Iraq national football team

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Iraq
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) Lions of Mesopotamia
Usood Al-Rafidain (اسود الرافدين)
Association Iraq Football Association
Sub-confederation WAFF (West Asia)
Confederation AFC (Asia)
Head coach Yahya Alwan
Captain Younis Mahmoud
Most caps Younis Mahmoud (145)
Top scorer Hussein Saeed (78)
Home stadium Basra Sports City
FIFA code IRQ
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 87 Increase 2 (7 January 2016)
Highest 39 (October 2004)
Lowest 139 (July 1996)
First international
 Morocco 3–3 Iraq Iraq
(Beirut, Lebanon; October 19, 1957)
World Cup
Appearances 1 (First in 1986)
Best result Round 1, 1986
Asian Cup
Appearances 8 (First in 1972)
Best result Champions, 2007
Confederations Cup
Appearances 1 (First in 2009)
Best result Round 1, 2009

The Iraqi national football team (Arabic: المنتخب العراقي لكرة القدم‎‎) represents Iraq in international football since 1948 and It is governed by the Iraq Football Association (IFA). The Iraqi Football Association was founded in 1948 and has been a member of FIFA since 1950, the Asian Football Confederation since 1970, and the sub-confederation regional body West Asian Football Federation since 2000. Iraq also is part of the Union of Arab Football Associations and has been a member since 1974. The Iraqi team is commonly known as Usood Al-Rafidain (Arabic: اسود الرافدين‎‎) which literally meaning Lions of Mesopotamia.

Iraq is one of the most successful national teams in the Arab League, having a record won of a total of four Arab Nations Cup (1964, 1966, 1985, 1988). On the Asian level Iraq is one of the powerhouses having won the AFC Asian Cup once (2007), the Gold Medal of the Asian Games (1982), three Gulf Cups of Nations (1979, 1984, 1988), and West Asia Championship (2002).

Iraq have been awarded the AFC National Team of the Year award two times (2003 and 2007), being the only team from West Asia to win this award.

History

Early years

The Iraq national football team's first international match was played in 1957 in Lebanon where the team tied Morocco 3-3. The first FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Iraq took part in was the 1974 qualifiers.

Iraqi football reached a peak in the 1970s and 1980s – Iraq qualified for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, and 3 times for the Olympic Games in Moscow, Los Angeles and Seoul. Iraq also won the 1982 Asian Games, the Arab Nations Cup 4 consecutive times, the Gulf Cup of Nations 3 times, and the 1985 Pan Arab Games fielding a B team. Iraq finished in 4th place in the 1976 AFC Asian Cup – the last Asian Cup Iraq would participate in until 1996.

1986 FIFA World Cup

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Main article: 1986 FIFA World Cup

Iraq were seeded into the first round of qualifiers where they faced Qatar and Jordan. Iraq topped Group 1B with 6 points, and advanced to the second round. Iraq faced United Arab Emirates in two legs. Iraq defeated UAE 3–2 in Dubai. Iraq lost with 2–1 to UAE in the second leg. Iraq won 4–4 aggregate on away goals and advanced to the final round. In the final round, Iraq tied Syria 0–0 in Damascus. Iraq defeated Syria 3–1 in the second leg in Taif. Iraq won 3–1 on aggregate and qualified to the 1986 FIFA World Cup

At their first game of the Group B at the 1986 FIFA World Cup, Iraq played well against Paraguay, losing narrowly 1–0 despite scoring a goal that was wrongly disallowed by the referee. Iraq recorded their first World Cup goal in the second game, scoring against Belgium in a 1–2 defeat despite having ten men, with Ahmed Radhi scoring a goal for Iraq. Following defeat with Belgium, Iraq were eliminated from the World Cup. Iraq played against hosts Mexico in the third game and lost 1–0.

The Dark Era (1990-99)

During the rule of the government of Saddam Hussein, Saddam's son, Uday Hussein, was in charge of the Iraqi Olympic Committee and, by extension, the national football team. Under Uday's leadership, motivational lectures to the team included threats to cut off players' legs, while missing practice sessions would lead to a term in prison. A loss brought flogging with electric cable, or a bath in raw sewage. After the Gulf War, Iraq was banned from participating in the Asian Games and in most Arab competitions. In 1996 Iraq was ranked 139th in the world, the worst FIFA ranking in Iraqi football history.

