivia 2-1 in Monterrey on March 31, 2026, to claim the last spot in the tournament.
Graham Arnold’s Lions of Mesopotamia arrive in North America carrying the hopes of an entire nation that has waited four decades for this moment.
Iraq are drawn in Group I of the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside France, Senegal and Norway. For all our World Cup 2026 predictions and analysis visit LeagueLane.
The route to qualification was one of the most complicated in this tournament. Iraq finished third in their Asian qualifying group behind South Korea and Jordan.
They went through two further playoff rounds including a tense two-legged tie against the UAE. And finally beat Bolivia in Monterrey in the inter-confederation playoff to finally secure their place.
Nine World Cups have passed without Iraq being present. The tenth belongs to them and Arnold has built a team that will fight for every minute of it.
Appearances: 2 | Best finish: Group stage (1986) | 40-year absence between appearances
Iraq have appeared at just one previous World Cup, in Mexico in 1986. Their debut was difficult; they faced Paraguay, Belgium and Mexico in the group stage and lost all three games, scoring once and conceding four.
It was a hard introduction to tournament football at the highest level but the fact of being there at all, representing a nation and competing on the world stage, carried an importance that went beyond results.
That remained Iraq’s only World Cup appearance for the next 40 years; a combination of political instability, infrastructure challenges and sporting misfortune kept them away from qualification through successive tournaments.
The road back has been years in the making. Under Arnold, Iraq rebuilt their discipline, their organisation and their collective belief to the point where they could navigate one of the most demanding qualification systems in world football.
The playoff victory over Bolivia in March 2026 was one of the most celebrated results in Iraqi sporting history. Now they face France, Senegal and Norway; a group that will test their limits but one they have earned the right to be in.
Arnold is one of the most experienced international managers in Asian football, having led Australia through two spells in charge including the run to the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup where they beat Denmark before losing to eventual champions Argentina. He resigned from the Australia role in 2023 after a difficult start to the new qualifying cycle and was quickly appointed to lead Iraq. His record in managing the pressures and expectations of a World Cup qualification campaign, combined with his experience of tournament football at the highest level, made him the ideal appointment for a nation attempting its first World Cup return in four decades.
Arnold is a pragmatic manager who organises teams to be hard to beat first and dangerous on the counter second. He does not ask players to do things beyond their individual quality but he demands discipline, collective effort and mental toughness in every game. The culture he has built at Iraq in a relatively short time is a reflection of those priorities; this is a team that believes in what it is doing and trusts the system Arnold has put in place.
Formation: 4-2-3-1 / 4-5-1 out of possession
Arnold’s Iraq sit in a compact 4-2-3-1 in possession and drop into a disciplined 4-5-1 when defending. The two holding midfielders protect the defensive line aggressively and the wide midfielders tuck in to create a five-man defensive block that is very difficult to play through. When Iraq win the ball back they look to transition quickly, using the pace of Ali Jasim from wide positions and the target man qualities of Aymen Hussein to create direct attacks before the opposition defence can reorganise.
Set pieces are a significant part of Arnold’s game plan. Iraq are physically capable of competing aerially and their organisation from dead-ball situations has created chances throughout qualifying. Against France and Norway they will concede a significant amount of possession and will need to be disciplined and well-organised for long periods. The Senegal game on June 26 in Toronto is their most realistic opportunity to take something from the group stage.
Hussein is Iraq’s most experienced outfield player and the focal point of Arnold’s attacking system. With more than 90 senior caps, he brings a leadership and physical presence to the front line that sets the tone for how Iraq play. His ability to hold the ball up, win aerial duels and bring midfield runners into the game gives Arnold a target man who can function effectively even when Iraq are defending deep and looking to play on the counter. He is not a prolific scorer at international level but his contribution to the team’s defensive and transitional work is enormous.
Iqbal is the most technically accomplished player in Iraq’s squad and the one Arnold looks to for creativity in midfield. Born in Manchester and having come through Manchester United’s academy before joining Utrecht, he provides a quality of passing and composure in possession that none of his international teammates can match. His ability to receive the ball under pressure, turn and play forward is the key to how Iraq try to build attacks from deep. At 22 he is developing into one of the most interesting midfield prospects in Asian football and this World Cup will be his biggest stage yet.
Jasim is Iraq’s most exciting attacking talent and the player most likely to catch the eye in this group stage. He holds a contract at Como in Serie A and spent the 2025-26 season on loan at Al-Najma in the Saudi Pro League. His pace, directness and ability to score important goals, including the winner for Iraq’s Olympic team against Ukraine in Paris 2024, mark him as a player of genuine potential. He gives Arnold a wide option who can exploit space behind opposition full-backs and create chances from seemingly nothing.
Hassan is Iraq’s captain and most capped player, a goalkeeper with more than 100 international appearances who has been the backbone of the national team through the entire qualification campaign. His experience, his command of the penalty area and his shot-stopping quality under pressure are the foundations of Arnold’s defensive structure. In a group containing Mbappe, Haaland and Mane, Hassan will face some of the most dangerous attackers in the world and his ability to keep Iraq competitive will be central to how far they can push each of their opponents.
Iraq will finish fourth in Group I and that is the honest assessment. The quality gap between them and France, Norway and Senegal is too significant to bridge over three games. Arnold’s organisation will make everyone work harder than they expect but the individual talent available to their opponents will ultimately tell.
The Senegal game on June 26 in Toronto is Iraq’s best opportunity. Senegal may have already qualified or may be in a position where a draw suits them.
In either scenario, Iraq could find themselves in a game that is more open than the other two. Zidane Iqbal’s creativity and Ali Jasim’s pace on the counter give Arnold weapons that can hurt Senegal if the game opens up.
From a betting perspective, Iraq are best left alone in the win market. The most interesting angle is their total goals against in the group stage.
Arnold’s defensive setup means they are unlikely to be thrashed and backing Iraq to keep at least one clean sheet across three games, while ambitious, is not unreasonable against a Senegal side in their final fixture with qualification potentially secured.
The real story of Iraq at this World Cup is not the results. It is the journey and what the return means to a nation that has waited 40 years for this moment.
