The Iraq national football team ( ar, منتخب العراق لكرة القدم) represents
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
in international
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
and is controlled by the
Iraq Football Association
The Iraq Football Association (IFA) ( ar, الاتحاد العراقي لكرة القدم) is the governing body of football in Iraq, controlling the Iraqi national team and the Iraqi Premier League. The Iraqi Football Association was founded ...
(IFA), the governing body for
football in Iraq
The sport of football in the country of Iraq is run by the Iraq Football Association. The association administers the national football team as well as the Iraqi Premier League. Football is the most popular sport in Iraq.
National teams
The nat ...
. Iraq's usual home venue is the
Basra International Stadium
Basra International Stadium ( ar, مدينة البصرة الرياضية) is a sports complex in Basra, southern Iraq.
Overview
Its construction started on 1 January 2009 and was completed on 12 October 2013. The sports city was funded by th ...
.
Iraq have made one
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
appearance in
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
, scoring their only goal against
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. They are one of eight current
AFC nations to have won the
AFC Asian Cup
The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second oldest cont ...
, claiming the title in
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
in spite of difficult conditions and limited preparation. Iraq defeated some of the favourites in the competition including
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
and
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
. This qualified them for the
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup was the eighth Confederations Cup, and was held in South Africa from 14 June to 28 June 2009, as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The draw was held on 22 November 2008 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Joh ...
where they earned two points in the group stage, and they later finished fourth at the
2015 AFC Asian Cup
The 2015 AFC Asian Cup was the 16th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in Australia from 9 to 31 January 2015. The tournament was ...
.
Iraq's team is known for its passionate football fans and the national team is also seen as a symbol of hope and unity for Iraqi people. The team reached an all-time high of 39th in the
FIFA World Rankings
The FIFA Men's World Ranking is a ranking system for men's national teams in association football, led by Brazil . The teams of the men's member nations of FIFA, football's world governing body, are ranked based on their game results with the ...
in October 2004 and has previously been named
National Team of the Year by AFC and
World Team of the Year by
World Soccer.
History
Early years
![Iraqi Football National team 1951](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Iraqi_Football_National_team_1951.jpg)
As early as 1923, an Iraqi team known as ''Baghdad XI'', controlled by the Baghdad Football Association, started to play matches against British Army teams.
The Baghdad FA soon disbanded and it was not until 8 October 1948 that the
Iraq Football Association
The Iraq Football Association (IFA) ( ar, الاتحاد العراقي لكرة القدم) is the governing body of football in Iraq, controlling the Iraqi national team and the Iraqi Premier League. The Iraqi Football Association was founded ...
was founded. The Iraq FA joined
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
in 1950 and on 2 May 1951, Iraq played their first match: a 1–1 draw to a team named ''Basra XI''.
Iraq's first ever official international game came in the opening game of the 1957
Pan Arab Games
The Arab Games ( ar, الألعاب العربية), also called the Pan Arab Games, are a regional multi-sport event held between nations from the Arab world. They are organized by the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees. The first Game ...
in
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
where Iraq drew 3–3 to
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
with goals from
Ammo Baba
Emmanuel Baba Dawud (27 November 1934 – 27 May 2009), better known as Ammo Baba ( ar, عمو بابا, syr, ܥܡܘ ܒܒܐ), was an Iraqi Assyrian football player and coach of the Iraq national football team.
He scored the first international ...
,
Youra Eshaya
Youra Eshaya Pera ( syr, ܝܘܪܐ ܐܫܥܝܐ, ar, يورا أيشايا) (1933-1992) is a former Iraqi and ethnic Assyrian football player who was the first Iraqi player ever to play in Europe.
Early life
He was born in 1933 in Iraq to Eshaya P ...
(both from Iraq's
Assyrian
Assyrian may refer to:
* Assyrian people, the indigenous ethnic group of Mesopotamia.
* Assyria, a major Mesopotamian kingdom and empire.
** Early Assyrian Period
** Old Assyrian Period
** Middle Assyrian Empire
** Neo-Assyrian Empire
* Assyrian ...
minority) and
Fakhri Mohammed Salman.
One of the members of Iraq's first national team was
Youra Eshaya
Youra Eshaya Pera ( syr, ܝܘܪܐ ܐܫܥܝܐ, ar, يورا أيشايا) (1933-1992) is a former Iraqi and ethnic Assyrian football player who was the first Iraqi player ever to play in Europe.
