Iraq Bring Joy to their Homeland
Graham Arnold expects Iraq to take the FIFA World Cup 2026 by storm after the West Asian nation confirmed qualification with a 2-1 win against Bolivia in their playoff on Tuesday.
Aymen Hussein netted the winner in the 53rd minute after Moises Paniagua had cancelled out Ali Al Hamadi's 10th minute opener as Iraq sealed a return to the global showpiece for the first time since making their debut 40 years ago.
Up next for Iraq are France, Senegal and Norway in Group I of the global showpiece and Arnold said this was an opportunity of a lifetime.
"Being on the same pitch as players like (Kylian) Mbappe and (Erling) Haaland is a great honour for our players, and we will respect their abilities, but we will go onto the pitch to try and win, and we will surprise the world
"As the Iraqi national team, we have nothing to lose. We must go to the World Cup with a winning mentality; that's the only way to achieve great things," said Arnold.
The tactician created personal history as well as he is the first Australian to steer two teams to the FIFA World Cup, having done so with his native country in 2022 but Arnold said it was the players who deserved the accolades.
"I want to commend the players. We achieved this victory thanks to their work ethic, their fighting Iraqi mentality, and their physical sacrifices.
"I'm very pleased that we made 46 million people happy; I'm extremely happy."
While fully aware of the challenge that awaits at the FIFA World Cup, Arnold said it will be all about self-belief.
"Before thinking about facing France, I should mention that I faced them before with the Australian national team in the 2022 World Cup, and we lost 4-1. However, we used that experience as motivation to beat Tunisia and Denmark and qualify for the Round of 16.
"Qualifying for the World Cup is a great privilege for all the players, who will enjoy playing against big names in the world of football, and we will try to do our best to please our fans and showcase Iraqi football on the world stage."