Forty years is a long time to wait. Iraq's last World Cup appearance was Mexico 1986 — three group-stage losses, no points, an early flight home. Now the Lions of Mesopotamia are back, and they've landed in arguably the toughest group of the tournament.
France. Norway. Senegal. Iraq. Group I reads like a knockout round preview, not a group stage. The Lions earned their place the hardest way possible — through a grueling qualification marathon stretching across multiple rounds of AFC play, an intercontinental playoff, and a final 3-1 win over Bolivia on March 31 that confirmed their spot. They're battle-hardened. They'll need to be.
Who's actually worth watching in this squad
Ali Al-Hamadi is the name to know. The Ipswich Town forward became the first Iraqi to play in the Premier League, and he'll lead the line alongside Aymen Hussein — the man who scored the goal that sent Iraq to North America in the first place. That's your attack right there.
In midfield, Nashville SC's Ahmed Qasem brings an MLS familiarity that American crowds will latch onto, though his situation is genuinely intriguing — he only switched international allegiance from Sweden as recently as May 11. That's a big transition with almost no runway. Zidane Iqbal (FC Utrecht) and the experienced Amir Al-Ammari give Iraq real depth in the middle of the park. Captain and goalkeeper Jalal Hassan anchors the backline alongside defensive organiser Akam Hashim.
It's a squad built from a patchwork of leagues — Polish Ekstraklasa, Czech top flight, Serie A, the AFC — which either gives Iraq tactical unpredictability or exposes a lack of cohesion. Probably both, depending on the day.
Iraq's Group I schedule at Boston Stadium
All of Iraq's group-stage matches take place at Gillette Stadium — operating as Boston Stadium for the duration of the tournament. Their opener against Norway is the defining fixture. Norway, led by Erling Haaland, enter as a genuine dark horse to win the whole thing. Iraq keeping that scoreline respectable would be a result in itself.
France and Senegal make progression from Group I look nearly impossible. For Iraq to advance, they'd need to win the group and then navigate a Round of 32 and Round of 16 before a potential quarterfinal back in Boston on July 9. Realistically, the goal is competitive football, not a deep run.
- Iraq's 26-man squad includes players from 14 different clubs across Europe, Asia, and North America
- The team is based at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia for the tournament
- Iraq's only previous World Cup was 1986 in Mexico — they lost all three group games without scoring
- Iraq do hold one continental title: the 2007 AFC Asian Cup
In the betting markets, Iraq are long shots to advance from Group I — and the numbers justify that. But a team that fought through five rounds of AFC qualification plus an intercontinental playoff isn't showing up just to make up the numbers. Whether they can turn that resilience into World Cup points is the actual question.
The Lions of Mesopotamia return to football's biggest stage after four decades. France, Norway, and Senegal await.