Early life
He was born in 1933 in Iraq to Eshaya P ...
, who in 1954 became the first Iraqi footballer to play abroad and in Europe for English Football League side
Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been c ...
.
In 1962, Iraq appointed their first foreign manager,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
n coach
Cornel Drăgușin
Cornel Drăgușin (26 March 1926 – 10 October 2021) was a Romanian Association football, football manager who coached the national teams of Iraq, Syria and Romania. He was director of the Romanian Football Federation, Romanian FA coaching schoo ...
. Iraq won their first trophy in
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...
when they won the
Arab Cup
The FIFA Arab Cup ( ar, كأس العرب, translit=Kaʾs al-ʿArab), or simply Arab Cup, is an international association football competition which has been organized by FIFA since 2021, and is contested by the senior men's national teams of ...
, winning three and drawing one of their four games. In
the following edition, they retained their Arab Cup title, beating
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
2–1 in the final in
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
.
1970s
In
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
, Iraq played at their first ever
AFC Asian Cup
The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second oldest cont ...
but failed to win a game in the tournament. In March 1973, Iraq played their first ever
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
qualifying campaign. They finished second in their
group
A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together.
Groups of people
* Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity
* Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...
, a point behind
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, therefore failing to qualify for the next round. In the remaining years of the 1970s, Iraq reached the second round of the
Asian Games
The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...
(
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
), lost the
Arabian Gulf Cup
The Arabian Gulf Cup ( ar, كأس الخليج العربي, ''Kass Al-Khaleej Al-Arabi''), often referred to simply as the Gulf Cup, is a biennial football competition governed by the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation for its eight member nat ...
final (
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
), finished fourth at the AFC Asian Cup (
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
), finished fourth in the Asian Games (
1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
) and finally hosted and won the Arabian Gulf Cup (
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
).
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 four editions.
1980s – First Golden Generation
The 1980s was arguably Iraq's most successful period in their history. They started the decade off disappointingly, being knocked out in the first round of
qualifiers for the
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup was the 12th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Spain between 13 June and 11 July 1982. The tournament was won by Italy national foo ...
. In 1982, they won the gold medal at the
1982 Asian Games
The 9th Asian Games ( hi, 1982 एशियाई खेल) were held from 19 November to 4 December 1982, in Delhi, India. 74 Asian and Asian Games records were broken at the event. This was also the first Asiad to be held under the aegis of ...
. In 1984, Iraq won the
Arabian Gulf Cup
The Arabian Gulf Cup ( ar, كأس الخليج العربي, ''Kass Al-Khaleej Al-Arabi''), often referred to simply as the Gulf Cup, is a biennial football competition governed by the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation for its eight member nat ...
. The following year, they won the
1985 Arab Cup
The 1985 Arab Cup was the fourth edition of the Arab Cup hosted by Ta'if, Saudi Arabia. The competition come back after nineteen years of absence. The defending champion Iraq won the title for the 3rd time.
Qualified teams
The 6 qualified tea ...
and also won the gold medal at the
1985 Pan Arab Games.
1986 FIFA World Cup
Iraq were seeded into the
first round
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
of qualifiers where they faced
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
and
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
. 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
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
.
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
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
, motto =
, image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg
, image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg
, seal_type = Seal
, map_caption =
, ...
. Iraq defeated Syria 3–1 in the second leg in
Taif
Taif ( ar, , translit=aṭ-Ṭāʾif, lit=The circulated or encircled, ) is a city and governorate in the Makkan Region of Saudi Arabia. Located at an elevation of in the slopes of the Hijaz Mountains, which themselves are part of the Sarat M ...
. Iraq won 3–1 on aggregate and qualified to the
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the 13th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia ha ...
At their first game of the Group B at the
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the 13th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia ha ...
, Iraq played well against
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
, 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
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
in a 1–2 defeat despite having ten men, with
Ahmed Radhi
Ahmed Radhi Humaiesh Al-Salehi, ( ar, أحمد راضي هميش الصالحي, 21 April 1964 – 21 June 2020) was an Iraqi footballer who played as a forward.
Regarded as one of Iraq and Asia's best players of all-time, Radhi scored the onl ...
scoring a goal for Iraq. Iraq played against hosts
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
in the third game, losing 1–0 and being eliminated from the World Cup.
In the following years, Iraq won the
1988 Arabian Gulf Cup and won the
1988 Arab Cup
The 1988 Arab Cup was the fifth edition of the Arab Cup hosted by Amman, Jordan. The defending champion Iraq won the title for the 4th time.
