Iraq national football team

Iraq

Nickname(s)	Lions of Mesopotamia Usood Al-Rafidain (اسود الرافدين)
Association	Iraq Football Association
Sub-confederation	WAFF (West Asia) UAFA (Arab League)
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Head coach	Radhi Shenaishel
Captain	Younis Mahmoud
Most caps	Younis Mahmoud (148)
Top scorer	Hussein Saeed (78)
Home stadium	Basra Sports City
FIFA code	IRQ
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	104 1 (5 May 2016)
Highest	39 (October 2004)
Lowest	139 (July 1996)
Elo ranking
Current	73 (31 March 2015)
Highest	26 (December 1982)
Lowest	86 (15 November 2013)
First international
Morocco 3–3 Iraq (Beirut, Lebanon; 19 October 1957)
Biggest win
Iraq 13–0 Ethiopia (Irbid, Jordan; 18 August 1992)
Biggest defeat
Turkey 7–1 Iraq (Adana, Turkey; 6 December 1959)  Brazil 6–0 Iraq (Malmö, Sweden; 11 October 2012)  Chile 6–0 Iraq (Copenhagen, Denmark; 14 August 2013)
World Cup
Appearances	1 (First in 1986)
Best result	Round 1, 1986
Asian Cup
Appearances	8 (First in 1972)
Best result	Champions, 2007
Confederations Cup
Appearances	1 (First in 2009)
Best result	Round 1, 2009

The Iraq national football team (Arabic: المنتخب العراقي لكرة القدم‎) represents Iraq in international football. It is known by its fans as Usood Al-Rafidain (Arabic: اسود الرافدين‎) which literally meaning Lions of Mesopotamia.

Iraq is one of the most successful national teams in the Arab League, having won four Arab Nations Cup (1964, 1966, 1985, 1988). On the Asian level Iraq is one of the powerhouses having won the AFC Asian Cup once (2007), the Gold Medal of the Asian Games (1982), three Gulf Cups of Nations (1979, 1984, 1988), and West Asia Championship (2002).

Iraq have been awarded the AFC National Team of the Year award two times (2003 and 2007), being the only team from West Asia to win this award.

History

Early years

The Iraq national football team's first international match was played in 1957 in Lebanon where the team tied Morocco 3-3. The first FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Iraq took part in was the 1974 qualifiers.

Iraqi football reached a peak in the 1970s and 1980s – Iraq qualified for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, and 3 times for the Olympic Games in Moscow, Los Angeles and Seoul. Iraq also won the 1982 Asian Games, the Arab Nations Cup 4 consecutive times, the Gulf Cup of Nations 3 times, and the 1985 Pan Arab Games fielding a B team. Iraq finished in 4th place in the 1976 AFC Asian Cup – the last Asian Cup Iraq would participate in until 1996.

1986 FIFA World Cup

Iraq were seeded into the first round of qualifiers where they faced Qatar and Jordan. 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. 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. Iraq defeated Syria 3–1 in the second leg in Taif. Iraq won 3–1 on aggregate and qualified to the 1986 FIFA World Cup

At their first game of the Group B at the 1986 FIFA World Cup, Iraq played well against Paraguay, losing narrowly 1–0 despite scoring a goal that was wrongly disallowed by the referee. Iraq recorded their first World Cup goal in the second game, scoring against Belgium in a 1–2 defeat despite having ten men, with Ahmed Radhi scoring a goal for Iraq. Following defeat with Belgium, Iraq were eliminated from the World Cup. Iraq played against hosts Mexico in the third game and lost 1–0.

The Dark Era (1990-99)

During the rule of the government of Saddam Hussein, Saddam's son, Uday Hussein, was in charge of the Iraqi Olympic Committee and, by extension, the national football team. Under Uday's leadership, motivational lectures to the team included threats to cut off players' legs, while missing practice sessions would lead to a term in prison. A loss brought flogging with electric cable, or a bath in raw sewage. After the Gulf War, Iraq was banned from participating in the Asian Games and in most Arab competitions. In 1996 Iraq was ranked 139th in the world, the worst FIFA ranking in Iraqi football history.

In 1990, Iraq competed in qualifying for a berth in the 1990 World Cup finals, but they lost a crucial game against Qatar.

During the qualifying for the 1994 World Cup, Iraq faced Japan in Doha in the final match of the final qualifying round on 28 October 1993, where Iraq needed a win to advance. However, Japan produced a 2–2 tie, which resulted in elimination for both teams. During the qualifiers for the 1998 World Cup they failed to reach the final round of qualifying, coming second behind Kazakhstan.

The Golden Generation (2000-2007)

Iraq participated in and won the West Asian Championship in 2002. Iraq failed to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup after losing crucial matches at home against Saudi Arabia and Iran.

