Iraq have made one FIFA World Cup appearance in 1986, scoring a solitary goal against Belgium. Iraq are one of eight current AFC nations to have won the AFC Asian Cup, claiming the title in 2007 in spite of difficult conditions and limited preparation. Iraq defeated some of the favourites in the competition including Australia, South Korea and Saudi Arabia. This qualified them for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup where they earned two points in the group stage; they later finished fourth at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.[4]
Iraq are the Arab Cup's most successful team with four titles, and have also won the Arabian Gulf Cup four times and the WAFF Championship once.[5] Iraq is known for its passionate football fans and the national team is seen as a symbol of hope and unity for Iraqi people.[6] The team reached its highest FIFA World Ranking of 39th in October 2004.[7]
In 1962, Iraq appointed their first foreign manager, Romanian coach Cornel Drăgușin. Iraq won their first trophy in 1964 when they won the Arab Cup, winning three and drawing one of their four games. In the following edition, they retained their Arab Cup title, beating Syria 2–1 in the final in Baghdad.[8]
1970s
In 1972, Iraq played at their first ever AFC Asian Cup but failed to win a game in the tournament. In March 1973, Iraq played their first ever FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign. They finished second in their group, a point behind Australia, therefore failing to qualify for the next round. In the remaining years of the 1970s, Iraq reached the second round of the Asian Games (1974), lost the Arabian Gulf Cup final (1976), finished fourth at the AFC Asian Cup (1976), finished fourth in the Asian Games (1978) and finally hosted and won the Arabian Gulf Cup (1979).[11] The 1976 Asian Cup would be the last Asian Cup that Iraq appeared in for the next 20 years, as they withdrew from the next three editions.
Iraq were seeded into the first round of qualifiers where they faced Qatar and Jordan. Iraq topped Group 1B with 6 points, and advanced to the second round. Iraq faced United Arab Emirates in two legs. Iraq defeated UAE 3–2 in Dubai. Iraq lost with 2–1 to UAE in the second leg. Iraq won 4–4 aggregate on away goals and advanced to the final round. In the final round, Iraq tied Syria 0–0 in Damascus. Iraq defeated Syria 3–1 in the second leg in Taif. Iraq won 3–1 on aggregate and qualified to the 1986 FIFA World Cup.[citation needed]
At their first game of the Group B at the 1986 FIFA World Cup, Iraq played well against Paraguay, losing narrowly 1–0 despite scoring a goal that was controversially disallowed by the referee. Iraq recorded their first World Cup goal in the second game, scoring against Belgium in a 1–2 defeat despite having ten men, with Ahmed Radhi scoring a goal for Iraq.[12] Iraq played against hosts Mexico in the third game, losing 1–0 and being eliminated from the World Cup.[citation needed]
In the following years, Iraq won the 1988 Arabian Gulf Cup and won the 1988 Arab Cup. Overall, Iraq won nine competitions in the 1980s and played in their only World Cup, leading many to believe that this was the golden era of Iraqi football. In 1989, Iraq competed in qualifying for a berth in the 1990 World Cup finals, but they lost a crucial game against Qatar.[citation needed]
1990s – The Dark Era
Following the Gulf War in 1990, Iraq was banned from participating in the Asian Games and in most Arab competitions. The ban wasn't extended to the World Cup.
1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
In 1993, Iraq participated in qualifiers for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Grouped with China, Yemen, Jordan and Pakistan in the first stage, Iraq proved to be too strong for the rest, with the team only failing to win twice, a draw to Jordan and loss to China.[citation needed]
In the final round, Iraq was grouped with Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Japan, Iran and North Korea.[citation needed] On the first matchday, Iraq lost 3–2 to North Korea in a dramatic way, being 2–0 ahead in the second half. After an Iraqi player was sent off, North Korea pulled back in the 67th minute, equalized in the 77th minute and scored the winner in the 82nd minute.[13] They then tied 2–2 with South Korea.[14] and then defeated Iran 2–1 by goals of Ahmed Radhi and Alaa Kadhim.[15]
Iraq missed out on a World Cup spot by two points. By drawing their last game with Japan 2–2, they denied the Japanese a place in the finals in a match referred to by the Japanese media as the Agony of Doha.[16] The loss against North Korea proved to be the difference with the other teams, as North Korea lost their other 4 matches and finished bottom of the group.[citation needed]
1996 AFC Asian Cup
Iraq participated in the 1996 AFC Asian Cup, their first Asian Cup campaign for 20 years after being banned in 1992 and withdrawing from the three tournaments before that. They reached the quarter-finals but lost to the United Arab Emirates due to a golden goal scored by Abdulrahman Ibrahim. In 1996, Iraq was ranked 139th in the world, which is their worst FIFA ranking in their history due to inactivity after withdrawing from several tournaments.
