Iran/USA Conflict: Iraq Coach Seek Postponement Of 2026 World Cup Playoff

Iran/USA Conflict: Iraq Coach Seek Postponement Of 2026 World Cup Playoff 

By Admin 

Head coach Graham Arnold has called on FIFA to assist the Iraq national football team after escalating tensions between Iran and the United States threatened to disrupt the team’s preparations for a decisive World Cup playoff, BSNSports.com.ng reports, .

Iraq is scheduled to play a one-off qualifier against the winner of a playoff between Suriname national football team and the Bolivia national football team in Monterrey, Mexico, on March 31. The match could secure Iraq’s first appearance at the FIFA World Cup since 1986.

However, the worsening regional conflict has created major logistical challenges for the team. Iraqi airspace is currently closed and is not expected to reopen until April 1 — a day after the scheduled playoff.

Speaking from the United Arab Emirates, Arnold said the situation had made it difficult for players and staff to leave Iraq ahead of the international window, which begins on March 23.

“Please help us with this game because right now we are struggling to get our players out of Iraq,” Arnold said.

Nearly 60 percent of Arnold’s first-choice squad plays in the domestic Iraqi league, leaving many players — along with key backroom staff, including former Sydney FC winger Ali Abbas — unable to travel.

A planned pre-match training camp in Houston has already been postponed due to travel and visa complications.

Arnold suggested that postponing the playoff could allow Iraq to prepare adequately. Under his proposal, Bolivia and Suriname could play their playoff as scheduled, with Iraq facing the winner shortly before the World Cup in the United States.

“Our federation president Adnan Dirjal is working around the clock trying to plan and prepare to make everyone in Iraq’s dream come true,” Arnold said. “We need this decision made quickly.”

Meanwhile, global players’ union FIFPro has urged football authorities to prioritise player safety when deciding whether the fixture should proceed.

FIFPro Asia-Oceania president Beau Busch said governing bodies should adopt an “incredibly conservative” approach given the security concerns.

“The players’ safety should be the priority for everyone right now,” Busch said, adding that all necessary measures should be taken to safeguard athletes and staff.

FIFPro secretary general Alex Phillips also stressed that the decision on whether the match should go ahead must depend primarily on the ability to guarantee player safety.

The situation has also affected domestic football in Iraq, with some matches disrupted by missile attacks near the city of Erbil, where a U.S. airbase is located.

Arnold acknowledged that assembling a competitive squad without players based in Iraq would be extremely difficult.

“It wouldn’t be our best team, and we need our best team available for the country’s biggest game in 40 years,” he said.

The 62-year-old Australian, who previously guided the Australia national soccer team to the round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup before losing to eventual champions Argentina national football team, said helping Iraq reach the World Cup was a key motivation for taking the job.

“The Iraqi people are incredibly passionate about football,” Arnold said. “The fact they haven’t qualified for 40 years is probably the main reason I took this role.”

For now, the Iraqi federation continues to search for alternative arrangements as uncertainty surrounds one of the country’s most important matches in decades.