After qualifying to the Asian Cup 2004, Iraq was drawn with Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan in the tournament. Iraq finished second in this group by winning 2-1 against Saudi Arabia and 3-2 against Turkmenistan, and losing 1-0 to Uzbekistan. In quarter-final clash against China, Iraq lost 3-0.

In November 2004, Iraq failed to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, losing out to Uzbekistan. Despite this, Iraq won the 2004 AFC Team of the Year award by the end of the year. In 2005, Iraq won the Gold medal of the West Asian Games.

2007 AFC Asian Cup

Iraq's first major honour was the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. The tournament started with a 1–1 draw with Thailand in Bangkok. That was followed by a 3–1 win against Australia and a 0–0 draw with Oman. The quarter-finals saw them beat Vietnam 2–0, and the semi-final against favourites South Korea went to penalties that ended goalless after extra time. Noor Sabri was Iraq's hero when he saved Korea's fourth spot-kick from Yeom Ki-hun. After Ahmed Menajed had made it 4-3 to the West Asians, Korean Kim Jung-woo hit the post to send the nation through to their first Asian Cup final.

The final was against local rivals Saudi Arabia, and Younis Mahmoud scored the only goal on 72 minutes to win the tournament for Iraq. This victory secured Iraq's first Asian Cup title. As the winner, Iraq represented the AFC at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.

2009 FIFA Confederations Cup

As a result of winning the 2007 Asian Cup, Iraq qualified for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, that took place in South Africa in June 2009, in which matches that were scheduled against the hosts, Spain, and New Zealand. In the opener, Iraq was able to hold South Africa to a 0–0 draw. And only lost to Spain 1–0 and was 0–0 at half-time. Though Spain defeated South Africa 2–0 which was necessary for Iraq to advance to the next stage, needing to beat New Zealand by 2 goals, but only tied 0–0.

2010 FIFA World Cup qualification

On 26 May 2008, FIFA provisionally suspended the Iraq Football Association from competition for one year, following a decision by the Iraqi government to disband the country's national sports federations.^[1] However the decision was overturned by FIFA on 29 May 2008, since the Iraqi government reversed its earlier decision in dissolving the Iraq Football Association.^[2][3]

In June 2008, Iraq failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, gaining two wins over China and Australia, a tie against China, but lost their final game in the group 1–0 to Qatar. They ended up with 7 points from 6 games behind Qatar and Australia

2011 AFC Asian Cup

The Iraqi national football team pose ahead of their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Oman in Doha in 2012

Iraq qualified automatically for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. They were drawn against Iran, North Korea and United Arab Emirates in Group D. After a 2–1 loss against Iran, and 1–0 win against United Arab Emirates, Iraq went into the match against North Korea needing only a draw to progress. Iraq won 1–0 and advanced to the quarterfinals as runners-up. On 23 January, Iraq lost to Australia, 1–0, in the quarterfinal. The match went into extra time with Harry Kewell heading in a goal in the 117th minute just inside the 18-yard box.

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification

Under coach Wolfgang Sidka, Iraq were drawn into the second round of qualifiers where they faced Yemen. Iraq defeated Yemen 2–0 in Arbil on 23 July before drawing 0–0 in Al Ain five days later. Iraq advanced to the third round of qualifiers where they were grouped with Jordan, China and Singapore. The top two teams from the group progressed to the fourth round. The Iraq Football Association (IFA) has announced it won't be renewing the contract of national team boss Wolfgang Sidka on 2 August 2011.^[4]

On 29 August 2011, Brazilian legend Zico has signed a one-year contract to become the new coach of Iraq.^[5] Iraq topped Group A with 15 points, with Jordan coming in second with 12 points. They made it for the first time since 2001 to the fourth and final qualifying round. In the final qualification stage, Iraq was drawn with Jordan, Japan Australia and Oman.

On 28 November 2012, Zico resigned as head coach. The Iraqi FA appointed Vladimir Petrović as head coach of Iraq on 25 February 2013.^[6]

After 3 consecutive losses in June, Iraq failed to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, finishing bottom of the group in the final qualifying round, with 1 win, 2 draws and 5 losses out of 8 games played. After a shocking 6-0 loss to Chile, Iraq's football association fired Petrović on 10 September 2013, blaming a string of "bad results".^[7]

2015 AFC Asian Cup

The Iraqi FA appointed Hakeem Shaker as head coach of Iraq.^[8] Iraq qualified for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup as group runners-up, and were drawn with Japan, Jordan, and Palestine. Due to bad results at the Gulf Cup, Hakeem Shaker was sacked and the FA appointed Radhi Shenaishil as caretaker coach.