In 1990, Iraq competed in qualifying for a berth in the 1990 World Cup finals, but they lost a crucial game against Qatar.

During the qualifying for the 1994 World Cup, Iraq faced Japan in Doha in the final match of the final qualifying round on 28 October 1993, where Iraq needed a win to advance. However, Japan produced a 2–2 tie, which resulted in elimination for both teams. During the qualifiers for the 1998 World Cup they failed to reach the final round of qualifying, coming second behind Kazakhstan.

The Golden Generation (2000-2007)

Iraq participated in and won the West Asian Championship in 2002. Iraq failed to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup after losing crucial matches at home against Saudi Arabia and Iran.

After qualifying to the Asian Cup 2004, Iraq was drawn with Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan in the tournament. Iraq finished second in this group by winning 2-1 against Saudi Arabia and 3-2 against Turkmenistan, and losing 1-0 to Uzbekistan. In quarter-final clash against China, Iraq lost 3-0.

In November 2004, Iraq failed to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, losing out to Uzbekistan. Despite this, Iraq won the 2004 AFC Team of the Year award by the end of the year. In 2005, Iraq won the Gold medal of the West Asian Games.

2007 AFC Asian Cup

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Main articles: 2007 AFC Asian Cup and 2007 AFC Asian Cup Final

Iraq's first major honour was the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. The tournament started with a 1–1 draw with Thailand in Bangkok. That was followed by a 3–1 win against Australia and a 0–0 draw with Oman. The quarter-finals saw them beat Vietnam 2–0, and the semi-final against favourites South Korea went to penalties that ended goalless after extra time. Noor Sabri was Iraq's hero when he saved Korea's fourth spot-kick from Yeom Ki-hun. After Ahmed Menajed had made it 4-3 to the West Asians, Korean Kim Jung-woo hit the post to send the nation through to their first Asian Cup final.

The final was against local rivals Saudi Arabia, and Younis Mahmoud scored the only goal on 72 minutes to win the tournament for Iraq. This victory secured Iraq's first Asian Cup title. As the winner, Iraq represented the AFC at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.

2009 FIFA Confederations Cup

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Main article: 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup

As a result of winning the 2007 Asian Cup, Iraq qualified for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, that took place in South Africa in June 2009, in which matches that were scheduled against the hosts, Spain, and New Zealand. In the opener, Iraq was able to hold South Africa to a 0–0 draw. And only lost to Spain 1–0 and was 0–0 at half-time. Though Spain defeated South Africa 2–0 which was necessary for Iraq to advance to the next stage, needing to beat New Zealand by 2 goals, but only tied 0–0.

2010 FIFA World Cup qualification

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Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)

On May 26, 2008, FIFA provisionally suspended the Iraq Football Association from competition for one year, following a decision by the Iraqi government to disband the country's national sports federations.[1] However the decision was overturned by FIFA on May 29, 2008, since the Iraqi government reversed its earlier decision in dissolving the Iraq Football Association.[2][3]

In June 2008, Iraq failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, gaining two wins over China and Australia, a tie against China, but lost their final game in the group 1–0 to Qatar. They ended up with 7 points from 6 games behind Qatar and Australia

2011 AFC Asian Cup

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Main article: 2011 AFC Asian Cup
The Iraqi national football team pose ahead of their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Oman in Doha in 2012

Iraq qualified automatically for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. They were drawn against Iran, North Korea and United Arab Emirates in Group D. After a 2–1 loss against Iran, and 1–0 win against United Arab Emirates, Iraq went into the match against North Korea needing only a draw to progress. Iraq won 1–0 and advanced to the quarterfinals as runners-up. On 23 January, Iraq lost to Australia, 1–0, in the quarterfinal. The match went into extra time with Harry Kewell heading in a goal in the 117th minute just inside the 18-yard box.

