Fundamental amendments: 25 players summoned to the Iraqi national team roster against the Emirates

The coach of the Iraqi national football team, Australian Graham Arnold, announced on Thursday a list of 25 players for the two decisive matches against the UAE national team in the Asian playoff for the Asian continent to reach the global qualifier for the 2026 World Cup, and witnessed the absence of player Ibrahim Bish due to injury, in exchange for the return of Ali Al Hammadi.
Arnold announced that Bayesh (25 years old), the Saudi Riyadh midfielder, was excluded from the Iraqi list due to injury and “not playing any matches since the match with Saudi Arabia,” explaining that the return of the attacking duo Ayman Hussein and Ali Al Hammadi represents good news after recovering from injury “in an important area of ​​the field in order to score goals.”
He continued, saying, “I chose the players to face the UAE so that they would be fully prepared to fight and give their best.”
The Iraq and UAE matches will be held at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi, on the 13th of this month, first leg, and at the Basra International Stadium on the 18th, back. The winner of the combined results of the two matches qualifies for the global qualifying round for the World Cup.
The list included fundamental changes, as Arnold also excluded Bashar Resan, a professional in Pakhtakor, Uzbekistan, along with defender France Boutros, a professional in Persib, Indonesia, and attackers Ammar Mohsen, a professional in Bragi Al-Suwaidi, and Muhammad Jawad, from Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya.
Arnold also continued to exclude Zakho midfielder Amjad Atwan, who did not play in the previous two playoff matches last month in Jeddah against Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.
Arnold told the Iraqi Al-Ittihad website, “We will do everything we can to qualify for the World Cup, through half the seat.”
The former coach of the Australian national team continued, “I know that the fans and the media were extremely frustrated after the match against Saudi Arabia (and losing the Asian playoff spot), but I am proud of the work of the players and the team and their commitment to the maximum extent possible.”
He continued: “Defensively, they were at their best and we did not concede any goals during the playoff matches against Indonesia and then Saudi Arabia, but we must be better when we have possession of the ball.”
Here is the list:
– Goalkeepers: Jalal Hassan (Al-Zawraa), Ahmed Basil (Al-Shorta), Fahd Talib (Al-Talaba)
Defense: Ribin Sulaqa (Port, Thailand), Manaf Younis, Mustafa Saadoun, Ahmed Yahya (Al-Shorta), Akam Hashem (Al-Zawraa), Zaid Tahseen (Pakhtakor, Uzbekistan), Hussein Ali (Pogun, Poland), Sherko Karim (Zakho), and Mirkhas Doski (Victoria Plzeň, Czech Republic).
– Midfielders: Aimar Scheer (Sarpsborg, Norway), Osama Rashid (Zakho), Amir Al-Amari (Krakow, Poland), Marko Faraj (Stromsgodset, Norway), Kevin Yaqoub (Aarhus, Denmark), Youssef Al-Amin (AEK Larnaca, Cyprus), Muntazer Majid (Hamarby, Sweden), Hassan Abdul Karim (Al-Zawraa), Zidane Iqbal (Utrecht, Netherlands).
– Attack: Muhannad Ali (Dibba Al-Fujairah, UAE), Ali Jassim (Al-Najma, Saudi Arabia), Ayman Hussein (Al-Karma), Ali Al-Hammadi (Luton Town, England).