Iraq began the 2015 AFC Asian Cup campaign with a 1–0 win over Jordan. The goal was scored by Yaser Kasim. In next match, Iraq faced Japan and lost the match 0–1. Iraq then beat Palestine 2–0 and qualified to knockout stage as the Group D runner-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 in the semi-finals but lost 0–2 and failed to progress to the final. Iraq finished the AFC Asian Cup in fourth place, after lost 2–3 to United Arab Emirates in third/fourth place play-off.

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification

The FA appointed Akram Salman as head coach of Iraq after the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, but he resigned after 3 friendlies, winning 2 matches against Congo DR and losing to Japan in the Kirin Challenge Cup final. On 1 August 2015, the FA appointed Yahya Alwan as head coach.

On 29 March 2016, Iraq advanced to the final round after beating Vietnam 1–0, thus finishing as runners–up of the group.

Yahya Alwan was sacked for the team's poor performance at the 2018 World Cup qualifications. Former coach Radhi Shenaishil made himself available to be the next head coach, stating that it was his mission to help the national team when it needs help. He was appointed as head coach on 10 April 2016.

For the final round, Iraq got drawn with Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Thailand.

Group B

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Australia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup		—	11 Oct '16	8 Jun '17	28 Mar '17	1 Sep '16	5 Sep '17
1	Japan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			31 Aug '17	—	15 Nov '16	1 Sep '16	6 Oct '16	28 Mar '17
1	Saudi Arabia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Advance to fourth round		6 Oct '16	5 Sep '17	—	11 Oct '16	28 Mar '17	1 Sep '16
1	United Arab Emirates	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			6 Sep '16	23 Mar '17	31 Aug '17	—	15 Nov '16	6 Oct '16
1	Iraq	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			23 Mar '17	13 Jun '17	6 Sep '16	5 Sep '17	—	11 Oct '16
1	Thailand	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			15 Nov '16	6 Sep '16	23 Mar '17	13 Jun '17	31 Aug '17	—

First match(es) will be played on 1 September 2016. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers

Home matches in Iraq

Home matches dilemma

Iraq played their home games on neutral territory in the 1980s due to the Iraq-Iran war, but still qualified for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, and three Olympic Games (Moscow, Los Angeles and Seoul). In qualification for the 2002 World Cup, Iraq played at home against Iran, Bahrain, and Thailand in the Al Shaab Stadium in Baghdad, but Saudi Arabia refused to play against the nation because of the tensions between that country and the regime of Saddam Hussein. In 2003, the war in Iraq forced Iraq to play their "home" matches outside the country for security reasons, and so fixtures were held in Jordan, Syria, Qatar or the UAE.

Due to the Iraq war and post war events, Iraq was unable to host home matches in Iraq. In 2009 the Iraq Football Association (IFA) asked FIFA to end its ban imposed on hosting official matches in Iraq. Iraq resumed playing on home soil on 10 July 2009, winning a friendly 3–0 against Palestine in Franso Hariri Stadium, Arbil. 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 stadium at Arbil as a venue for matches involving the Iraqi national team, and clubs in continental tournaments.^[9]

On 2 September 2011, Iraq played their first FIFA World Cup qualifier on home ground for the first time in years. They played against Jordan in front of a crowd of 24,000 people in the Franso Hariri Stadium in Arbil. On 22 March 2013, FIFA lifted a ban on international football friendlies in Iraqi stadiums on Thursday, permitting matches in Baghdad for the first time since the 2003 US-led invasion, an Iraqi football official said.

On 26 March 2013, Iraq played their first International friendly match in Baghdad since 2009 against Syria in front of a crowd of 50,000+ people in the Al-Shaab Stadium in Baghdad. However, on 3 July 2013, FIFA barred Iraq from hosting international football friendlies due to a massive surge in nationwide violence, barely three months after world football's governing body gave Baghdad the go-ahead.

On 4 May 2015, FIFA lifted a ban on international football friendlies in Iraqi stadiums.^[10]

Fan chanting

Iraq national team supporters are known for chanting "O Victorious Baghdad" for Iraqi teams matches.^[11]

Always remains High, O Victorious Baghdad, ( أتضلي دايما فوق، منصورة يا بغداد )
And to see your eternal Glory, O Victorious Baghdad. ( و نشوفج بعز دوم ، منصورة يا بغداد )
O Victorious Baghdad, O Victorious Baghdad, ( منصورة يا بغداد، منصورة يا بغداد )

Another famous chant is "هسه يجي الثاني" which literally translates into "the second goal is coming" this is usually being chanted repeatedly after Iraq scores a goal to motivate the players to score another.