This period is known as 'The Dark Era' as Uday Hussein, the son of Saddam Hussein and then-president of IFA, abused his control of Iraqi football and tortured players who played poorly, punishing them by sending them to prison, making them bathe in raw sewage and kick concrete balls, and shaving their heads among many other punishments.[17][18]
2000s – Second Golden Generation
The 2000s was considered to be the rebirth of a new Iraqi football golden generation. However, Iraq had a rocky beginning.
2000 AFC Asian Cup
Iraq played in the 2000 AFC Asian Cup but were knocked out at the quarter-final stage again, this time by Japan in a 4–1 loss.[citation needed]
2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
Iraq reached the final round of 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification for the first time since 1994 but lost five of their eight second-round games and therefore failed to make the finals.[citation needed]
Iraq won their first ever WAFF Championship in 2002, beating Jordan 3–2 in the final after extra time.[citation needed]
2004 AFC Asian Cup
In 2004, Iraq lost the opening match against Uzbekistan then they won against Turkmenistan and Saudi Arabia respectively, to reach the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Cup before getting knocked out by China.[19]
Iraq were ranked as high as 39th in the World Rankings in October 2004 which is their highest ranking position in their history. The following year, Iraq won the gold medal in the West Asian Games by beating Syria in the final via a penalty shootout. In 2007, Iraq were knocked out at the group stage of the Arabian Gulf Cup after a controversial defeat to Saudi Arabia.[20] Akram Salman was sacked and Jorvan Vieira appointed as head coach. Under him, Iraq reached the final of the WAFF Championship but lost 2–1 to Iran.[citation needed]
In July 2007, Iraq kicked off their 2007 AFC Asian Cup campaign. The squad was made mainly of players that won the 2000 AFC Youth Championship, finished fourth at the 2004 Olympic Games and second at the 2006 Asian Games. Vieira only had two months to prepare his team for the tournament, and the team suffered from very poor facilities. The Iraq FA struggled to provide the team with enough kits for the tournament and Iraq had not been able to play any previous games in their own country for security reasons and most of the players had had family members killed in the war.[21]
The team started the tournament with a 1–1 draw against joint-hosts Thailand before producing a 3–1 win over favourites Australia. A draw with Oman followed to put Iraq into the quarter-finals where two goals from Younis Mahmoud against Vietnam put Iraq into the semi-finals for the second time in their history. They manages to knock out one of the best Asian teams, South Korea in the semis via a penalty shootout in which Noor Sabri made a crucial save.[21] After the game, a suicide bomber killed 30 football fans who were celebrating the semi-final win over South Korea and this almost led to the Iraqi team withdrawing from the final,[22] but they decided to go on in honour of the dead and succeeded in doing that after defeating Saudi Arabia 1–0 in the final, a game that they dominated from start to finish and that was won by a Younis Mahmoud header. This tournament win is seen as one of the greatest upsets in international history as a war-torn country became international champions in what is described as one of sport's greatest 'fairytales'.[23][24]
Vieira stated during the final that he would resign after the Asian Cup.[25] He was replaced by Egil Olsen in September 2007.[26]
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
Under Egil Olsen, Iraq advanced from the first round by beating Pakistan 7–0 on aggregate. Then they were drawn with Australia, China, and Qatar for the second round.[27] On the first matchday, Iraq tied China. As a consequence, Olsen was sacked and replaced by Adnan Hamad.[28]
The next two matches saw Iraq lose twice to Qatar and Australia. However, Iraq bounced back with an 1–0 win on Australia and 2–1 win against China.[29]
On 26 May 2008, FIFA decided to suspend Iraq from all international competitions after the Iraq Football Association was disbanded by the government on 20 May 2008.[30] The suspension was provisionally and conditionally lifted on 29 May 2008.[31]
Iraq needed 1 point to advance to the final stage on the last matchday, but failed to advance to the final round of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers as a 1–0 defeat to Qatar saw them finish in third in the group. Following this, the Iraq FA decided to disband the team and sacked Hamad.[32]
Qatar fielded ineligible player Emerson in the 2–0 defeat to Iraq on 26 March 2008, prompting FIFA to controversially[33] suspend him but clear Qatar of any wrongdoing, in direct contradiction to its decisions against Singapore. Iraq appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport but it was rejected by the CAS, saying that Iraq submitted documents and appeal fees too late.[34]
In 2009, Iraq participated in only their second FIFA tournament ever: the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, which they qualified for by winning the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. They started the tournament with a 0–0 draw with hosts South Africa, before losing 1–0 to UEFA Euro 2008 winners Spain. Iraq drew the last game 0–0 with New Zealand and were knocked out.
