By Achile Danjuma
The head coach of the Iraqi national team, Graham Arnold, has urgently called for the postponement of their decisive World Cup qualifying play-off later this month, citing severe travel disruptions caused by the escalating US-led strikes and conflict with Iran.
With Iraq on the cusp of reaching their first World Cup in four decades, Arnold warned that the ongoing instability has effectively crippled their ability to assemble a competitive squad for the crucial fixture scheduled for 31 March in Monterrey, Mexico.
“The Iraqi people are so passionate about the game that it is insane. The fact that they haven’t qualified for 40 years is probably the main reason I took this job,” Arnold said. “But at this stage, with the airport being shut down, we are working hard to try and find another alternative.”
The team’s preparations have been thrown into chaos following the closure of Iraqi airspace on 28 February. The move came in response to a wave of US-Israeli strikes and subsequent Iranian missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and other locations in the region, grounding commercial and private travel across the Middle East.
Arnold, who took the helm in May 2025, expressed deep concern that the travel bans would force him to field a team composed solely of overseas-based players, severely undermining their chances against the winner of the Bolivia-Suriname semi-final.
“It wouldn’t be our best team, and we need our best team for the country’s biggest game in 40 years,” the Australian coach stated.
Just weeks ago, the mood was one of supreme confidence. In late February, Arnold declared Iraq ready to “shock the world,” following their dramatic aggregate victory over the United Arab Emirates in the fifth round of Asian qualifying last November. Now, that dream is at risk of unravelling before a ball is kicked.
The winner of the inter-continental play-off will secure a coveted spot at the 2026 World Cup, which kicks off on 11 June across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. With Bolivia and Suriname set to face off on 26 March, the timing leaves Iraq in a desperate race against the clock.
Arnold has proposed a pragmatic solution to world football’s governing body, FIFA: a short delay.
“If FIFA was to delay the game it gives us time to prepare properly,” Arnold explained. “Let Bolivia play Suriname this month and then a week before the World Cup, we play the winner in the US. The winner of that game stays on and the loser goes home.”
He confirmed that Iraqi Football Association President Adnan Dirjal is working tirelessly to find a resolution, but stressed that a swift decision is needed to keep the nation’s four-decade-long wait for World Cup glory alive.
“Our federation’s president is working round the clock trying to plan and prepare to make everyone in Iraq’s dream come true,” Arnold added. “So we need this decision made quickly.”