A 20-hour bus ride, a chartered flight from the Middle East and a one-off match with 48 million expectations on its shoulders: Iraq’s journey to the 2026 World Cup was not for the faint of heart.
The Mesopotamian Lions were the last nation to qualify for this summer’s tournament after a grueling qualifying campaign that spanned 21 games over two years.
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If that process wasn’t difficult enough, the team had to make a huge trip to Mexico for the intercontinental playoff final after the US and Israeli attack on Iran caused travel chaos in the Middle East.
Many of the athletes traveled overland from Iraq to Jordan and waited 24 hours before boarding a delayed flight.
“By the time they got to Mexico, I had to give them three days off to recover from the whole trip,” Iraq coach Graham Arnold told Al Jazeera.
“It’s been a tough journey. But I told them, ‘Don’t use that as an excuse.’
His players were certainly listening. Iraq shut out all interference and defeated Bolivia 2-1 in Monterrey, qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 1986. The first goalscorer on that famous March night was 24-year-old forward Ali Alhammadi, who was on loan at England’s Luton Town.
He first came to the UK at the age of one after his father was released in Iraq after being imprisoned for protesting against Saddam Hussein. His family fled shortly after the US invasion in 2003 and settled in the Toxteth area of Liverpool. Despite being far from home, they brought parts of Iraqi culture to north-west England.
“We spoke the language at home from an early age and still eat the same food and listen to the same songs. We had an Iraqi TV, a separate one that brought the channels back to our homeland,” Al Hammadi told Al Jazeera.
His ties to his homeland were evident as he let out a roar of celebration after scoring from a corner kick to lead Iraq to a game against Bolivia.
“I am very grateful to have had that moment. I will cherish this moment for the rest of my life,” Al Hammadi said.
It’s the moment Iraqi fans have been waiting for for 40 years. Decades of conflict, sanctions and political instability have seen the Lions lose their place in the world of football, with the national team playing its home games primarily overseas.
A rare positive moment came in 2007, when Iraq won the Asian Cup by defeating Saudi Arabia in the final. But a place on the world’s biggest stage remains elusive, making the playoff final in northern Mexico even bigger.
“When you’re a member of the Iraq national team, the weight of that shirt is immeasurable. You feel it when you’re there. You feel the pressure of people who want you to win and succeed,” Al-Hamadi said.
He describes soccer as a “vehicle of happiness” for Iraqis and a means of escaping the many problems plaguing the country.
“Given what’s going on in that area at the moment, it’s nice to see the joy on people’s faces after games and after qualifying,” he said.
“A mindset that will shock the world”
World Cup finalists Iraq have had the least time to prepare for the tournament and will be packing a lot into their training camp in Spain, where friendlies against La Roja and Andorra are scheduled.
They then make their way to the United States, where the Mesopotamian lions are drawn into a “death group” featuring France, Norway and Senegal before venturing into even larger dens.
It’s a daunting prospect for the Iraq squad, which has no World Cup experience, but the Australian manager certainly knows how to deal with the inherent pressures of tournament football.
Arnold led the Australian Socceroos to the round of 16 at the 2022 Qatar tournament, but they were eliminated in a crushing 2-1 loss to eventual champions Argentina. He was also an assistant coach in 2006 when Australia lost to Italy in the last minute at the same stage of the tournament.
This experience against a higher-ranked opponent will be crucial if Iraq is to break out of Group I.
“We have to go out there with a mindset of man-to-man, man-to-man, and we have to go out there with a great mindset of shocking the world and having faith and confidence that we can do something,” Arnold said.
Norway will put that philosophy to the test in their opening game in Iraq. The Lions will face a team that features football forward Erling Haaland, who has been anything but ordinary in recent seasons.
One Iraqi player who is relishing the challenge of Scandinavia’s dark horses is Aimar Sher. The 23-year-old midfielder spent much of his childhood in Sweden and currently plays for Norwegian side Sarpsborg 08.
“If I could choose one match to start the World Cup, it would be this one,” Shah told Al Jazeera.
“It was a dream to play against the country I live in now, and all my teammates were always talking about this match even before the match against Bolivia,” he said.
Like many Iraqis, Cher, named after Argentine midfield magician Pablo Aimar, had to build a new life in a foreign land after arriving in Sweden at the age of four. His soccer talent was noticed and he played for the Swedish national team at youth level before being selected for the Iraq national team.
Even though he no longer lives in his hometown, Scheer has a deep understanding of what qualifying for the World Cup means to his compatriots.
“Iraq has been through almost everything in the last 40 years since they came to the World Cup. I’m really, really grateful and really humbled to be part of a team that gives them joy, gives them hope, gives them love,” he said.
When Iraq play in Boston, USA on June 16, it will mark the end of a monumental journey to reach the finals, but it will also mark the beginning of a new adventure. This troubled Middle Eastern country has a chance to show the world a different side of itself, one that is far removed from conflict and chaos.
They are not a flashy team with an enviable run in the group stages, but as Al Hammadi explains, the Iraqis are not afraid of a fight.
“It’s in our blood as humans that we’re just fighters. I think people will definitely understand that at the World Cup,” he said.
“They’re going to see a team that can run and make things happen. If there’s one team that can pull off an upset or spoil the party, it’s going to be Iraq.”