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification

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Main article: 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)

Under coach Wolfgang Sidka, Iraq were drawn into the second round of qualifiers where they faced Yemen. Iraq defeated Yemen 2–0 in Arbil on 23 July before drawing 0–0 in Al Ain five days later. Iraq advanced to the third round of qualifiers where they were grouped with Jordan, China and Singapore. The top two teams from the group progressed to the fourth round. The Iraq Football Association (IFA) has announced it won't be renewing the contract of national team boss Wolfgang Sidka on 2 August 2011.[4]

On 29 August 2011, Brazilian legend Zico has signed a one-year contract to become the new coach of Iraq.[5] Iraq topped Group A with 15 points, with Jordan coming in second with 12 points. They made it for the first time since 2001 to the fourth and final qualifying round. In the final qualification stage, Iraq was drawn with Jordan, Japan Australia and Oman.

On 28 November 2012, Zico resigned as head coach. The Iraqi FA appointed Vladimir Petrović as head coach of Iraq on 25 February 2013.[6]

After 3 consecutive losses in June, Iraq failed to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, finishing bottom of the group in the final qualifying round, with 1 win, 2 draws and 5 losses out of 8 games played. After a shocking 6-0 loss to Chile, Iraq's football association fired Petrović on 10 September 2013, blaming a string of "bad results".[7]

2015 AFC Asian Cup

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Main article: 2015 AFC Asian Cup

The Iraqi FA appointed Hakeem Shaker as head coach of Iraq.[8] Iraq qualified for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup as group runners-up, and were drawn with Japan, Jordan, and Palestine. Due to bad results at the Gulf Cup, Hakeem Shaker was sacked and the FA appointed Radhi Shenaishil as caretaker coach.

Iraq began the 2015 AFC Asian Cup campaign with a 1–0 win over Jordan. The goal was scored by Yaser Kasim. In next match, Iraq faced Japan and lost the match 0–1. Iraq then beat Palestine 2–0 and qualified to knockout stage as the Group D runner-up behind Japan with six points. Iraq defeated Iran in the quarter-finals in penalties, 7–6, after the game ended 3–3 after 120 minutes of play. They faced South Korea in the semi-finals but lost 0–2 and failed to progress to the final. Iraq finished the AFC Asian Cup in fourth place, after lost 2–3 to United Arab Emirates in third/fourth place play-off.

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification

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Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)

The FA appointed Akram Salman as head coach of Iraq, but he resigned after 3 friendlies, winning 2 matches against Congo DR and losing 4–0 to Japan in the Kirin Challenge Cup final. On 1 August 2015, the FA appointed Yahya Alwan as head coach after an attempt to appoint Džemal Hadžiabdić as manager failed.

Home matches in Iraq

Home matches dilemma

Iraq played their home games on neutral territory in the 1980s due to the Iraq-Iran war, but still qualified for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, and three Olympic Games (Moscow, Los Angeles and Seoul). In qualification for the 2002 World Cup, Iraq played at home against Iran, Bahrain, and Thailand in the Al Shaab Stadium in Baghdad, but Saudi Arabia refused to play against the nation because of the tensions between that country and the regime of Saddam Hussein. In 2003, the war in Iraq forced Iraq to play their "home" matches outside the country for security reasons, and so fixtures were held in Jordan, Syria, Qatar or the UAE.

Due to the Iraq war and post war events, Iraq was unable to host home matches in Iraq. In 2009 the Iraq Football Association (IFA) asked FIFA to end its ban imposed on hosting official matches in Iraq. Iraq resumed playing on home soil on July 10, 2009, winning a friendly 3–0 against Palestine in Franso Hariri Stadium, Arbil. Iraq played the same opponents three days later, in Al-Shaab Stadium in Baghdad, this time winning 4–0 in front of a crowd of over 50,000. The same month, the AFC Executive Committee approved the stadium at Arbil as a venue for matches involving the Iraqi national team, and clubs in continental tournaments.[9]

On September 2, 2011, Iraq played their first FIFA World Cup qualifier on home ground for the first time in years. They played against Jordan in front of a crowd of 24,000 people in the Franso Hariri Stadium in Arbil. On 22 March 2013, FIFA lifted a ban on international football friendlies in Iraqi stadiums on Thursday, permitting matches in Baghdad for the first time since the 2003 US-led invasion, an Iraqi football official said.