Qualification
Jordan qualified automatically as hosts and Iraq as holders.
Zone 1 (Gulf Area)
''Bahrain ...
. 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.
1990s – The Dark Era
Following the
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
in 1990, Iraq was banned from participating in the
Asian Games
The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...
and in most Arab competitions, leading them to participate in friendly competitions instead.
In 1993, Iraq participated in qualifiers for the
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States ...
and reached the final round but finished fourth in the group, missing out on a World Cup spot by two points. By drawing their last game with
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
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
In the final round of matches of the final round of Asian qualification for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Japan and Iraq drew 2–2 in Doha, Qatar. If Japan had won the match, they would have qualified for the World Cup for the first time. Instead, J ...
.
Iraq participated in the
1996 AFC Asian Cup
The 1996 AFC Asian Cup was the 11th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held in the United Arab Emirates between 4 and 21 Decembe ...
, their first Asian Cup campaign for 20 years of withdrawing from the previous four. They reached the quarter-finals but lost to the United Arab Emirates due to a
golden goal
The golden goal or golden point is a rule used in association football, lacrosse, field hockey, and ice hockey to decide the winner of a match (typically a knock-out match) in which scores are equal at the end of normal time. It is a type of sud ...
scored by
Abdulrahman Ibrahim
Abdulrahman Ibrahim (born 9 November 1974) is a former Emirati footballer. He played as center-back and was considered one of the best defenders in the UAE League. He was one of the favourite defenders to be selected for the different U.A.E. nat ...
. 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.
In 1997, Iraq participated in qualifiers for the
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for the ...
but were knocked out at the
first round
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
following two defeats to
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
.
This period is known as 'The Dark Era' as
Uday Hussein
Uday Saddam Hussein ( ar, عدي صدام حسين; 18 June 1964 – 22 July 2003) was an Iraqi politician and the eldest son of Saddam Hussein. He held numerous positions as a sports chairman, military officer and businessman, and was the head ...
, the son of
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolution ...
, 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.
2000s – Second Golden Generation
The 2000s was widely considered to be the rebirth and rise of one of Iraq's greatest football generation second only to the 1980s generation.
However, Iraq had a rocky beginning. It played in the
2000 AFC Asian Cup
The 2000 AFC Asian Cup was the 12th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international association football, football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held in Lebanon between 12 and 29 O ...
but were knocked out at the quarter-final stage again, this time by Japan in a 4–1 loss. Iraq reached the
second round
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds e ...
of
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...
qualification but lost five of their eight second-round games and therefore failed to make the finals. Iraq won their first ever WAFF Championship in
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
, beating Jordan 3–2 in the final after extra time despite being two goals down.
In 2004, Iraq once again reached the quarter-finals of the
AFC Asian Cup
The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second oldest cont ...
before getting knocked out by China. In the same year they were knocked out at the
second round
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds e ...
of
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the ...
qualifiers by Uzbekistan.
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
The West Asian Games (also known as the WAG) was a multi-sport event held every four years among the athletes from West Asia.
The West Asian Games was first organised in Tehran, Iran and was considered as the first of its kind. The success of th ...
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
The Arabian Gulf Cup ( ar, كأس الخليج العربي, ''Kass Al-Khaleej Al-Arabi''), often referred to simply as the Gulf Cup, is a biennial football competition governed by the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation for its eight member nat ...
. The exit from the Gulf Cup happened in very controversial circumstances as Iraq attempted to make an agreement with
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
to draw the final game which would put both teams through to the next round; the Iraq manager
Akram Salman told the Iraqi players not to win the game but the Saudi Arabian players were unaware of any agreement and went on to win the game and knock Iraq out of the cup.
Akram Salman was sacked and
Jorvan Vieira
Jorvan Vieira (born September 29, 1953) is a Brazilian-Portuguese football coach and former player who played for Botafogo, Vasco da Gama and Portuguesa in the Brazil Serie A, and a current manager of ENPPI.
Career
Playing career
Vieira was ...
appointed as head coach. Under him, Iraq reached the final of the
WAFF Championship
The West Asian Football Federation Championship (), or simply WAFF Championship, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF), the g ...
but lost 2–1 to Iran.