Colours

Iraq's traditional home kit is white with green trimmings. However, in recent years Iraq's home shirts have featured black trimmings rather than green, such as in the 2007 and 2015 Asian Cups. In the 2014 Gulf Cup their home kit did not feature any green or black trimmings but instead featured golden designs. Iraq's away kits are usually green with white trimmings. In the past, Iraq have worn black third kits, however this is no longer the case. During the 1986 World Cup Iraq wore light blue home shirts and yellow away shirts, but these colours have not featured on an Iraq kit since.

Kit manufacturer

The Iraqi national football team kit has previously been manufactured by brands such as Adidas, Puma, Nike, Diadora, Jack & Jones, Lotto, Umbro and Peak and its current manufacturer is Jako.^[12]

Period	Kit manufacturer
1984–1986	Umbro
1986–1994	Adidas
1996	Puma
2000	Patrick
2003–2004	Jako
2004–2006	Jack & Jones
2006	Diadora
2006	Lotto
2007	Adidas
2007	Umbro
2008–2014	Peak
2014	Adidas
2014–present	Jako

Team logo

Unlike most other national teams, Iraq kits usually have the country's flag on them rather than the FA's logo. However, the flag has occasionally been replaced with the following logos:

• 

  Logo on the kit from 1985–1986.

• 

  Logo on the kit in 2005.

• 

  Logo on the kit in 2007.

• 

  Logo on the kit from 2014–2015.

Competition records

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record Qualifications record Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA GP W D L GS GA 1930 to 1970 Did not enter Did not enter 1974 Did not qualify 6 3 2 1 11 6 1978 Did not enter Did not enter 1982 Did not qualify 4 3 0 1 5 2 1986 Group stage 23rd 3 0 0 3 1 4 8 5 1 2 13 11 1990 Did not qualify 6 3 2 1 11 5 1994 13 7 4 2 37 13 1998 4 2 0 2 14 8 2002 14 6 3 5 37 15 2006 6 3 2 1 17 7 2010 8 3 2 3 11 6 2014 16 7 3 6 20 12 2018 To be determined 6 3 3 0 13 6 Total Group stage 1/21 3 0 0 3 1 4 91 45 22 24 189 91

FIFA Confederations Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup record Year Round Position Pld W D * L GF GA 1992 to 1995 Did not enter 1997 to 2005 Did not qualify 2009 Group stage 7th 3 0 2 1 0 1 2013 to 2017 Did not qualify Total Best: Group stage 1/9 3 0 2 1 0 1

Summer Olympics

Olympic Games record Year Result Position GP W D* L GS GA 1908 to 1956 Did not enter 1960 to 1976 Did not qualify 1980 Quarterfinals 8th 4 1 2 1 4 5 1984 Group stage 14th 3 0 1 2 3 6 1988 Group stage 10th 3 1 1 1 5 4 1992–present See Iraq national under-23 team Total Best:Quarterfinals 3/17 10 2 4 4 12 15

AFC Asian Cup

AFC Asian Cup Finals record Year Result Position GP W D* L GS GA 1956 Did not enter 1960 1964 1968 1972 Group stage 6th 3 0 2 1 1 4 1976 Fourth place 4th 4 1 0 3 3 6 1980 Withdrew 1984 1988 1992 Did not enter 1996 Quarterfinals 6th 4 2 0 2 6 4 2000 Quarterfinals 7th 4 1 1 2 5 7 2004 Quarterfinals 8th 4 2 0 2 5 7 2007 Champions 1st 6 3 3 0 7 2 2011 Quarterfinals 8th 4 2 0 2 3 3 2015 Fourth place 4th 6 2 1 3 8 9 2019 Qualified 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total Best: Champions 9/17 35 13 7 15 38 42

