Iraq coach: We will surprise the world at the World Cup

Graham Arnold, the Australian manager of the Iraqi national team, expressed his immense delight after guiding the Lions of Mesopotamia to qualification for the 2026 World Cup, promising to surprise the world at the tournament.

Iraq’s qualification came following their hard-fought 2-1 victory over Bolivia in the final of the intercontinental play-off at the Monterrey Stadium in Mexico on Wednesday morning.

This marks Iraq’s second World Cup qualification in their history, and their first in 40 years, having last participated in the 1986 tournament in Mexico, where they were eliminated in the group stage following three defeats against Mexico, Belgium and Paraguay.

The Iraqi national team has been drawn in Group I for the 2026 World Cup, alongside France, Senegal and Norway.

Arnold said after the match, as reported by the Iraqi News Agency: “Before thinking about facing France, I must mention that I faced them previously with the Australian national team at the 2022 World Cup, and we lost 4-1, but we used that experience as motivation to beat Tunisia and Denmark and qualify for the round of 16.”

He added: “As the Iraqi national team, we have nothing to lose. We must go into the World Cup with a winning mentality; that is the only way to achieve success.”

He continued: “Being on the same pitch as players like Mbappé and Haaland is a great honour for our players, and we will respect their abilities, but we will take to the pitch to try and win and surprise the world.”

Arnold concluded: “Qualifying for the World Cup is a great privilege for all the players, who will enjoy playing against some of the biggest names in world football. We will try to give our best to delight our fans and showcase Iraqi football on the world stage.”

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