Iraq's hopes of World Cup qualification are being impacted by the Iran war because players cannot secure visas for the playoff tournament in Mexico and the team's coach is stranded in the United Arab Emirates. 'Because of airspace closures, our head coach, Graham Arnold, is unable to leave the United Arab Emirates,' the Iraqi soccer federation said in a statement on Instagram. Iraq is scheduled to play either Bolivia or Suriname in Monterrey, Mexico on March 31 for one of the last two qualification places for the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Trump previously admitted he 'didn't care' about Iran's participation in this year's World Cup'We cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,' Iran's top soccer official Mehdi Taj said. Should Iran pull out - still hugely speculative - Iraq or the United Arab Emirates would be likely replacements as the ninth and 10th-ranked Asian teams in qualifying.

Source: Metro March 09, 2026 02:44 UTC