2007 AFC Asian Cup triumph
![Asian Cup Australia-Iraq II](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Asian_Cup_Australia-Iraq_II.jpg)
In July 2007, Iraq kicked off their
2007 AFC Asian Cup
The 2007 AFC Asian Cup was the 14th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held from 7 to 29 July 2007. For the first time in its h ...
campaign. The squad was made mainly of players that had finished fourth at the
2004 Olympic Games
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
and finished second at the
2006 Asian Games
6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number.
In mathematics
Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...
. 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.
The team started the tournament with a 1–1 draw against joint-hosts
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
before producing a 3–1 win over favourites Australia. A draw with
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
followed to put Iraq into the quarter-finals where two goals from
Younis Mahmoud
Younis Mahmoud Khalaf ( ar, يونس محمود خلف; born 3 February 1983) is an Iraqi former professional footballer who played as a forward for the Iraq national football team and is currently the second vice-president of the Iraq Football ...
against
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
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
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
in the semis via a penalty shootout in which Noor Sabri made a crucial save. 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, 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'.
Asian Cup aftermath
Vieira stated during the final that he would resign after the Asian Cup. He was replaced by
Egil Olsen
Egil Roger Olsen (born 22 April 1942), nicknamed Drillo, is a Norwegian football manager and former footballer. He is best known as a highly successful manager of the Norway national football team. He has since been manager of the Iraq national ...
in September 2007. Under Olsen, Iraq advanced to the
third round
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (disambiguation)
* Third Avenue (disambiguation)
* Hig ...
of World Cup qualifiers, but after a 1–1 draw with China, the FA sacked Olsen and replaced him with
Adnan Hamad
Adnan Hamad Majid Al-Abbassi ( ar, عدنان حمد مجيد العباسي; born 1 February 1961) is an Iraqi football manager and former player.
Career
Playing career
Adnan was born in Samarra, Iraq, the son of a wealthy land-owning family ...
.
Iraq failed to advance to the final round of
2010 FIFA World Cup
, image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg
, size = 200px
, caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
qualifiers as a 1–0 defeat to
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
saw them finish in third in the group. Following this, the Iraq FA decided to disband the team and sacked Hamad.
Jorvan Vieira was reappointed in September 2008. After a disappointing
2009 Arabian Gulf Cup, Vieira was sacked and replaced by
Bora Milutinovic Bora may refer to:
Geography
* Bora (Australian), the site of an initiation ceremony in Australian aboriginal culture, sometimes known as Bora rings
* Bora, Punjab, a village in India
* Borá, a city in the São Paulo state in Brazil
* Bora (wind ...
.
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
In 2009, Iraq participated in only their second FIFA tournament ever: the
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup was the eighth Confederations Cup, and was held in South Africa from 14 June to 28 June 2009, as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The draw was held on 22 November 2008 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Joh ...
, which they qualified for by winning the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. They started the tournament with a 0–0 draw with hosts
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, before losing 1–0 to
UEFA Euro 2008
The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of European ...
winners
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. Iraq drew the last game 0–0 with
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
and were knocked out.
On 20 November 2009, the FIFA Emergency Committee suspended the Iraq FA due to government interference; the suspension was lifted on 19 March 2010.
2010s – Ups and downs
Wolfgang Sidka
Wolfgang Sidka (born 26 May 1954 in Lengerich) is a football manager and former player. As a manager, he led SV Werder Bremen to victory in the UEFA Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from la, Inter, 'between' + german: toto, 'betting ...
was appointed coach in August 2010 to lead Iraq in the
2011 AFC Asian Cup
The 2011 AFC Asian Cup was the 15th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held in Qatar from 7 to 29 January 2011. It was the fifte ...
. Iraq reached the quarter finals, as they lost 1–0 to Australia. The match went into extra time with
Harry Kewell
Harry Kewell (born 22 September 1978) is an Australian association football coach, manager and former player. His most recent role as a club manager was at English National League side Barnet, and he is currently a first team coach at Celtic F.C ...
heading in a goal in the 117th minute just inside the 18-yard box. In the
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA#Structure, FIFA confederations. The 2014 FIFA World Cup featured 32 teams, with one place reserved for the host nation, Brazil national football team, Bra ...
, Iraq advanced to the
third round
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (disambiguation)
* Third Avenue (disambiguation)
* Hig ...
but Sidka's contract was not renewed and he was succeeded by
Zico in August 2011. Iraq topped the group in the
third round
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (disambiguation)
* Third Avenue (disambiguation)
* Hig ...
