As the host team, Thailand (ranked 102nd in the world) easily won 3-0 against Vietnam. However, coach Masatada Ishii was not too satisfied with this victory. According to him, the Thai players still missed too many scoring opportunities.
After the match against Fiji, I told the players to be sharper in scoring. We missed many scoring opportunities. If this happens in a World Cup qualifying match, we will be in big trouble.
Overall, we played well and that explains why we won. I watched the match between Hong Kong (China) and Iraq.
The Iraq team made some changes in the second half and I think that will be the lineup they will use to play against us. The Thai team will study the opponent and prepare tactics to deal with the Iraq team."
While Thailand sees the King's Cup as a preparation step for the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, they will return in October, and Iraq is aiming to experiment with a squad to prepare for the 4th qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.
In October 2025, coach Graham Arnold's Iraq will play 2 matches against Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, to compete for a ticket to the 2026 World Cup.
Our goal is to play two quality matches in the Kings Cup. Meeting the Thai national team is a good thing because they are a strong team and are in the same region as Indonesia. For the World Cup qualifiers in October 2025, we need to be fully prepared.
The match against Thailand will be an opportunity for us to experiment with attacking play. We have good techniques and techniques, but we need to use them properly. Team spirit is paramount, said coach Graham Arnold.
The Iraq team, ranked 58th in the world, is rated much higher than the Thai team. The history of previous meetings also leans towards the West Asian team. Despite testing the squad and using many new players, the Iraq team still has impressive attacking ability. In the victory over Hong Kong (China), Iraq had 24 shots.
With superior strength and diverse attacking ability, the Iraq team will aim for a victory against the Thai team, thereby having the best preparation for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in October.
The match between Thailand and Iraq will take place at 20:00 on September 7.
Score prediction: Thailand 1-3 Iraq.
