Iraq sealed a historic first World Cup qualification in 40 years with victory over Bolivia in April's intercontinental playoffs.Part of Graham Arnold's squad that night in Monterrey, Mexico, was former Manchester United youngster Zidane Iqbal.The 23-year-old plays his club football in the Netherlands with Utrecht. Despite a frustrating season hampered by injuries, Iqbal was named in Iraq's 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup finals in North America.The midfielder spoke to The National ahead of the competition.Iraq are going to a World Cup finals for the first time since 1986 and you are part of that. How do you feel? For me and the country, it's a dream come true. From the first moment I was told about representing Iraq, the dream has always been to qualify for a World Cup because we haven't qualified for so long. To be able to have done that is a proud moment. You're saying it's a dream. Was it a realistic dream? Because you had to play more qualifying games than any other country. I always thought the dream was realistic. We've got a lot of talents, especially in Europe and in Iraq. And when I saw the players that were eligible and who were already playing for Iraq, I really did believe we could do it. We did play the most games, but I think it just shows our resilience as a country and as people to bounce back from things that go against us and come out on the other end and shine. What was it like being in Mexico for that game, the key play-off game against Bolivia? It was a long time travelling. A couple of the players that play in the Middle East had taken even longer to travel than us because they had to drive through countries and because the Iraqi airspace was closed. But it was worth it. The last time we qualified for a World Cup, we played in Mexico, so it felt like it was written in the stars or something. I was just happy to be part of the squad. I’d come back from injury just for that game, just to be part of a squad and feel the atmosphere knowing the World Cup is going to be exactly like that. Special. It seemed that there were quite a lot of Iraqis there.We've got a lot of Iraqis in Canada and America and Mexico is not too far. Iraqis really love football, especially when the national team plays, so we've got a lot of loyal fans who will travel the world to watch us. We're grateful for that. Was it frustrating that you didn't get on the pitch, or did you not expect that because you were returning from injury? The coach spoke to me the day before the game and said: ‘You're coming back from injury; you're going to start on the bench. If I need you to play, you will play.’ I was ready. We won and that's the most important thing. Trying to make the country proud is number one and the team won and we've qualified. I’d played many games before that in the World Cup qualifiers, so I was just happy to be there and part of a squad.What were the celebrations like both in Mexico … and then some players went back to Baghdad?The European-based players couldn't fly back to Baghdad because of the airspace. If we’d made our way there, we wouldn’t have known when we were going to be able to leave. So, we missed an open-top bus, the parade. We watched on social media, and I wanted to be there. But we did have celebrations in Mexico; we had a dinner and everyone was blasting music and just celebrating, eating. And when I went out, the fans were also in the hotel. There was just good energy, good vibes.Play00:47Iraqi PM welcomes football team after World Cup qualificationTell us about some of your teammates, who are the characters? Ali Al Hamadi, who scored in Mexico, is probably my best mate in the team. He also grew up in England. He's from Liverpool. We have a very tight bond because he's from Liverpool, I'm from Manchester. He's a year older than me so we can relate to a lot of stuff and we just get on very well. Aymen Hussein, our striker, he plays in Iraq. We have a good relationship. He doesn't really speak English but once you're on the pitch you can understand each other. He's a very good guy. The team is like a family so it’s hard to single players out since everyone plays their part. Everyone's a leader, no one brings the team down, everyone brings good energy. It's honestly a beautiful team to be a part of. What's the coach Graham Arnold, from Australia, like?Graham’s a top coach. He's got banter, of course, [being] from Australia, and I think it's similar banter to the British banter. And Rene's [Muelensteen] also there as an assistant and he worked at Manchester United. Graham really tries to adapt to the culture, which for us is nice to see. He's trying to invest himself and involve himself with us and adapt himself to us. When a coach does that for you, you want to give him 100 per cent back. After the World Cup finals, we've also got an Asia Cup after that, and I think Graham will also lead us there. Two exciting things to look forward to. Graham can also be serious and focused. Smile and laugh, but when you need to train, it’s serious and time to focus. But he's a people person. You can speak to him. He'll come and speak to you and not even speak about football, just speak about whatever's happening. The lads have really bought into him. Graham Arnold celebrates with his Iraq players following their intercontinental play-off final win over Bolivia. AFPInfoWhat languages do you talk in the dressing room? We've got a bit of Arabic, a bit of English, a bit of Swedish and a bit of Kurdish. The Scandinavian players speak English, and they will speak Swedish between themselves and then there is Arabic between the Iraqi players. It's a nice mix; we do get by and we do understand each other.Have you learnt more about Iraq as a place and its culture, maybe the food or the music, through being part of the national team? I'd never been to Iraq, not to Baghdad or Basra before I played. To go to the country of my mother and be able to see Iraq for myself, see the people and experience the atmosphere, food, music, everything. You learn a lot more. Baghdad, Basra and Erbil in Kurdistan are beautiful cities. Baghdad has really developed a lot over the past few years. They're opening one of the biggest malls in the Middle East. When people hear about Iraq, they don't think we have nice stuff too. What type of football does the Iraqi national team play? It depends. I think we're not more of a possession team. We're like a fighting team, we can still play football but look at our group in the World Cup: France, Senegal, Norway. We’ll back ourselves but know on paper they might have stronger squads. We’ll always fight; we give 100 per cent. We're good at set pieces but also have individual talents that could maybe change a game or create a chance. And we're a new team. Not many people have seen us or watched us, so we might surprise. Zidane Iqbal, right, hopes warm-up games against the likes of Spain and Andorra will help him regain match sharpness ahead of the World Cup. Getty ImagesInfoYou're playing in Boston, in Philadelphia, in Toronto. What do you know about these places? What do you know about your opponents? Boston is against Norway. Philadelphia for France and Toronto for Senegal. Norway didn't drop a point in their qualifying group; France were finalists in the last World Cup and won the World Cup before that. And Senegal, well I know it’s controversial, but they’re African champions. We've got a tough group, but the players are excited because we're going to a World Cup and playing the best of the best. We can really test ourselves and see how we cope against these top players. Are your friends and family going out to North America? Mum, Dad, brother, my brother's mate and my agent are coming for the first and last game. I think a few more of my friends are coming as well. My friends are mainly from Manchester. There’s a small Iraqi and Kurdish community in Manchester. You've had a tough season overcoming injuries and now you're now back playing. How are you feeling and what are you thinking for the future in terms of club football? My focus now is to keep fit and stay sharp ahead of the World Cup. We've got three friendly games before the World Cup starts against Spain, Andorra and Ivory Coast. Three different ones to build good fitness and match sharpness. I feel like I'm ready, so we'll see. Regarding the future, I've still got a year left on my Utrecht contract. I had a couple of injuries this year, but I want to play at the highest level possible after the World Cup. I'll sit down with my agent and have a chat and see what's best.