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Eighteen teams will be bidding to advance to the FIFA World Cup Finals 2026, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Factfile
How they got there: Round 2 Group F winners
۲۰۲۲ AFC Asian Qualifiers Record: Eliminated in Third round
Previous FIFA World Cup appearances: 1
Head Coach: Jesus Casas (SPA)
Fun Fact: Iraq advanced to the third round with a perfect record of six wins, the first time they have done so in the second round of qualifyingIraq are poised to put up a strong challenge following their impressive run in the second round, having cruised to victories in all their matches with Jesus Casas’ side determined to follow in the footsteps of the 1986 squad that qualified for the Mexico edition.
The Mexico 86 campaign ended in three defeats but Iraq are desperate to make a return to the world stage and given the talent available, Casas will feel his side can take one of the eight spots available.
Since taking over the helm in 2022, Casas has turned Iraq into a formidable side with the West Asians defeating Japan 2-1 in the AFC Asian Cup Qatar ۲۰۲۳ group stage.
High-tempo football was the signature of Casas’ charges in the second round of the qualifiers and Iraq will be banking on their speed and agility to see them through.
The goals have also been pouring in for Iraq, with Aymen Hussein leading the way with four, and Mohanad Ali and Ali Jasim each scoring two in the second round.
“The next stage of the World Cup qualifiers will be difficult and different because it will include high-level teams, such as Japan, Korea Republic, Islamic Republic of Iran and other teams aspiring to qualify.
“Certainly, our dream will be to qualify, and we will do our best for that,” said Casas.