Iraq coach calls for World Cup playoff to be re-scheduled
Members of the Iranian community in Australia block the path of a departing bus transporting members of the Iranian Women’s Asia Cup football team to the airport, outside the Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast on March 10, 2026. Five players from Iran's visting women's football team claimed asylum in Australia on March 10, seeking protection after they were branded "traitors" at home for refusing to sing the national anthem.
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Iraq coach Graham Arnold pleaded with FIFA on Monday to
postpone his team's intercontinental playoff for the World Cup because many of
his players and backroom staff are stranded by the growing Iran war.
The Iraqis are due to face either Suriname or Bolivia on
March 31 in the Mexican city of Monterrey for a place in the World Cup finals,
but with Iraqi airspace closed until April 1, Arnold's squad is unable to
gather or travel.
"If the game goes ahead in Mexico we have the
difficulties of getting out of Baghdad," Arnold, an Australian, told CNN.
"About 60% of my players play in Iraq, all my backroom
staff live in Iraq, all my medical staff live in Qatar and we're having trouble
getting Mexican visas at this moment," he added.
Arnold said he had already been forced to cancel a training
camp in the United States.
"That has all been scrapped now, because we can't get
out of Baghdad," he said.
"FIFA need to obviously make a quick decision on this
because it is a bit unfair at this moment, with what we would have to go
through."
He suggested that Suriname and Bolivia could go ahead with
their playoff in Monterrey on March 26 and the winner of that game could play
Iraq in the United States just before the World Cup, which kicks off on June
11.
"Suriname could always play Bolivia if we can't get
there, and we could always play the winner just before the World Cup and (that)
lets us prepare properly and do everything required to be successful,"
Arnold said.
"Bolivia and Suriname can play in March, they've got no
complications with flights or anything, they can get there straight away and we
could play the winner
"The winner stays and plays the World Cup and the loser
goes home."
Arnold said the Iraqi football authorities were in close
contact with FIFA, but he admitted the situation was taking its toll.
"It's one step at a time, it's stressful, (I've had) a
lot of sleepless nights worrying about getting that planning right," he
said.
An Iraqi source told AFP the national federation had asked
for the change.
"Iraq's request came due to the inability of the
delegation to travel from the capital Baghdad," they said.
"As a result of the closure of airspace and the
security risks currently affecting the region," they added.
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