, winning 5 of 6 games. However, halfway through the
fourth round
Fourth or the fourth may refer to:
* the ordinal form of the number 4
* ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971
* Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision
* Fourth (music), a musical interval
* ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...
, Iraq only had 5 points and Zico resigned due to unpaid wages.
Hakeem Shaker
Hakeem Shaker ( ar, حكيم شاكر; born 7 January 1963 in Baghdad, Iraq), is a former Iraqi football player and manager. At some point between late 2012 and early 2013, Hakeem was the first and only Iraqi coach to manage three Iraqi national ...
took over as interim coach and finished as runners-up in both the
2012 WAFF Championship
The 2012 WAFF Championship was the 7th WAFF Championship, an international tournament for member nations of the West Asian Football Federation. It was hosted by Kuwait from 8 to 20 December 2012. The defending champions were Kuwait. However, the ...
and
2013 Arabian Gulf Cup. In February 2013,
Vladimir Petrović
Vladimir Petrović ( sr-Cyrl, Владимир Петровић, ; born 1 July 1955) is a Serbian football manager and former player.
He is widely known domestically by his nickname Pižon ( sr, Пижон), after the French for ''pigeon''.
C ...
was appointed for the remaining World Cup qualifiers, but lost all three matches and Iraq finished bottom of their group. Petrović was sacked in September 2013 and
Hakeem Shaker
Hakeem Shaker ( ar, حكيم شاكر; born 7 January 1963 in Baghdad, Iraq), is a former Iraqi football player and manager. At some point between late 2012 and early 2013, Hakeem was the first and only Iraqi coach to manage three Iraqi national ...
was reappointed.
On the last matchday, Iraq qualified for the
2015 AFC Asian Cup
The 2015 AFC Asian Cup was the 16th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in Australia from 9 to 31 January 2015. The tournament was ...
by beating China 3–1. However, Iraq finished bottom of the group in the
2014 Arabian Gulf Cup leading to the sacking of
Hakeem Shaker
Hakeem Shaker ( ar, حكيم شاكر; born 7 January 1963 in Baghdad, Iraq), is a former Iraqi football player and manager. At some point between late 2012 and early 2013, Hakeem was the first and only Iraqi coach to manage three Iraqi national ...
and the appointment of
Radhi Shenaishil
Radhi Shenaishil Swadi ( ar, راضي شنيشل سوادي; born 11 August 1969) is a former Iraqi footballer and former coach of the Iraq national football team, and currently manages Iraq U23.
Playing career
Radhi Shenaishil was born and ...
.
Iraq progressed to the
2015 AFC Asian Cup
The 2015 AFC Asian Cup was the 16th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in Australia from 9 to 31 January 2015. The tournament was ...
knockout stage as the Group D runners-up behind Japan with six points. Iraq defeated Iran in the quarter-finals in penalties, 7–6, after the game ended 3–3 after 120 minutes of play. They faced
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
in the semi-finals but lost 0–2 and failed to progress to the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
. Iraq finished the AFC Asian Cup in fourth place, after losing 2–3 to
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
in third place match.
After the tournament, Shenaishil returned to managing
Qatar SC
Qatar Sports Club ( ar, نادي قطر الرياضي) is a sports club based in Doha, Qatar. It is best known for its football team which competes in the Qatar Stars League. The club was founded in 1961 as a merger of two Qatari football club ...
and Iraq appointed
Akram Salman as manager but he was sacked in June 2015 after losing 4–0 to Japan in a friendly match.
Yahya Alwan was appointed in August 2015. Due to poor performances,
Abdul-Ghani Shahad
Abdul-Ghani Shahad (born 7 March 1968) is an Iraqi professional football coach and former player who is current manager of Naft Al-Wasat SC in the Iraqi Premier League. Abdul-Ghani started his playing career at Al-Najaf FC and remained a one cl ...
replaced him as interim coach for the final qualifier in March 2016. Shahad led Iraq to qualification for the
2019 AFC Asian Cup
The 2019 AFC Asian Cup was the 17th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in the United Arab Emirates from 5 January to 1 ...
and the
final round
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
.
Radhi Shenaishil
Radhi Shenaishil Swadi ( ar, راضي شنيشل سوادي; born 11 August 1969) is a former Iraqi footballer and former coach of the Iraq national football team, and currently manages Iraq U23.
Playing career
Radhi Shenaishil was born and ...
was appointed to lead Iraq in the final round. After losing five of their first seven games, Iraq were eliminated and Shenaishil was sacked.