Notable regional tournaments Year Tournament Result GP W D* L GS GA 1964 Arab Nations Cup Champions 4 3 1 0 6 2 1966 Arab Nations Cup Champions 6 5 1 0 20 5 1976 Gulf Cup of Nations Runners-up 7 4 2 1 23 8 1979 Gulf Cup of Nations Champions 6 6 0 0 23 1 1982 Asian Games Gold medal 6 5 0 1 11 2 1984 Gulf Cup of Nations Champions 7 4 2 1 12 5 1985 Arab Nations Cup Champions 4 3 1 0 7 3 1985 Pan Arab Games Gold medal 4 4 0 0 7 1 1988 Gulf Cup of Nations Champions 6 4 2 0 8 1 1988 Arab Nations Cup Champions 6 2 4 0 7 2 1999 Pan Arab Games Silver medal 7 4 1 2 17 9 2000 WAFF Championship Third place 5 3 2 0 10 2 2002 WAFF Championship Champions 4 3 1 0 6 2 2005 West Asian Games Gold medal 4 3 1 0 13 3 2007 WAFF Championship Runners-up 4 2 1 1 5 2 2012 Arab Nations Cup Third place 5 3 1 1 6 4 2012 WAFF Championship Runners-up 4 2 1 1 4 2 2013 Gulf Cup of Nations Runners-up 5 4 0 1 7 3 Notable friendly tournaments Year Tournament Result GP W D* L GS GA 1966 Tripoli Fair Tournament Runners-up 4 2 0 2 5 3 1967 Tripoli Fair Tournament Champions 3 2 1 0 7 3 1972 Palestine Cup of Nations Runners-up 5 3 1 1 9 4 1975 Palestine Cup of Nations Runners-up 4 2 1 1 10 2 1977 Merdeka Tournament Runners-up 7 3 3 1 11 2 1978 Merdeka Tournament Runners-up 8 5 1 2 12 6 1981 Merdeka Tournament Champions 6 4 1 1 16 4 1984 Merlion Cup Champions 5 4 1 0 10 3 1989 Peace and Friendship Cup Champions 5 2 2 1 9 5 1992 Jordan International Tournament Runners-up 5 4 0 1 20 2 1995 Nehru Cup Champions 5 3 2 0 8 3 1995 Merdeka Tournament Champions 4 3 1 0 7 3 1997 Nehru Cup Champions 6 5 1 0 14 3 1999 International Friendship Cup Champions 3 1 2 0 6 3 2000 Shanghai Four Nations Tournament Runners-up 2 1 0 1 3 4 2003 LG Cup Runners-up 2 1 0 1 3 5 2003 Prime Minister's Cup Runners-up 3 1 1 1 4 4 2006 LG Cup Runners-up 2 1 0 1 1 2 2009 UAE International Cup Champions 2 2 0 0 2 0 2015 Kirin Challenge Cup Runners-up 1 0 0 1 0 4 *Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks. Matches Records versus other nations Rivalries Kuwait national football team Statistics vs.  Kuwait Played^1 Wins^2 Draws^3 Losses GF GA 32 15 9 8 44 32 1. Only matches recognized by FIFA. 2. Wins for Iraq. 3. Includes matches won or lost on P.K. Iraq rivalry with Kuwait is considered as the Arab world's greatest football rivalry of all time.[13] The rivalry began since mid 70's and it was the decade from 1976 until 1986 that saw the golden age of football for arguably the finest teams the region has produced. Both nations Imposed their complete domination on the Gulf region, and from the Gulf Cup's inception in 1970 until 1990, the tournament was won by only two teams; Kuwait seven times (1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1982, 1986, 1990), and despite Iraq's absence in the first three editions and withdrawn in two others, Iraq won it three times (1979, 1984, 1988).[13] Iraq and Kuwait took their increasingly bitter rivalry to a new level. On 11 June 1976, the two met in the semi-final of the Asian Cup in Tehran; Kuwait took the lead twice, Iraq came roaring back twice, And then, in the 10th minute of extra time, Kamel scored the winner for Kuwait. In 1979, the year Iraq clinched their first Gulf Cup and won over Kuwait 3–1, the two met in a qualifier for the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games, both managed to qualify to the Olympic Games, and both made it to the quarter-finals in Moscow. Iraq also qualified for the 1984 Games in Los Angeles and 1988 Games in Seoul. The 1982 Asian Games was won as well. Kuwait won the 1980 AFC Asian Cup, which they hosted. The nations also left their mark on the world stage. Kuwait qualified for the 1982 World Cup finals in Spain. Iraq matched that in Mexico 1986.[13] As Iraq and Kuwait traded Gulf titles in 1988 and 1990, few could have imagined that their rivalry on the football field would be replaced by an altogether more catastrophic one on the battlefield. Because of the Gulf war, football would never be the same again. Iraq and Kuwait were in complete avoidance and never met for more than a decade. Kuwait's Blues had a relative recovery of sorts, winning the Gulf Cup in 1996 and 1998, before securing their record 10th title in 2010. Iraqi football, because of the torturer-in-chief Uday Hussein's reign of terror as head of the football association, would take far longer to recover. When it did, it was in glorious fashion, the Lions of Mesopotamia winning the 2007 Asian Cup.