On March 26, 2013, Iraq played their first International friendly match in Baghdad since 2009 against Syria in front of a crowd of 50,000+ people in the Al-Shaab Stadium in Baghdad. However, on 3 July 2013, FIFA barred Iraq from hosting international football friendlies due to a massive surge in nationwide violence, barely three months after world football's governing body gave Baghdad the go-ahead.

On May 4, 2015, FIFA lifted a ban on international football friendlies in Iraqi stadiums.[10]

Fan chanting

Iraq national team supporters are known for chanting "O Victorious Baghdad" for Iraqi teams matches.[11]

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Always remains High, O Victorious Baghdad, ( أتضلي دايما فوق، منصورة يا بغداد )
And to see your eternal Glory, O Victorious Baghdad. ( و نشوفج بعز دوم ، منصورة يا بغداد )
O Victorious Baghdad, O Victorious Baghdad, ( منصورة يا بغداد، منصورة يا بغداد )

Another famous chant is "هسه يجي الثاني" which literally translates into "the second goal is coming" this is usually being chanted repeatedly after Iraq scores a goal to motivate the players to score another.

Kits

Colours

Kit manufacturer

The Iraqi national football team has previously been sponsored by brands such as Adidas, Puma, Nike, Diadora, Jack & Jones, Lotto, Umbro, Peak and its current sponsor is Jako.[12]

Period Kit manufacturer
1984–1986 England Umbro
1986–1994 Germany Adidas
1996 Germany Puma
2000 Belgium Patrick
2004–2005 Denmark Jack & Jones
2005–2006 Italy Lotto
2006 Germany Adidas
2007 England Umbro
2008–2014 China Peak
2014–present Germany Jako

Competition records

FIFA World Cup

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Main article: Iraq at the FIFA World Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup

Summer Olympics

AFC Asian Cup

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Main article: Iraq at the AFC Asian Cup

Regional tournaments

List of minor tournaments that Iraq have won

Year Tournament Position GP W D L GS GA
Kuwait 1964 Arab Nations Cup Champions 4 3 1 0 6 2
Iraq 1966 Arab Nations Cup Champions 6 5 1 0 20 5
Iraq 1979
 Gulf Cup of Nations Champions 6 6 0 0 23 1
Malaysia 1981 Merdeka Tournament Champions 6 4 1 1 16 4
India 1982
 Asian Games Champions
6
5
0
1
11
2
Oman 1984 Gulf Cup of Nations Champions 7 4 2 1 12 5
Saudi Arabia 1985 Arab Nations Cup Champions 4 3 1 0 7 3
Morocco 1985 Pan Arab Games Champions 4 4 0 0 7 1
Jordan 1988 Arab Nations Cup Champions 6 2 4 0 7 2
Saudi Arabia 1988 Gulf Cup of Nations Champions 6 4 2 0 8 1
Kuwait 1989 Peace and Friendship Cup Champions 5 2 2 1 9 5
India 1995 Nehru Cup Champions 5 3 2 0 8 3
Malaysia 1995 Merdeka Tournament Champions 4 3 1 0 7 3
India 1997 Nehru Cup Champions 6 5 1 0 14 3
Syria 2002 WAFF Championship Champions
4
3
1
0
6
2
Qatar 2005 West Asian Games Champions 4 3 1 0 13 3
United Arab Emirates 2009 UAE International Cup Champions 2 2 0 0 2 0

Matches

Records versus other nations

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Main article: Iraq national football team all-time record

Rivalries

Statistics vs.  Kuwait
Played1 Wins2 Draws3 Loses GF GA
32 15 9 8 44 32

1. Only matches recognized by FIFA.
2. Wins for Iraq.
3. Includes matches won or lost on P.K.

Iraq rivalry with Kuwait is considered as the Arab world's greatest football rivalry of all time.[13] The rivalry began since mid 70's and it was the decade from 1976 until 1986 that saw the golden age of football for arguably the finest teams the region has produced. Both nations Imposed their complete domination on the Gulf region, and from the Gulf Cup's inception in 1970 until 1990, the tournament was won by only two teams; Kuwait seven times (1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1982, 1986, 1990), and despite Iraq's absence in the first three editions and withdrawn in two others, Iraq won it three times (1979, 1984, 1988).[13]