Basim Qasim
Basim Qasim Hamdan Al-Suwaid ( ar, باسم قاسم; born 22 March 1963) is an Iraqi football manager and former player who last coached Al-Naft.
He was a defender in his playing days, also capable of playing in midfield, and he played for Ir ...
was appointed in May 2017 to lead Iraq for the remaining qualifiers. The FA decided not to renew his contract in August 2018.
On 3 September 2018,
Srečko Katanec
Srečko Katanec (; born 16 July 1963) is a Slovenian professional football manager and former player who is the manager of the Uzbekistan national team. At international level, he was capped for both the Yugoslavia and Slovenia national teams.
...
was appointed as head coach on a three-year contract. Under Katanec, Iraq reached the round of 16 of the
2019 AFC Asian Cup
The 2019 AFC Asian Cup was the 17th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in the United Arab Emirates from 5 January to 1 ...
as they lost 1–0 to eventual champions
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
.
2020s
Under
Katanec, Iraq reached the final round of
2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
The 2022 FIFA World Cup qualificationAlso the "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Qualifiers". was the qualifying process which decided the 31 teams that would join hosts Qatar, who received an automatic spot, at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Parallel tour ...
with five wins from eight matches including a 2–1 victory against
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. Iraq also showed great form in the
24th Arabian Gulf Cup
The 24th Arabian Gulf Cup was the 24th edition of the Gulf Cup of Nations, biennial football competition for the eight members of the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation. Eight teams participated in the tournament.
On 15 July 2019, the AGCFF announ ...
, reaching the semi-finals by beating
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
and
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
. 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
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
.
On 31 July 2021, Dutchman
Dick Advocaat
Dirk Nicolaas Advocaat (; born 27 September 1947) is a Dutch former football player and coach who is currently the head coach of Eerste Divisie side ADO Den Haag.
Advocaat was successful as a football player and as a coach, including three sti ...
was appointed head coach of Iraq. Under Advocaat, Iraq made to a slow start to the third round of World Cup Qualifiers, drawing four games and losing two, and on 21 November 2021, Advocaat resigned.
Željko Petrović
Željko Petrović ( sr-cyr, Жељко Петровић; born 13 November 1965) is a Montenegrin football coach and former player. As a player, he represented the FR Yugoslavia national team at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
Club career Budućnost
P ...
took charge of the team for the
2021 FIFA Arab Cup
The 2021 FIFA Arab Cup () was the 10th edition of the Arab Cup, the Arab world's national team football tournament; it was the first edition under FIFA's jurisdiction. It took place between 30 November and 18 December in Qatar, as a p ...
, where Iraq were eliminated from the group stage. Petrović was sacked after two further winless qualifying games and
Abdul-Ghani Shahad
Abdul-Ghani Shahad (born 7 March 1968) is an Iraqi professional football coach and former player who is current manager of Naft Al-Wasat SC in the Iraqi Premier League. Abdul-Ghani started his playing career at Al-Najaf FC and remained a one cl ...
was appointed as an interim manager, but Iraq were eliminated after finishing fourth in the group.
Team image
Kit
The Iraqi national football team kit has previously been manufactured by brands such as Adidas, Puma, Nike, Diadora, Jack & Jones, Lotto, Peak, Givova and Umbro. Its current kit supplier is
Jako
Jako AG is a German sportswear company based in the Hollenbach district of Mulfingen, Baden-Württemberg. The company was founded by Rudi Sprügel in 1989 in Stachenhausen. Jako provides kits for teams playing association football, handball, ba ...
.
Kit suppliers
Nickname
![Pergamon Museum Berlin 2007113](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Pergamon_Museum_Berlin_2007113.jpg)
The Iraqi team is commonly known as ''Usood Al-Rafidain'' ( ar, أسود الرافدين), meaning ''"Lions of Mesopotamia"''. In History of Iraq, ancient Mesopotamia, the Babylonian lion was a symbol of power, impetuosity, ferocity, prestige and dominance. This is reflected in the sculpted lions in Babylon, where the Ishtar Gate, processional path is ornamented with ceramic tile Relief, 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. Moreover, the Chaldean royal inscriptions depict the king as a ferocious lion to whom nothing can be resisted. The Cultural depictions of lions, 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.
