Iraq qualifies for the World Cup for the second time in its history

The Iraqi national team achieved a historic achievement by qualifying for the 2026 World Cup finals after defeating the Bolivia national team in the final of the global qualifying round for the tournament, which was held in the Mexican city of Monterrey, thus ensuring a ticket to participate in the next World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

This qualification represents an exceptional event in the history of Iraqi football, as Iraq returns to participate in the finals after a long absence since its only previous participation in the 1986 World Cup, when it was eliminated from the first round after three defeats in its three matches.

Iraq sought to qualify through the playoffs after finishing its campaign in the Asian qualifiers in second place, and defeated the UAE national team in a playoff match before meeting Bolivia in the decisive final, and achieved the victory that marked the return of the Mesopotamian Lions to the World Cup.

Iraq will join the ninth group in the 2026 World Cup, which also includes France, Senegal, and Norway, in a group that appears balanced and strong, which puts the Iraqi team facing great challenges in the group stage competitions.

This qualification represents a major achievement for Iraqi football, and gives fans hopes of writing a new page in the history of their team’s participation in the largest football tournament in the world, at a time when the team continues to prepare to face the strongest teams on the world stage next summer.