The 48th and final team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, Iraq, face a tough test in Group I.
Playing in the finals for the first time since their only previous appearance in 1986, the Lions of Mesopotamia will not only face 2018 winners France in the group stages but also 2025 Afcon finalists Senegal and Erling Haaland’s Norway.
Graham Arnold’s side will be keen to show they’re no pushovers this summer. They qualified through the inter-confederation playoffs and will look to frustrate more illustrious opponents.
Iraq route to the World Cup
It genuinely doesn’t get much harder than Iraq’s route of qualifying to the World Cup.
They finished top of Group F in the second round of AFC qualifying but then only finished 3rd in Group B in the third round, behind Jordan and South Korea.
That meant a three-way round robin, where they finished second in behind Saudi Arabia. The win set up a final AFC playoff against UAE, which they won in order to reach the interconfederation playoffs.
There, a 2-1 win over Bolivia in Mexico secured their spot at this tournament. 20 games and 28 months after kicking off their qualifying campaign with a 5-1 win over Indonesia in Basra, qualification was confirmed.
Iraq World Cup 2026 fixtures
You have to fear for Iraq with the group they’ve been handed at this summer’s tournament. The AFC side begin their campaign on the 16th June with a fixture against Norway.
Next up for the Lions of Mesopotamia is 2022 finalists France, who they will take on in Philadelphia. They are then heading north to Canada to face Afcon outfit Senegal in their third and final group game.
READ MORE: Get the latest Iraq World Cup 2026 outright odds here
Iraq key players for World Cup 2026
Iraq top World Cup Golden Boot contender: Aymen Hussein
- Key stat: Aymen Hussein was Iraq’s top goalscorer in AFC qualifying with eight goals
Although it would be a stretch to consider either of them genuine golden boot contenders, Iraq are blessed with two consistent goalscorers in Aymen Hussein and Mohanad Ali. Ali, also known as ‘Mimi’ in his native Iraq, has been the more prolific goalscorer at club level. The 30 year old Hussein however scored eight times in qualifying for this tournament to take his tally to 33 international goals in 93 caps.
Iraq primary playmaker: Amir Al-Ammari
- Key stat: Amir Al-Ammari created 15 chances for Iraq in AFC qualifying, leading to a total of four assists.
Both Amir Al-Ammari and Ali Jasim managed four assists in qualifying for this tournament. However, Al-Ammari was a more consistent chance creator overall. The Swedish-born midfielder plies his trade with Cracovia in Poland and brings energy and intensity to this Iraq side. He’s not just a chance-creator though as he also brings a physical strength to his role as a box-to-box midfielder for Graham Arnold.
Iraq card magnets & top tacklers: Rebin Sulaka
- Key stat: Rebin Sulaka was comfortably Iraq’s top tackler in qualifying with 26 at a rate of 1.9 per 90 minutes.
The experienced Rebin Sulaka will be tasked with the difficult job of winning the ball back for Iraq in the gruop stages against much stronger opponents but he proved his worth in that area in qualifying with 26 tackles won. He is a relatively clean tackler though, giving away fouls at a rate of just 0.4 per 90 minutes played for just one yellow card in qualifying. At 34 this will be his first World Cup, but having played domestically in nine different countries that’s unlikely to phase him too much.
Iraq rising star: Marko Farji
Key stat: Marko Farji managed nine goals and four assists for Stromsgodset in the 2025 Eliteserien season
There are a handful of young players that have been called up to Iraq’s interim squad, but one player who has already featured a handful of times is 22 year old Marko Farji. The Norwegian born forward earned a move to Italian club Venezia earlier this year on the back of his fine performances for Stromsgodset in the Eliteserien and he’ll be keen to showcase his talents at this summer’s tournament, albeit most likely as an option from the bench.
STAND-OUT STAT: Iraq played more games than any other team in order to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, with the interconfederation playoff match vs Bolivia being the 21st of their campaign.
Set-piece specialists
- Penalties: Aymen Hussein
- Free kicks: Amir Al-Ammari, Ali Jasim
- Corners: Amir Al-Ammari, Ali Jasim
Iraq tactical analysis and formation
Iraq know given the quality of their opponents that they’re likely to be on the back foot in the majority of these games – but they also know they have two forwards in Aymen Hussein and Mohanad ‘Mimi’ Ali who know where the net is, which gives them a threat on the counter-attack and means that stronger sides like France and Norway will still have to be wary of them in transition.
Graham Arnold will likely line-up the rest of his side in two low-sitting banks of four behind those two. Relative youngsters Ali Jasim and Zidane Iqbal do bring some quality to the midfield, but there will be a heavy reliance defensively on more experience, with the 34 year old Rebin Sulaka likely to be partnered by either Manaf Younis (29) or Frans Putros (32) at centre back.
In Jalal Hassan, Arnold has one of his key players between the sticks too. The 35 year old Al-Zawraa keeper remains captain and recently became the 15th player to reach 100 caps for Iraq. That experience in defence will undoubtedly make things difficult for the star-studded attacks that the Lions of Mesopotamia are set to face off against this summer.
Iraq manager analysis
After the departure of Jesus Casas, Iraq moved quickly to bring in a manager with World Cup experience in Graham Arnold last year and the 62 year old was able to lead the team through a tricky qualifying campaign and into the World Cup for only the second time in the nation’s history. Just four years ago, Arnold became only the second coach to lead his native Australia as far as the Round of 16 and he’ll be hoping for similar success this time around against all of the odds.
| Coach | Team | P | W | D | L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graham Arnold | Iraq | 13 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 61.34% |
Iraq World Cup FAQs
Have Iraq ever won the World Cup?
Iraq have never won the World Cup. They have reached the finals only once previously in 1986 where they were knocked out in the group stages after three defeats from three.
Where did Iraq finish in the last World Cup?
Iraq failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. They finished second in their AFC Round Two qualifying group, but finished fourth behind Iran, South Korea and UAE to be knocked out in Round Three.
Who will be Iraq captain at the World Cup?
Goalkeeper Jalal Hassan, who has spent the last nine years of his career with Al-Zawraa, will captain Iraq at the 2026 World Cup. The 35 year old has racked up 100 caps for his country since making his debut in 2011.
Who is Iraq’s all-time top goalscorer at World Cups?
Iraq have scored just one goal at World Cups before now and it came in a 1-2 defeat to Belgium at the 1986 World Cup. That goal was scored by prolific forward Ahmed Radhi, who scored 62 goals in 121 caps for his country although his former team-mate Hussein Saeed ended his international career with a mightily impressive 78 international goals.
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