Srecko Katanec has led the Iraq team since 2018, helping the team participate in the 2019 Asian Cup as well as reaching the final qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup in Asia. However, on July 15, he decided to leave the Iraq team after 6 months of not receiving salary.
Every now and then, the Iraq Football Federation quickly targeted the famous coach Carlos Queiroz as a replacement. The Portuguese-born strategist is currently unemployed, after finishing his job at the Colombian national team in December 2020.
Carlos Queiroz is one of the world's famous coaches. He led the Portuguese national team with Ronaldo to the 2010 World Cup. He then spent eight years with Iran, taking neighboring Iraq to the 2014 and 2018 World Cups twice. He also helped the Portuguese U20 team win the FIFA U20 World Cup in 1989 and 1991.
At club level, Carlos Queiroz was an assistant to Alex Ferguson at Man United during his golden period. In addition, he also had 1 season as a coach of Real Madrid, with the Spanish Super Cup champions.
According to local media, Carlos Queiroz is very excited about the prospect of leading the Iraq team. However, he also asked the Iraq Football Federation to pay him 80% of his salary in advance, expected to be up to 1.75 million USD/year. It is expected that this week, the two sides will agree on the final terms.
In the final qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup, Iraq is in Group A with Iran, South Korea, UAE, Syria and Lebanon. They will open their World Cup qualifying campaign with an away match against South Korea on September 2. On September 7, they will meet Iran at home. In history, the Iraq team has only participated in the World Cup once in 1986.