On 20 November 2009, the FIFA Emergency Committee suspended the Iraq FA due to government interference;[36] the suspension was lifted on 19 March 2010.[37]
Iraq qualified automatically for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. They were drawn against Iran, North Korea and UAE in Group D. After a 2–1 loss against Iran, and 1–0 win against UAE, Iraq went into the match against North Korea needing only a draw to progress. Iraq won 1–0 and advanced to the quarterfinals as group runners-up. On 23 January, Iraq lost to Australia, 1–0, in the quarterfinal. The match went into extra time with Harry Kewell heading in a goal in the 117th minute just inside the 18-yard box.[citation needed]
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
Under coach Wolfgang Sidka, Iraq were drawn into the second round of qualifiers where they faced Yemen. Iraq defeated Yemen 2–0 in Arbil on 23 July before drawing 0–0 in Al Ain five days later. Iraq advanced to the third round of qualifiers where they were grouped with Jordan, China and Singapore. The IFA announced it would not renew Wolfgang Sidka's contract on 2 August 2011.[38] On 29 August 2011, Brazilian legend Zico signed a one-year contract to become the new coach of Iraq.[39]
Iraq topped Group A with 15 points, and in the final qualification stage was drawn with Jordan, Japan, Australia and Oman. Iraq started with 1–1 draws against Jordan away and Oman at home. After their slow start, Iraq lost 1–0 to Japan away and lost a crucial home match against Australia 2–1, moving them into bottom position with 2 points. On 14 November 2012, Iraq won 1–0 against Jordan in Doha which elevated them to third in Group B, behind Australia on goal difference and ahead of Oman.[citation needed]
On 28 November 2012, Zico resigned as head coach.[40] The Iraqi FA appointed Vladimir Petrović as his replacement on 25 February 2013.[41] However, on 11 June 2013, Iraq lost 1–0 to Japan in Doha and were eliminated from the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[42]
2015 AFC Asian Cup
Iraq were in a 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualifying group alongside Saudi Arabia, China and Indonesia. After losing consecutively against China and Saudi Arabia, Iraq was in danger of missing out on the Asian Cup. They kept alive their hopes of qualifying for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup with a 2–0 away win over Indonesia on 19 November 2013, and on the last matchday, Iraq booked their spot with a commanding 3–1 win at the Sharjah Stadium against China. Due to bad results at the 22nd Arabian Gulf Cup, Hakeem Shaker was sacked and the FA appointed Radhi Shenaishil as caretaker coach.
Iraq began the 2015 AFC Asian Cup campaign with a 1–0 win over Jordan.[43] In the next match, Iraq faced Japan and lost the match 0–1.[44] Iraq then beat Palestine 2–0 and qualified to knockout stage as the Group D runner-up.[45] Iraq defeated Iran in the quarter-finals in penalties, 7–6, after the game ended 3–3 after 120 minutes of play.[46] They faced South Korea in the semi-finals but lost 0–2.[47] Iraq finished the AFC Asian Cup in fourth place, after losing 2–3 to United Arab Emirates in third/fourth place play-off.[48]
Their first match took place on 8 January 2019 against Vietnam and ended in a 3–2 victory for Iraq.[55] Their second match against Yemen on January 12 ended in a 3–0 victory, with goals coming from Mohanad Ali, Bashar Resan, and Alaa Abbas. In their final group game, Iraq faced Iran on January 16, resulting in a 0–0 draw. With these performances, Iraq finished second in Group D and advanced to the knockout stage.[56]
In the Round of 16, Iraq faced Qatar. Despite their efforts, Iraq suffered a 1–0 defeat, with Bassam Al-Rawi scoring the only goal, ending their journey in the tournament. Qatar later won the tournament.[57]
2020s
2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
Iraq participated in the second round of the Asian qualifiers. They were placed in Group C alongside Bahrain, Iran, Cambodia, and Hong Kong and reached the final round with five wins from eight matches including a 2–1 victory against Iran.[58]
Iraq went 19 consecutive matches without losing between 2019 and 2021 and moved up from 89th to 68th in the FIFA rankings during Katanec's tenure. Katanec departed in July 2021 after six months of unpaid wages and filed a complaint with FIFA.[citation needed]
On 31 July 2021, Dutchman Dick Advocaat was appointed head coach of Iraq.[59] Under Advocaat, Iraq made to a slow start to the final round of World Cup Qualifiers, drawing four games and losing two, and on 21 November 2021, Advocaat resigned. Željko Petrović took charge of the team for the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup, where Iraq were eliminated from the group stage. Petrović was sacked after two further winless qualifying games and Abdul-Ghani Shahad was appointed as an interim manager, but Iraq were eliminated after finishing fourth in the group.
