Published on 6/7/2026
The Iraqi Football Association announced today, Saturday, an emergency amendment to the final roster of the “Mesopotamia Lions” team participating in the 2026 World Cup finals, by recalling player Ahmed Hassan McKenzie to compensate for the absence of his colleague Ahmed Yahya, who was excluded from the roster due to injury.
The official account of the Iraqi national team on the “X” platform (formerly Twitter) published an explanatory statement in which it confirmed that “medical examinations confirmed that the player Ahmed Yahya suffered a second-degree posterior muscle injury, which requires him to undergo a period of rest and a treatment program extending for 4 weeks.”
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The statement added, “Based on the medical report, the national team’s technical director, Graham Arnold, decided to invite the player Ahmed McKenzie and officially register him in the final list for the World Cup instead of Yahya.”
In a related context, the “Lions of Mesopotamia” delegation experienced emotional moments before Yahya left his residence in the American city of Chicago, where the national team’s account published a video clip documenting the player’s farewell to his teammates with an emotional speech.
These developments coincided with the arrival of the Iraqi national team delegation to Chicago on Saturday morning, to launch the final stage of preparations before competing in the World Championship, which begins on June 11, jointly organized by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The Iraqi team returns to register its presence in the World Cup finals after an absence of 40 years since its only historical participation in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, where it was drawn in the ninth group competitions, clashing with France, Senegal, and Norway.