Team logo
Iraq kits throughout history have usually featured the flag of Iraq on them, although the coat of arms of Iraq (in part or full) and the
Iraq Football Association
The Iraq Football Association (IFA) ( ar, الاتحاد العراقي لكرة القدم) is the governing body of football in Iraq, controlling the Iraqi national team and the Iraqi Premier League. The Iraqi Football Association was founded ...
logo have both appeared on kits in the past. The national team has occasionally had its own unique logo, the first of which was in 1983. This logo was based on the Iraq flag, with ''Iraqi'' written at the top of the crest.
From 2000 to 2002, the national team's logo featured a vertical flag with the name ''Iraq'' above in green Arabic text. In the Football at the 2005 West Asian Games, 2005 West Asian Games, the team wore a new logo with the red band of the flag appearing in a large semi-circle shape,
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 to commemorate the nation's
2007 AFC Asian Cup
The 2007 AFC Asian Cup was the 14th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held from 7 to 29 July 2007. For the first time in its h ...
victory.
File:Coat of arms of Iraq (1965-1991).svg, Coat of arms of Iraq
(1965–1991)
File:Iraq national football team logo (1983).png, National team logo
(1983)
File:Iraq National Team Logo (2007).png, National team logo
(2000–2002, 2007)
File:Iraq West Asian Games Badge.png, National team logo
(2005)
File:Iraq National Football Team Shirt Badge.png, Iraq FA logo
File:Iraq National Team Badge 2021 v1.svg, National team logo
(2020–present)
Rivalries
Due to geographical location, Iraq maintains strong rivalries with many neighbours.
Iraq's main and traditional rival has been
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, 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
Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolution ...
, the two countries had bad relations and fought the Iran–Iraq War for eight years.
Iraqis have considered any matches against Iran as a must-win encounter and are known to treat it differently from any other football matches. Iraq has played Iran–Iraq football rivalry, 31 matches against Iran with Iran–Iraq football rivalry, 6 victories, 7 draws, and 18 losses.
Iraq's other rival is
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
, 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. One of these reasons for the rivalry to develop is due to the bitter
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
, where Iraq fought against Saudi Arabia over Kuwait, an ally of Saudi Arabia.
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.
Before that, Iraq was also banned from hosting home games against Saudi Arabia due to the Gulf War.
Iraq has played Iraq–Saudi Arabia football rivalry, 39 matches against Saudi Arabia with Iraq–Saudi Arabia football rivalry, 17 victories, 11 draws, and 11 losses
Iraq's rivalry with Kuwait national football team, 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 Iraq–Kuwait football rivalry, 36 matches against Kuwait with Iraq–Kuwait football rivalry, 16 victories, 10 draws, and 10 losses.
Supporters
![Iraq national football team wins Asia Cup (Edgeware Road)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Iraq_national_football_team_wins_Asia_Cup_%28Edgeware_Road%29.jpg)
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.
Another famous chant is "the first goal is coming" ("هسه يجي الاول") which is chanted in the beginning of the match. 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.
Home matches in Iraq
![Basra_International_Stadium_Opening](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Basra_International_Stadium_Opening.JPG)
Currently, Iraq primarily play their home matches in Basra or Baghdad, and use other various stadiums around Iraq.
Since 1980, FIFA imposed bans on seven occasions that prevented Iraq from hosting competitive international games.
First ban
The first ban was imposed in 1980 after an Olympic qualifying play-off between Iraq and Kuwait in Baghdad, where the match referee was attacked by enraged home fans and members of the Iraqi team after the Malaysian official's decision to award a match changing penalty to the Kuwaitis that led to Iraq losing 3–2. The ban was lifted in 1982.
Second ban
Around the same time, the Iran–Iraq War started and the ban was imposed again. Iraq played their qualifying home games at a neutral venue and still qualified for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, and three Olympic Games (Football at the 1980 Summer Olympics, Moscow, Football at the 1984 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles and Football at the 1988 Summer Olympics, Seoul). The ban was lifted in 1988, when the war ended.
Third ban
When the
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
broke out in 1990, FIFA banned Iraq again until 1995. Iraq played at home at the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC), 1998 World Cup qualifiers and 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC), 2002 World Cup qualifiers.
Fourth ban
The Iraq War in 2003 forced Iraq to play their home matches outside the country for security reasons, and so home games were held at neutral venues for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC), 2006 World Cup qualifiers and 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC), 2010 World Cup qualifiers.