[13] Iran national football team Iraq and Iran are rivals.[14][15][16] The rivalry is not such a football-inspired ill-feeling between the two, but more of geography, religion and history.[14] Iran and Iraq are neighbouring countries, sharing a long history. In contemporary era, especially during the reign of Saddam Hussein, the two countries had bad relations and fought the Iran–Iraq War for 8 years.[15][16] In 2001, for the first time in decades, an Iran-Iraq match was not held at a neutral venue.[16] The rivalry between the two teams was escalated after the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. The two sides faced each other in the quarter-final with Iraq prevailing 7–6 on penalties after a sensational 3–3 draw in Canberra; the game was described as one of the best in the tournament's history. After the game, Iranian supporters voiced their anger at the referee's performance, even going as far to claim that he should receive a life ban for the sending off of an Iranian player, and also launched unfounded allegations against Iraqi player Alaa Abdul-Zahra claiming he was doping in an attempt to get Iraq kicked out of the tournament and themselves reinstated into the semi-finals; their complaint was immediately rejected by the AFC. Iraq eventually finished fourth in the tournament with Iran failing to make the semi-finals for the third straight time and the tensions between both sets of supporters have never been greater.[17] Recent results and fixtures       Win       Draw       Lose 2016 Iraq  v  Syria 18 March 2016 Friendly match Iraq  0–1  Syria PAS Stadium, Tehran (Iran) Omari  30' Iraq  v  Thailand 24 March 2016 2018 W/ACQ Iraq  2–2  Thailand PAS Stadium, Tehran (Iran) 18:30 UTC+4:30 Kamel  66' Adnan  90+5' Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) Mongkol  39' Adisak  86' Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar) Iraq  v  Vietnam 29 March 2016 2018 W/ACQ Iraq  1–0  Vietnam PAS Stadium, Tehran (Iran) 18:30 UTC+4:30 Abdul-Raheem  45+1' Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) Referee: Peter Green (Australia) Australia  v  Iraq 1 September 2016 2018 WCQ Australia  v  Iraq Iraq  v  Saudi Arabia 6 September 2016 2018 WCQ Iraq  v  Saudi Arabia Japan  v  Iraq 6 October 2016 2018 WCQ Japan  v  Iraq Iraq  v  Thailand 11 October 2016 2018 WCQ Iraq  v  Thailand United Arab Emirates  v  Iraq 15 November 2016 2018 WCQ United Arab Emirates  v  Iraq 2017 Iraq  v  Australia 23 March 2017 2018 WCQ Iraq  v  Australia Saudi Arabia  v  Iraq 28 March 2017 2018 WCQ Saudi Arabia  v  Iraq Iraq  v  Japan 13 June 2017 2018 WCQ Iraq  v  Japan Thailand  v  Iraq 31 August 2017 2018 WCQ Thailand  v  Iraq Iraq  v  United Arab Emirates 5 September 2017 2018 WCQ Iraq  v  United Arab Emirates Coaching staff Position Name Head coach Radhi Shenaishil Assistant coach Rahim Hameed Assistant coach Karim Salman Team manager Basil Gorgis Goalkeeping coach Juan Carlos Lopez Fitness coach Gonzalo Rodriguez Team doctor Qasim Mohammed Players Current squad The following 20 players are called up for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification : Match date: 24 and 29 March 2016 Opposition:  Thailand and  Vietnam Caps and goals are correct as of 29 March 2016, after the match against Vietnam. 0#0 Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club 1 GK Fahad Talib 21 October 1994 0 0 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 12 GK Jalal Hassan 18 May 1991 27 0 Al-Shorta 2 DF Saad Natiq 19 March 1994 3 0 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 3 DF Dhurgham Ismail 23 May 1994 34 3 Rizespor 4 DF Herdi Siamand 13 January 1983 1 0 Erbil 6 DF Ali Adnan 19 December 1993 40 3 Udinese 13 DF Faisal Jassim 1 October 1991 3 0 Al-Minaa 15 DF Ali Rehema 8 August 1983 113 2 Al-Wakrah 23 DF Waleed Salem 5 January 1992 31 1 Al-Shorta 5 MF Osama Rashid 17 January 1992 15 0 Farense 9 MF Bashar Rasan 22 December 