Doha, June 02 (QNA) - Iraq is aiming to make a respectable presence at the FIFA World Cup 2026, to be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, after a four-decade absence from the global tournament.

The draw for the upcoming World Cup placed Iraq in Group I alongside three strong teams: France, runners-up in the previous edition, Norway, and Senegal.

Team Iraq will begin its campaign against Norway at Boston Stadium on June 16. It will then face France in a highly anticipated match at Philadelphia Stadium on June 22, before concluding its group-stage matches against Senegal at Toronto Stadium on June 26.

The Iraqi team, coached by Australian manager Graham Arnold, hope to deliver strong performances and continue its progress under the coach who guided it to the World Cup after a difficult qualifying campaign. The goal will be to achieve the best possible results despite the challenging nature of the group.

Arnold took charge of Iraq following the departure of Spanish coach Jesus Casas. He quickly made his mark, revived the team's fading qualification hopes, and ultimately led Iraq to the World Cup finals.

Iraq returned to the World Cup finals for the first time in four decades through the intercontinental playoffs, becoming the last team to secure a place in the upcoming tournament after defeating Bolivia in the playoff matches held in Mexico.

The Iraqi national team, which won the AFC Asian Cup 2007, will be making its second appearance in football's most prestigious tournament after its debut at the FIFA World Cup 1986 in Mexico. This qualification also helped set a new Arab record, with eight Arab national teams participating in the tournament for the first time in history.

Iraq reached the World Cup after a lengthy qualifying campaign. The team recorded six consecutive victories in the second round of Asian qualifiers to advance comfortably to the third round. However, it missed out on direct qualification by just one point behind Jordan, which finished second, forcing Iraq into the fourth round in a three-team battle for a single qualification spot.

In the fourth round (the Asian playoff), Iraq drew 0–0 with host nation Saudi Arabia in October 2025 before defeating Indonesia 1–0. However, it failed to qualify on goals scored and therefore advanced to the fifth Asian playoff round, where it overcame UAE with a 1–0 victory in the second leg after a 1–1 draw in the first. Iraq then secured its World Cup berth through the intercontinental playoff.

During its World Cup campaign, Iraq will rely on several players who excelled during the qualifiers and played key roles in securing qualification, most notably striker Aymen Hussein and Ali Jasim, in addition to Mohanad Ali. Iraqi fans have high hopes for the current generation of players to achieve a historic performance and restore the national team’s presence on the global stage after many years away from major international competitions. (QNA)