MONTERREY: Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for the World Cup on Tuesday, defeating Bolivia 2-1 in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico to seal their first appearance at the finals in 40 years.
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Iraq, whose preparations for Tuesday’s playoff had been disrupted by the war in the Middle East, will play in World Cup Group I against France, Senegal and Norway.
Goals from Ali Al-Hamadi and Aymen Hussein secured a famous win for Iraq, whose last appearance at the World Cup came at the 1986 finals in Mexico.
The win marked a triumph for Iraq’s Australian coach Graham Arnold, who had initially sought to have Tuesday’s fixture postponed due to the disruption caused by the regional conflict triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