Iraq resumed playing on home soil on 10 July 2009, winning a friendly 3–0 against Palestine national football team, Palestine in Erbil. Iraq played the same opponents three days later, in Al-Shaab Stadium in Baghdad, this time winning 4–0 in front of a crowd of over 50,000. The same month, the
AFC Executive Committee approved the Franso Hariri Stadium as venue for international matches and clubs in continental tournaments.
[AFC green-light to Arbil as venue](_blank)
On 23 July 2011, Iraq played a FIFA World Cup qualifier on home ground for the first time since 2001. They played against Yemen in front of a crowd of 20,000 people in the Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil.
Fifth ban
FIFA re-imposed the ban on 23 September 2011 due to fears over security and a breach of safety regulations in the match with Jordan.
Two years later, on 22 March 2013, FIFA lifted the ban on international friendlies in Iraqi stadiums. Four days later, Iraq played their first international friendly match in Baghdad since 2009 against
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
in front of a crowd of over 50,000 people in the Al-Shaab Stadium and won the game 2–1. On 3 July 2013, FIFA re-imposed the ban due to a massive surge in nationwide violence. On 9 May 2017, FIFA lifted the ban partially on international friendlies in the cities of Basra, Karbala, and Erbil. Iraq played their first international game in Basra on 1 June 2017, beating
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
1–0.
After successfully hosting friendlies, on 16 March 2018, FIFA announced the lifting of the ban on competitive matches in the three cities.
Sixth ban
However, following the outbreak of 2019 Iraqi protests, FIFA once again imposed competitive home matches ban on Iraq.
Following a security assessment, on 27 February 2022, FIFA decided to lift the ban on all Iraqi stadiums including
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
.
Seventh ban
On 16 March 2022, AFC announced that they re-imposed the ban due to the 2022 Erbil rocket attacks.
The following competitive home games have been played in Iraq after 2003:
Recent results and fixtures
2022
2023
All-time results
Coaching staff
''As of 6 November 2022''.
Players
Current squad
The following 23 players were called up for the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup in January 2023 in Basra, as announced on 24 December 2022.
''Caps and goals correct as of 12 November 2022, after the game against Ecuador national football team, Ecuador''
Recent call-ups
The following players have been called up within the last 12 months and remain eligible for selection.
SUS Player suspended
INJ Player injured
PRE Player was named in preliminary squad
RET Player retired from the national team
WD Player withdrew for non-injury related reasons
Records
.
:''Players in bold are still active with Iraq.''
Most capped players
Top goalscorers
Competitive record
FIFA World Cup
AFC Asian Cup
FIFA Confederations Cup
Summer Olympics
Asian Games
Regional competitions
Minor tournaments
Head-to-head record
The following table shows Iraq's all-time international record, correct as of 12 November 2022 (vs. ).
FIFA Rankings
''Last update was on 18 February 2021''
Source:
Best Ranking Worst Ranking Best Mover Worst Mover
Honours
Titles
Continental competitions
*
AFC Asian Cup
The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second oldest cont ...
** Champions:
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
*
Asian Games
The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...
** Gold medal: Football at the 1982 Asian Games, 1982
Regional competitions
*WAFF Championship
** Champions:
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
*FIFA Arab Cup, Arab Cup
** Champions:
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...
, 1966 Arab Cup, 1966, 1985 Arab Cup, 1985, 1988 Arab Cup, 1988
*Arabian Gulf Cup
** Champions: 5th Arabian Gulf Cup, 1979, 7th Arabian Gulf Cup, 1984, 9th Arabian Gulf Cup, 1988
*West Asian Games#Football, West Asian Games
** Gold medal: Football at the 2005 West Asian Games, 2005
*
Pan Arab Games
The Arab Games ( ar, الألعاب العربية), also called the Pan Arab Games, are a regional multi-sport event held between nations from the Arab world. They are organized by the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees. The first Game ...
** Gold medal: Football at the 1985 Pan Arab Games, 1985
Awards
*AFC Annual Awards#National Team of the Year, AFC National Team of the Year: 2003, 2007
*World Soccer (magazine)#Men's World Team of the Year, World Soccer Team of the Year: 2007
See also
* Iraq national under-23 football team
* Iraq national under-20 football team
* Iraq national under-17 football team
References
External links
Official websiteOfficial Iraq national football teamon FIFA.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iraq National Football Team
Iraq national football team,
AFC Asian Cup-winning countries
Asian national association football teams
Football in Iraq
National sports teams established in 1948