Iraq and Kuwait took their increasingly bitter rivalry to a new level. On June 11, 1976, the two met in the semi-final of the Asian Cup in Tehran; Kuwait took the lead twice, Iraq came roaring back twice, And then, in the 10th minute of extra time, Kamel scored the winner for Kuwait. In 1979, the year Iraq clinched their first Gulf Cup and won over Kuwait 3–1, the two met in a qualifier for the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games, both managed to qualify to the Olympic Games, and both made it to the quarter-finals in Moscow. Iraq also qualified for the 1984 Games in Los Angeles and 1988 Games in Seoul. The 1982 Asian Games was won as well. Kuwait won the 1980 AFC Asian Cup, which they hosted. The nations also left their mark on the world stage. Kuwait qualified for the 1982 World Cup finals in Spain. Iraq matched that in Mexico 1986.[13]

As Iraq and Kuwait traded Gulf titles in 1988 and 1990, few could have imagined that their rivalry on the football field would be replaced by an altogether more catastrophic one on the battlefield. Because of the Gulf war, football would never be the same again. Iraq and Kuwait were in complete avoidance and never met for more than a decade. Kuwait's Blues had a relative recovery of sorts, winning the Gulf Cup in 1996 and 1998, before securing their record 10th title in 2010. Iraqi football, because of the torturer-in-chief Uday Hussein's reign of terror as head of the football association, would take far longer to recover. When it did, it was in glorious fashion, the Lions of Mesopotamia winning the 2007 Asian Cup.[13]

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Main article: Iran–Iraq football rivalry

Iraq and Iran are rivals.[14][15][16]

The rivalry is not such a football-inspired ill-feeling between the two, but more of geography, religion and history.[14] Iran and Iraq are neighbouring countries, sharing a long history. In contemporary era, especially during the reign of Saddam Hussein, the two countries had bad relations and fought the Iran–Iraq War for 8 years.[15][16]

In 2001, for the first time in decades, an Iran-Iraq match was not held at a neutral venue.[16]

The rivalry between the two teams was escalated after the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. The two sides faced each other in the quarter-final with Iraq prevailing 7–6 on penalties after a sensational 3–3 draw in Canberra; the game was described as one of the best in the tournament's history. After the game, Iranian supporters voiced their anger at the referee's performance, even going as far to claim that he should receive a life ban for the sending off of an Iranian player, and also launched unfounded allegations against Iraqi player Alaa Abdul-Zahra claiming he was doping in an attempt to get Iraq kicked out of the tournament and themselves reinstated into the semi-finals; their complaint was immediately rejected by the AFC. Iraq eventually finished fourth in the tournament with Iran failing to make the semi-finals for the third straight time and the tensions between both sets of supporters have never been greater.[17]

Recent results and fixtures

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Main articles: Iraq national football team results and Iraq national football team in 2016

      Win       Draw       Lose

Coaching staff

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See also: List of Iraq national football team managers
Position Name
Head coach Iraq Yahya Alwan
Assistant coach Iraq Nazar Ashraf
Team manager Iraq Basil Gorgis
Goalkeeping coach Iraq Abdul-Kareem Naieem
Fitness coach Spain Gonzalo Rodriguez
Team doctor Iraq Qasim Mohammed