1996 3 0 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 11 MF Humam Tariq 10 February 1996 33 1 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 19 MF Mahdi Kamel 6 January 1995 14 1 Al-Shorta 20 MF Amjad Attwan 12 March 1997 3 0 Al-Shorta 21 MF Saad Abdul-Amir 19 January 1992 55 1 Al-Qadisiyah 7 FW Hammadi Ahmad 18 October 1989 35 6 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 8 FW Mohannad Abdul-Raheem 22 September 1993 24 5 Al-Zawraa 10 FW Younis Mahmoud (Captain) 18 February 1979 148 57 Al-Talaba 17 FW Alaa Abdul-Zahra 22 December 1987 89 14 Al-Zawraa 18 FW Marwan Hussein 26 January 1992 11 0 Al-Shorta Recent call-ups The following players have also been called up to the Iraq squad within the last 12 months. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up GK Mohammed Gassid 10 December 1986 55 0 Al-Zawraa v.  Syria, 18 March 2016 GK Karrar Ibrahim 19 September 1994 0 0 Al-Minaa v.  Chinese Taipei, 17 November 2015 GK Ali Yaseen 9 August 1993 0 0 Al-Naft v.  Thailand, 8 September 2015 DF Ahmad Ibrahim 25 February 1992 53 1 Unattached v.  Chinese Taipei, 17 November 2015 DF Mustafa Nadhim 23 September 1993 13 3 Naft Al-Wasat v.  Chinese Taipei, 17 November 2015 ^INJ DF Karrar Mohammed 6 December 1989 0 0 Al-Zawraa v.  Chinese Taipei, 17 November 2015 DF Sameh Saeed 26 May 1992 10 0 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya v.  Vietnam, 8 October 2015 DF Hussein Falah 1 July 1994 2 0 Al-Minaa v.  Vietnam, 8 October 2015 DF Hamza Adnan 8 February 1996 1 0 Al-Minaa v.  Vietnam, 8 October 2015 DF Safa Jabbar 20 July 1993 1 0 Zakho v.  Jordan, 3 October 2015 DF Rebin Sulaka 12 April 1992 1 0 Elverum Fotball v.  Chinese Taipei, 3 September 2015 DF Burhan Jumaah 1 July 1996 0 0 Erbil v.  Lebanon, 26 August 2015 DF Samal Saeed 27 May 1984 66 2 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya v.  Japan, 11 June 2015 DF Ali Bahjat 3 March 1987 26 0 Al-Minaa v.  Japan, 11 June 2015 MF Ali Husni 23 May 1994 11 1 Al-Minaa v.  Thailand, 24 March 2016 ^INJ MF Karrar Jassim 15 March 1987 64 6 Naft Al-Wasat v.  Chinese Taipei, 17 November 2015 MF Yaser Kasim 10 May 1991 17 3 Swindon Town v.  Chinese Taipei, 17 November 2015 MF Ali Qasim 5 March 1996 5 1 Al-Minaa v.  Chinese Taipei, 17 November 2015 MF Ahmed Yasin 22 April 1991 42 4 AIK v.  Vietnam, 8 October 2015 MF Osama Ali 25 June 1988 5 0 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya v.  Jordan, 3 October 2015 MF Ahmad Ayad 19 January 1991 15 0 Al-Shorta v.  Lebanon, 26 August 2015 MF Hussein Abdul-Wahed 8 February 1980 5 0 Al-Zawraa v.  Lebanon, 26 August 2015 MF Amjad Waleed 1 June 1990 0 0 Naft Al-Wasat v.  Lebanon, 26 August 2015 MF Saif Salman 1 July 1993 37 0 Al-Ittihad v.  Japan, 11 June 2015 ^SUS FW Ayman Hussein 22 March 1996 2 0 Al-Naft v.  Syria, 18 March 2016 ^INJ FW Justin Meram 4 December 1988 17 2 Columbus Crew v.  Chinese Taipei, 17 November 2015 FW Mazen Faiadh 2 April 1997 0 0 Al-Naft v.  Chinese Taipei, 17 November 2015 FW Abdul-Qadir Tariq 1 July 1994 1 0 Al-Talaba v.  Lebanon, 26 August 2015 FW Amjad Radhi 17 July 1990 35 2 Unattached v.  Japan, 11 June 2015 FW Hussein Ali Wahid 8 October 1992 3 1 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya v.  Japan, 11 June 2015 Notes: ^SUS Player suspended ^INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury ^RET Retired from the national team ^WD Player withdrew from the squad for non-injury related reasons Previous squads World Cups 1986 FIFA World Cup squad Asian Cups 1972 Asian Cup squad 1976 Asian Cup squad 1996 Asian Cup squad 2000 Asian Cup squad 2004 Asian Cup squad 2007 Asian Cup squad 2011 Asian Cup squad 2015 Asian Cup squad Confederations Cups 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup squad Records Players with over 100 caps As of 29 March 2016 Players in bold are still active, at least at club level. # Name Caps Goals First cap Latest cap 1 Younis Mahmoud 148 57 19 July 2002 29 March 2016 2 Hussein Saeed 137 78 5 September 1976 3 March 1990 3 Ahmed Radhi 121 62 21 February 1982 20 June 1997 4 Adnan Dirjal 116 8 11 December 1978 3 March 1990 5 Nashat Akram 114 17 5 October 2001 4 June 2013 6 Ali Rehema 113 2 8 June 2005 29 March 