The plan

A year ago, when Graham Arnold was appointed, no one believed he could take Iraq to the World Cup. Morale was at an all-time low after losing 2-1 to Palestine, relinquishing a lead late on. The Lions of Mesopotamia had been on course to qualify from their group, but after picking up just a point from two games, the coach Jesús Casas was sacked.

In his first meeting, the Australian wrote the word “believe” on the board, asking players if they had faith they could qualify. The 62-year-old has deployed a 4-3-3 formation and lately a bold 4-4-2 with two out-and-out strikers. Players slowly bought in to what Arnold was trying to do, prioritising team discipline and working on changing the mindset, with the target being to reach the World Cup.

The moment a whole nation began to believe was when Iraq were awarded a penalty by VAR in the final minute of stoppage time against the UAE in Basra last November. At 1-1, Iraq needed victory to advance to the Inter-Confederation playoff. It came down to the last kick, in the 107th minute. Iraq’s penalty taker, Amir Al Ammari, had noticed the UAE's goalkeeper often dived early, and waited until the last moment to make his decision, putting it to his right to score.

Iraq were only a game away from qualifying for their first World Cup in 40 years, with a final against Bolivia in Monterrey, their 21st qualifier, but things didn’t go smoothly. War broke out in the Middle East, with airspace closed and flights grounded. Unable to gather his squad, Arnold, stuck in a hotel in the UAE, demanded Fifa postpone the playoff, but the clouds cleared, and after a 12-hour drive from Baghdad to Amman, and a 17-hour flight to Mexico, Iraq reached their destination, 10 days before their game.

“Do it for your families and make yourselves proud,” Arnold rallied. Iraq scored 10 minutes in, but Bolivia equalised. 1-1 at half-time before Aymen Hussein netted to secure the 48th and final spot at the World Cup. Arnold said later: “"The players went through a hell of a lot of stress and a lot of pressure on their shoulders from 46 million people in Iraq to qualify for a World Cup for the first time in 40 years. Every one of those games was heartbreak or survival."

The coach

The first Australian to lead two countries to a World Cup, having previously guided his home nation to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar through the play-offs. When Graham Arnold stood down as Socceroos coach two years ago, feeling he "couldn't do any more for the country," no one expected him to turn up as Iraq's coach. Lions of Mesopotamia are in the Group of Death with France, Norway and Senegal, or the Group of Excitement, as the coach prefers to call it. "I say let's go for it. All the pressure is on France to win it, the pressure's on Norway and Senegal to get through – the pressure is not on Iraq. When we’re there we’ve got nothing to lose, so we’re going to play without fear, shock the world and enjoy it while we're doing it.”

Star player

Striker Aymen Hussein has gone from being compared to a motionless plank of wood, having his Sarutobi Sasuke ponytail mocked, facing ridicule from a political satirist, to scoring the goal that qualified Iraq to their first World Cup in 40 years. “It was a dream I’ve lived since childhood. The feelings of 46 million Iraqis were with me as we worked to achieve the dream we shared,” he said. It was a testament to a man who lost his father and brother to the turmoil after the 2003 US-led invasion. He had faced a barrage of criticism and was seen as a laughing stock for his misses, and in one game, Iraq’s coach came onto the pitch to instruct him not to take a penalty!

During the last World Cup qualifying campaign, after a run of poor results, Iraqi fans turned against the team, with the social media hashtag, "This team doesn't represent me." Aymen was one of the players targeted, with the forward even physically confronting fans after one qualifier. But he quickly turned things around. After scoring the winner in Monterrey, the striker was given a diplomatic passport, three 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe cars, a villa and an apartment, a 21-karat gold iPhone 17 Pro Max, and a 200-square-metre plot of land. He is now among the top-five all-time top Iraqi goalscorers and the highest-paid player in the Iraq Stars League at Al-Karma.

One to watch

There is online footage of a tiny Marko Farji with the ball at his feet going past players and scoring. Those were his early years, training on a field with his father in his home city, Grimstad, Norway, where at just five, he "fell in love" with the game and became a child prodigy, attracting attention from Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester City. A trial at City followed, but the feedback was that he was not strong enough, and needed to toughen up mentally and physically. Being only 11, it upset him, hitting him hard. Now older (22), wiser, and stronger, the winger had his breakthrough season last year, scoring nine goals for Strømsgodset in Norway's Eliteserien and earning a €1.3m move to Venezia, and will play in Serie A next season.

Unsung hero

Italy's 1994 and 1998 World Cup midfielder Demetrio Albertini was once described as the player who made the great Milan team of the 90s tick, and Amir Al-Ammari is pretty similar in style and stature. Technically gifted, the Brøndby IF graduate took his time to find his natural role, for a long time seeing himself as a box-to-box midfielder. But the boy from Jönköping, where one of the ABBA members also comes from, has matured into a metronomic modern-day No 6. His late, late penalty to see Iraq advance to the play-off in Monterrey exorcised the demons of the 2023 Asian Cup round of 16 exit to Jordan, where his misplaced pass led to Iraq conceding the opening goal has constantly been at the back of his mind.

Probable starting XI

(4-4-2) - Jalal Hassan [c]- Hussein Ali, Zaid Tahseen, Akam Hashim, Merchas Doski - Aimar Sher, Amir Al-Ammari, Youssef Amyn, Ali Jasim - Ali Al-Hamadi, Aymen Hussein

What to expect from fans at games? 

Fans from Iraq will travel to Foxborough, Philadelphia and Toronto to watch the games. Iraqi Americans live across the US, with a large number in Michigan, California and Illinois, while there are also many in Canada, especially in the province of Ontario. Decades of conflict have scattered Iraqis around the globe, and they will turn up at the World Cup from everywhere, like the Iraqi team itself, a representation of the nation's past, present and future. After 40 years, Iraqis are just happy to be back and be part of the world football community once again. If fans begin to chant, "Who told you to play Toba (football)," at opposition fans then it will certainly mean things are going well for Iraq on the pitch, a popular taunt more than a chant. People may also hear: "With spirit, with blood, we redeem you, Iraq.” A popular chant under Saddam Hussein, with the name of the deposed former leader now replaced with Iraq.

This article is part of JoySports' collaboration with The Guardian. The cooperation enables readers to access team news, previews, and more from all 48 teams that qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026.