2023 AFC Asian Cup
Iraq was drawn in Group D, with Japan, Vietnam, and Indonesia.[60] On 15 January 2024, Iraq overcame Indonesia 3–1.[61] Four days later, Iraq created the biggest shock in the tournament, stunning Japan (who had been undefeated in the last 11 matches) by beating them 2–1 in the second group match to ensure first place in the group; both Iraq goals were scored by Aymen Hussein.[62] With the outcome confirmed, Iraq largely rotated their squad on the final match against Vietnam, and ended up triumphant 3–2 to make history by earning a perfect record of nine points.[63] However, Iraq suffered a shock defeat in the Round of 16, losing 2–3 to Jordan to exit the tournament. The result was controversial due to a second yellow card shown to Aymen Hussein by the referee for his celebration after he had scored to take a 2–1 lead.[64]
2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
On 7 November 2022, Jesús Casas was appointed head coach of the Iraq national football team, with a contract running until the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[65] In his first tournament in charge, Iraq hosted and won the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup, defeating Oman 3–2 after extra time in the final.[66]
During the second round of World Cup qualification, Iraq was placed in Group F alongside Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia. The team had an impressive run, winning all six matches, securing qualification to the next round and for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.[67] In the third round of qualification, Iraq was drawn into Group B, which included South Korea, Jordan, Palestine, Oman, and Kuwait. However, despite early momentum, Iraq struggled to maintain consistency. Following a 2–1 defeat to Palestine on 27 March 2025, the Iraq Football Association (IFA) held an urgent meeting and unanimously decided to dismiss Casas and his coaching staff. His contract was officially terminated on 15 April 2025.[68]
Casas was succeeded by Australian coach Graham Arnold. Arnold took over for the final matches of the third round, but Iraq finished third in the group and missed out on direct qualification to the World Cup, instead proceeding to the fourth round of qualifiers. In the fourth round, Iraq were drawn with hosts Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. Iraq ended Indonesia's hope of qualification with a 1–0 victory,[69] however Iraq finished as group runners-up after a goalless draw with Saudi Arabia, who qualified to the World Cup on goals scored.[70] Iraq advanced to the two-legged fifth round playoff against the United Arab Emirates; in the first leg in Abu Dhabi, the teams drew 1–1.[71] In the return leg in Basra, Iraq triumphed 2–1, winning the tie 3–2 on aggregate, thanks to a dramatic stoppage-time penalty converted by Amir Al-Ammari. With that victory, Iraq advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs,[72] where they were drawn to face the winner of the game between Bolivia and Suriname in a play-off match held in Mexico to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[73]
The Iraqi national football team's traditional home colour is green, while the away colour is white and the third colour is black. Iraq's kits have previously been manufactured by brands such as Puma, Nike, Diadora, Jack & Jones, Lotto, Peak, Givova, Umbro and Adidas. The current kit supplier is Jako.[74][2]
Lion in ceramic tile from the Ishtar Gate in Babylon
The Iraqi team is commonly known as Usood al-Rafidayn (Arabic: أُسُودُ الرَّافِدَيْن), meaning "Lions of Mesopotamia". In ancient Mesopotamia, the Babylonian lion was a symbol of power, impetuosity, ferocity, prestige and dominance.[79] This is reflected in the sculpted lions in Babylon, where the processional path is ornamented with ceramic tile bas-reliefs representing a prestigious lion from the time of Nebuchadnezzar II. This kind of representation aimed to glorify the king, master of the beasts, and also represent the defeat of the enemy.[80] Moreover, the Mesopotamian royal inscriptions depict the king as a ferocious lion to whom nothing can be resisted.[81][82][83] The presence of lions in ancient Iraqi civilization was based on the belief, or desire, that the animals represented would bring with them the virtues they symbolized, so that they could be transmitted to the owners.[84]
Team logo
Iraq kits throughout history have usually featured the flag of Iraq on them, although the coat of arms of Iraq and the Iraq Football Association logo have both appeared on kits in the past. The national team has occasionally had its own unique logo, the first of which was from 1982 to 1983. This logo was based on the Iraq flag, with Iraqi written at the top of the crest.[85] From 2000 to 2002, the national team's logo featured a green outline with the word Iraq written at the top in green Arabic text. In the 2005 West Asian Games, the team wore a new logo with the red band of the flag appearing in a large semi-circle shape,[86] and in 2007, Iraq briefly reverted to using the logo that they had used from 2000 to 2002. On 23 October 2020, the national team's current logo was revealed, with a star featuring above the crest from 2021 to 2022 to commemorate the nation's 2007 AFC Asian Cup victory.[87]
Due to its geographical location, Iraq maintains strong rivalries with many neighbours.