2016 7 Hawar Mulla Mohammed 112 19 31 August 2001 12 June 2012 8 Mahdi Karim 109 11 12 October 2001 22 December 2014 9 Raad Hammoudi 104 0 8 February 1976 21 February 1987 10 Falah Hassan 103 29 22 July 1970 14 March 1986 Emad Mohammed 27 31 January 2001 28 May 2012 12 Hassan Farhan 101 2 21 August 1973 29 March 1982 The records are collected based on data from RSSSF. Top 10 goalscorers As of 29 March 2016 Players in bold are still active, at least at club level. # Name Career Goals Caps Goal ratio 1 Hussein Saeed 1976–1990 78 137 0.57 2 Ahmed Radhi 1982–1997 62 121 0.51 3 Younis Mahmoud 2002– 57 148 0.39 4 Ali Kadhim 1970–1980 35 82 0.43 5 Falah Hassan 1969–1986 29 103 0.28 6 Emad Mohammed 2001–2012 27 103 0.26 7 Razzaq Farhan 1998–2006 25 62 0.40 8 Laith Hussein 1986–2002 21 80 0.26 9 Hesham Mohammed 1998–2004 19 43 0.44 Hawar Mulla Mohammed 2001–2012 112 0.17 The records are collected based on data from RSSSF. Trivia Iraq holds the Asian record for having scored in 27 consecutive matches between 1992 and 1996.[18] Honours Sabri Rehema Ghulam Abdul-Amir Abbas Akram Munir Jassim Karim Mohammed Mahmoud (C) 2007 AFC Asian Cup Final starting line-up Major tournaments FIFA World Cup Group stage (1): 1986 FIFA Confederations Cup Group stage (1): 2009 AFC Asian Cup Winners (1): 2007 Fourth place (2): 1976, 2015 Regional tournaments Arab Nations Cup Winners (4): 1964, 1966, 1985, 1988 Third place (1): 2012 Gulf Cup of Nations Winners (3): 1979, 1984, 1988 Runners-up (2): 1976, 2013 Semi-finals (1): 2010 WAFF Championship Winners (1): 2002 Runners-up (2): 2007, 2012 Third place (2): 2000, 2010^[n1] Fourth place (1): 2004 Asian Games^[n2] Winners (1): 1982 West Asian Games Winners (1): 2005 Pan Arab Games Winners (1): 1985 Runners-up (1): 1999 ^[n1] No third place match was played, so it can be assumed that Iraq and Yemen (the two losing semi-finalists) shared third place. ^[n2] Since 2002, the Asian Games has been part of the olympic team record. Friendly tournaments UAE International Cup Winners (1): 2009 International Friendship Cup Winners (1): 1999 Nehru Cup Winners (2): 1995, 1997 Merdeka Tournament Winners (2): 1981, 1995 Runners-up (2): 1977, 1978 Peace and Friendship Cup Winners (1): 1989 Merlion Cup Winners (1): 1984 Tripoli Fair Tournament Winners (1): 1967 Runners-up (1): 1966 See also Iraq national under-23 football team Iraq national under-20 football team Iraq national under-17 football team Iraqi Premier League References FIFA provisionally suspends Iraq, Associated Press, 26 May 2008. Archived 24 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Socceroos qualifier against Iraq to proceed, The Age, 29 May 2008. President’s promise to lift the ban on Iraq soon, Iraq123 News, 10 February 2014. "Wolfgang Sidka dismissed as Iraq coach despite 2014 World Cup qualifying progress". Goal.com. 2 August 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2015. "Brazil legend Zico agrees deal to coach Iraq". Espn Fc. 29 August 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2015. Archived 2 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Archived 28 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Archived 27 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine. AFC green-light to Arbil as venue "عبد الخالق مسعود : الفيفا يوافق على إقامة مباراة دولية لكن بشروط !!". Al-Mutamar Newspapers (Arabic) "JAKO Blog - JAKO-Team im Irak". Jako.de. Retrieved 28 January 2015. Ali Khaled. "Storied Gulf Cup rivalry between Iraq and Kuwait survives war". Duerden, John. "Asia awaits neighbourly rivalry". ESPN. Retrieved 22 November 2014. Montague, James (13 January 2011). "Pitch Warfare: Iran face Iraq in soccer grudge match". CNN. Retrieved 21 November 2014. "Iran-Iraq classic rivalry". Iran Daily (4924). 5 November 2014. p. 11. "Asian Cup: Iran claims Iraq's Alaa Abdul-Zahra tested positive, lodges complaint about quarter-final result". 25 January 2015. fifa.com: Aussies face tough test External links Official Iraq national football team on FIFA.com Iraqi Football Picture Gallery & News - Official Iraq Football News Source (Arabic) Iraq Abroad-Based Players Official Website (Arabic) Hassanin Mubarak's blog on Iraqi football