Iraq is going to the World Cup. For the first time since 1986, the Lions of Mesopotamia will take the pitch at football’s grandest tournament, and the symbolism is hard to overstate for a country that has spent the better part of those 40 years navigating war, sanctions, and internal fracture.
The qualification was sealed with a play-off victory over Bolivia, making Iraq the 48th and final team to punch its ticket to the expanded 2026 tournament. It took 21 matches over more than two years of qualifying to get here. The payoff is a spot in Group I alongside France, Norway, and Senegal.
How they got here
The critical step came with a victory over the UAE in the AFC fifth-round tie. That win sent Iraq into the intercontinental play-off against Bolivia, which served as the last possible gateway into the tournament.
Iraq won that decisive match, reportedly played around March 31, 2026, and became the final nation to secure qualification.