Iraq's main and traditional rival has been Iran, and they are often considered to be two of the greatest football teams in the Middle East and Asia with one of the greatest rivalries. At the early stage, Iran had proved to be more dominant than Iraq, remaining undefeated from 1964 until 1993. In the contemporary era, especially during the reign of Saddam Hussein, the two countries had bad relations and fought the Iran–Iraq War for eight years.[88][89] Iraqis have considered any matches against Iran as a must-win encounter and are known to treat it differently from any other football matches.[90] Iraq has played 31 matches against Iran with 6 victories, 7 draws, and 18 losses.
Iraq's other rival is Saudi Arabia, and matches between the two teams also draw significant attention from Iraqi fans, with Iraq and Saudi Arabia being recognised as the two most successful Arab teams in Asia. The beginnings of the footballing rivalry between them dates back to the 1970s, but it was only after the 1990s that the rivalry between the two Arab nations truly developed since it was previously overshadowed by Iraq's rivalries with Iran and Kuwait.[91] One of these reasons for the rivalry to develop is due to the bitter Gulf War, where Iraq fought against Saudi Arabia over Kuwait, an ally of Saudi Arabia.[92] These encounters have also been marred with various controversies and hostilities, such as the 21st Arabian Gulf Cup hosting rights, where Iraq was stripped from hosting with the tournament instead being moved to Bahrain, a move which was believed by Iraqis as a deliberate act by Saudi Arabia to remove Iraq's home advantage.[92] Before that, Iraq was also banned from hosting home games against Saudi Arabia due to the Gulf War.[92] Iraq has played 42 matches against Saudi Arabia with 18 victories, 12 draws, and 12 losses.
Iraq's rivalry with Kuwait was once considered the greatest football rivalry in the Middle East, until being taken over by Iraq's rivalry with Saudi Arabia due to Kuwait's decline. The rivalry began in the mid-1970s. Because of the Gulf War, Iraq and Kuwait were in complete avoidance and never met for more than 15 years until 2005. Iraq has played 39 matches against Kuwait with 17 victories, 12 draws, and 10 losses.
Iraq national team supporters are known for chanting "O Victorious Baghdad" ("منصورة يا بغداد") or "With our souls and our blood, we will redeem you, O Iraq" ("بالروح بالدم نفديك يا عراق") during the Iraqi team's matches.[93]
Another famous chant is "the first goal is coming" ("هسه يجي الاول") which is chanted in the beginning of the match.[94] A succeeding chant is "the second goal is coming" ("هسه يجي الثاني"); this is usually chanted repeatedly after Iraq score a goal to motivate the players to score another.
Iraq primarily plays its home matches at Basra International Stadium but has also used various other venues across the country. Since 1980, FIFA has imposed bans on Iraq hosting competitive international matches on six occasions.
The first ban came in 1980 after fan and player violence during a match against Kuwait. Although lifted in 1982, the Iran–Iraq War led to a renewed ban. During this period, Iraq played home games at neutral venues but still qualified for the 1986 FIFA World Cup and three Olympic Games tournaments. The ban ended in 1988 after the war.[95]
A new ban followed the Gulf War in 1990 which lasted until 1995. Iraq hosted matches during the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers but was again forced to play abroad following the Iraq War in 2003. Home matches resumed in 2009, but security concerns led to another ban in 2011.[96]
The following 23 players were called up for the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup from 1 to 18 December 2025.[106] Caps and goals correct as of 12 December 2025, after the game against Jordan.
SUS Player suspended INJ Player injured PRE Player was named in preliminary squad CLB Player refused by club or unable to attend due to club commitments RET Player retired from the national team WD Player withdrew for non-injury related reasons
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