Arnold will take over from coach Jesus Casas (Spain), who has led the Iraq team to poor results in recent matches. In the 3rd qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia, Iraq is currently in 3rd place in Group B with 12 points.
The team is behind the South Korean team (16 points) and the Jordan team (13 points). In the last two matches, Iraq drew Kuwait 2-2 at home and lost 1-2 to Palestine.
These are the two teams at the bottom of the table and this achievement is part of the reason why the Iraq Football Federation (IFA) needs to make changes on the coaching bench.
In the immediate future, Graham Arnold will lead the Iraq team to play the remaining 2 matches in the qualifying round, against the South Korean team (June 5) and the Jordan team (June 10).
If they are in one of the first two positions, Iraq will qualify for the 2026 World Cup. In case of 3rd or 4th place, this West Asian team will enter the 4th qualifying round.
In general, the chance for Iraq to win a direct ticket to the 2026 World Cup is still very bright. The last time Iraq participated in the world No. 1 tournament was in 1986.
With Graham Arnold, he has spent a long time leading the Australian team. He once helped the "four-way" team qualify for the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup.
In the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, he continued to work for Australia, but was later fired after the team lost to Bahrain and drew with Indonesia in 2 matches in September 2024.
