Published on 5/19/2026
|
Last update: 21:18 (Mecca time)
Australian Graham Arnold, coach of the Iraqi national football team, announced today, Tuesday, an expanded list that included 34 players to participate in a closed training camp in Spain, as a major preparation station for the 2026 World Cup finals.
This step comes within the framework of the efforts of the technical staff of the “Lions of Mesopotamia” to arrange the tactical cards and pump new blood into the arteries of the Iraqi squad that is preparing for the emergence of a historic World Cup, the second in the Iraqi football record.
Read also
list of 2 itemsend of list
Arnold surprises the “Lions of Mesopotamia” with three professionals
Arnold’s choices witnessed a clear trend towards investing in migratory birds and Iraqi talents active in foreign leagues. The Australian coach summoned three professionals for the first time in their history to represent the first team.
These promising names include Dario Namo, the Scottish defender of Dundee United, and Youssef Nasraoui, the Austrian midfielder of SV Red, in addition to Ahmed Qassem, a professional in the American ranks of Nashville. Observers believe that these call-ups reflect Arnold’s desire to expand his technical options, and to benefit from the European and American training of young players before clashing with the world’s top players.
Return of veterans and restoration of defense
On the other hand, the list brought good news to the Iraqi fans with the return of experienced elements and defensive pillars after they fully recovered from injury. Veteran goalkeeper Jalal Hassan registered his presence again, along with defense duo Ahmed Yahya and Mustafa Saadoun.
This trio had missed the difficult confrontation against Bolivia in the global playoff last March, which the Lions won in their favor with a score of (2-1) in a breathtaking match.
It is worth noting that Iraq’s qualification to the 2026 World Cup is a long-awaited achievement for 40 years, as the first and only appearance of Iraqi football was in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, when the team was eliminated from the first round after three successive defeats to host Belgium, Paraguay and Mexico.
Iraq’s road to the 2026 World Cup
The Mesopotamia Lions’ preparatory program in the Spain camp includes playing two high-level friendly matches. The first is against the Andorra national team in Girona, and the second is against the Spanish national team in La Coruña. After the end of the European leg, the Iraqi delegation will fly to Chicago, United States of America, to complete preparations, where it will face Venezuela in the last friendly matches before settling in the official camp for the World Cup.
The draw for the World Cup finals placed the Iraqi team in the complex ninth group alongside France (world runner-up), Senegal, and Norway, where the Lions begin their journey by meeting Norway, then clash with France, before concluding the group stage against the Senegalese “Lions of Teranga.”
The Iraqi national team squad summoned to the Spanish camp:
- Goalkeepers: Jalal Hassan, Ahmed Basil, Fahd Talib, Kamil Saadi.
- Defensive line: Rebin Sulaqa, Manaf Younis, Akam Hashem, Zaid Tahseen, Maitham Jabbar, France Boutros, Hussein Ali, Mirkhas Doski, Ahmed Hassan Menkazi, Dario Namo, Ahmed Yahya, Mustafa Saadoun.
- Midfield: Amir Al-Ammari, Kevin Yacoub, Zidane Iqbal, Youssef Al-Amin, Peter Korkis, Zaid Ismail, Aimar Shear, Hassan Abdel Karim, Youssef Al-Nasrawi, Ahmed Qassem, Ibrahim Bayesh, Marco Faraj, Karar Nabil, Ali Jassim.
- Offensive line: Ali Al-Hammadi, Ayman Hussein, Ali Youssef, Muhannad Ali.
