Iraq’s World Cup 2026 Squad Shocker: Graham Arnold’s Unexpected Picks Ahead of High-Stakes Play-Offs
The Iraq World Cup 2026 squad will arrive in North America in the summer with history at their fingertips. They just have the small matter of securing their qualification for the tournament first.
World Cup 2026 would be Iraq’s first appearance at the finals since 1986, when three defeats out of three confirmed their early exit. Forty years on, Graham Arnold’s class of 2026 are 90 minutes away from a return to the biggest stage, and a long-awaited chance to pick up their first-ever finals win.
Either Bolivia stand in their way in the final of the inter-confederation play-offs Path 2. The winner of that game will meet Senegal, Norway and France – one of the World Cup favourites – in Group I this summer.
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At World Cup 1986 in Mexico, the Iraqi team made up the numbers. They were beaten by Mexico, Paraguay and Belgium, scoring only once in their defeat at the hands of the excellent Red Devils.
The Gulf nation’s journey back to the finals has been impossibly complicated for obvious reasons that have nothing to do with football. After nine World Cups away, in the current geopolitical climate, the meaning of Iraq returning and playing in the United States would outstrip whatever happens on the pitch.
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