Iraq

Group IFIFA Ranking #57AFC

Coach

Jesús Casas

World Cup Appearances

Best Finish

Group Stage (1986)

Training Base

White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia

The Greenbrier Sports Performance Centre

Complete Team Guide

Iraq return to the World Cup after 40 years, having last appeared at Mexico 1986. They qualified by beating Bolivia 2-1 on April 1, 2026 in Monterrey with goals from Ali Al-Hamadi and Aymen Hussein. Graham Arnold's squad contains Zidane Iqbal — born in Manchester, the first British-born South Asian and first Iraqi to play for Manchester United and the first British South Asian in the Champions League — alongside Ali Al-Hamadi, the first Iraqi in the Premier League. Group I: France, Senegal, Norway.

Read full team guide →

Predict Iraq at World Cup 2026

Pick every match, earn points, and challenge your friends. Predictions lock June 11.

Use the World Cup 2026 Predictor →Build a World Cup 2026 Bracket →

Iraq World Cup 2026 Group

What group is Iraq in for World Cup 2026? Iraq is in Group I at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Follow the group fixtures, standings, and knockout path from the Group I page.

Use the World Cup 2026 Predictor to predict Iraq group matches, compare their possible finish, and build a knockout bracket that includes their route through the tournament.

Group I World Cup 2026 →Predict Iraq World Cup 2026 matches →

Collect the WC 2026 Sticker Album

Track your Panini sticker collection, mark your duplicates, and find trade partners.

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Road to 2026

Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for World Cup 2026, and FIFA's late-March update makes that part unambiguous. A 1-0 win over Bolivia in the FIFA Play-Off Tournament completed the field and sent the Lions of Mesopotamia back to the world stage with a story built on resilience rather than smooth qualification.

Key Players

Aymen Hussein

Forward

Al-Wakrah

Hussein remains Iraq's most recognisable scoring reference and the striker most likely to turn a close match in their favour.

Ali Jasim

Winger

Como

Jasim gives Iraq a younger, quicker wide threat and is one of the more exciting profiles in the squad.

Osama Rashid

Midfielder

Al-Shorta

Rashid brings experience and helps connect the side when the midfield battle becomes tense.

Zaid Tahseen

Defender

Al-Shorta

Tahseen adds physicality to a back line that will need to handle long spells under pressure in the finals.

Jalal Hassan

Goalkeeper

Al-Zawra'a

A tournament route built through stress naturally puts value on goalkeeping composure, and Hassan remains central to that.

Official WC 2026 Squad

26 playersRead our squad analysis →

Goalkeepers

Fahad Talib

Al-Talaba

Jalal Hassan

Al-Zawraa

Ahmed Basil

Al-Shorta

Defenders

DEF

Hussein Ali

Pogoń Szczecin

DEF

Manaf Younis

Al-Shorta

DEF

Zaid Tahseen

Pakhtakor

DEF

Rebin Sulaka

Port FC

DEF

Akam Hashem

Al-Zawraa

DEF

Merchas Doski

Viktoria Plzeň

DEF

Ahmed Yahya

Al-Shorta

DEF

Zaid Ismail

Al-Talaba

DEF

Frans Putros

Port FC

DEF

Mustafa Saadoon

Al-Shorta

Midfielders

MID

Amir Al-Ammari

Cracovia

MID

Kevin Yakob

AGF Aarhus

MID

Zidane Iqbal

FC Utrecht

MID

Aimar Sher

Sarpsborg 08

MID

Ibrahim Bayesh

Al-Riyadh

MID

Ahmed Qasim

Elfsborg

MID

Youssef Amyn

Eintracht Braunschweig

MID

Marko Farji

Strømsgodset

Attackers

ATT

Ali Jasim

Como

ATT

Ali Al-Hamadi

Ipswich Town

ATT

Ali Yousef

Al-Shorta

ATT

Aymen Hussein

Al-Khor

ATT

Mohanad Ali

Al-Shorta

Can Iraq go all the way? Make your prediction →

Follow Iraq in the World Cup 2026 bracket

Match Schedule

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Group Stage - Group I

2026-06-16

Iraq

1 - 4

Norway

Gillette Stadium, Boston

Group Stage - Group I

2026-06-22

France

3 - 0

Iraq

Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia

Group Stage - Group I

2026-06-26

Senegal

5 - 0

Iraq

BMO Field, Toronto