Players

Current squad

0#0 Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Karrar Ibrahim (1994-09-19) September 19, 1994 (age 29) 0 0 Iraq Al-Minaa
12 1GK Mohammed Gassid (1986-12-13) December 13, 1986 (age 37) 55 0 Iraq Al-Zawraa
22 1GK Noor Sabri (1980-12-16) December 16, 1980 (age 43) 97 0 Iraq Naft Al-Wasat
2 2DF Ahmad Ibrahim (1992-02-25) February 25, 1992 (age 32) 53 1 United Arab Emirates Al Dhafra
3 2DF Dhurgham Ismail (1994-05-23) May 23, 1994 (age 30) 32 3 Turkey Rizespor
4 2DF Mustafa Nadhim (1993-09-23) September 23, 1993 (age 30) 13 3 Iraq Naft Al-Wasat
6 2DF Ali Adnan (1993-12-19) December 19, 1993 (age 30) 38 2 Italy Udinese
14 2DF Salam Shaker (1986-07-31) July 31, 1986 (age 38) 90 4 Saudi Arabia Al-Fateh
15 2DF Ali Rehema (1983-08-08) August 8, 1983 (age 40) 111 2 Qatar Al-Wakrah
18 2DF Karrar Mohammed (1989-12-06) December 6, 1989 (age 34) 0 0 Iraq Al-Zawraa
23 2DF Faisal Jassim (1986-07-01) July 1, 1986 (age 38) 1 0 Iraq Al-Minaa
5 3MF Yaser Kasim (1991-05-10) May 10, 1991 (age 33) 17 3 England Swindon Town
8 3MF Karrar Jassim (1987-03-15) March 15, 1987 (age 37) 64 6 Iraq Naft Al-Wasat
11 3MF Humam Tariq (1996-02-10) February 10, 1996 (age 28) 32 1 Iraq Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
16 3MF Ali Husni (1994-05-23) May 23, 1994 (age 30) 9 1 Iraq Al-Minaa
19 3MF Mahdi Kamel (1995-01-06) January 6, 1995 (age 29) 13 0 Iraq Al-Shorta
20 3MF Ali Qasim (1996-03-05) March 5, 1996 (age 28) 5 1 Iraq Al-Minaa
21 3MF Saad Abdul-Amir (1992-01-20) January 20, 1992 (age 32) 52 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Qadisiyah
7 4FW Justin Meram (1988-12-04) December 4, 1988 (age 35) 17 2 United States Columbus Crew
8 4FW Mohannad Abdul-Raheem (1993-09-22) September 22, 1993 (age 30) 21 4 Iraq Al-Zawraa
9 4FW Mazen Faiadh (1997-04-02) April 2, 1997 (age 27) 0 0 Iraq Al-Naft
10 4FW Younis Mahmoud (Captain) (1983-02-03) February 3, 1983 (age 41) 145 57 Iraq Al-Talaba
17 4FW Alaa Abdul-Zahra (1985-12-22) December 22, 1985 (age 38) 87 14 Iraq Al-Zawraa

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the Iraq squad within the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Fahad Talib (1994-10-21) October 21, 1994 (age 29) 0 0 Iraq Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya v.  Thailand, September 8, 2015
GK Ali Yaseen (1993-08-09) August 9, 1993 (age 30) 0 0 Iraq Al-Naft v.  Thailand, September 8, 2015
GK Jalal Hassan (1991-05-18) May 18, 1991 (age 33) 25 0 Iraq Al-Shorta v.  Japan, June 11, 2015
GK Mohammed Hameed (1993-01-24) January 24, 1993 (age 31) 11 0 Iraq Al-Talaba v.  DR Congo, March 31, 2015
DF Sameh Saeed (1992-05-26) May 26, 1992 (age 32) 10 0 Iraq Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya v.  Vietnam, October 8, 2015
DF Hussein Falah (1994-07-01) July 1, 1994 (age 30) 2 0 Iraq Al-Minaa v.  Vietnam, October 8, 2015
DF Hamza Adnan (1996-02-08) February 8, 1996 (age 28) 1 0 Iraq Al-Minaa v.  Vietnam, October 8, 2015
DF Safa Jabbar (1993-07-20) July 20, 1993 (age 31) 1 0 Iraq Zakho v.  Jordan, October 3, 2015
DF Rebin Sulaka (1992-04-12) April 12, 1992 (age 32) 1 0 Iran Siah Jamegan v.  Chinese Taipei, September 3, 2015
DF Saad Natiq (1994-03-19) March 19, 1994 (age 30) 1 0 Iraq Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya v.  Chinese Taipei, September 3, 2015
DF Burhan Jumaah (1996-07-01) July 1, 1996 (age 28) 0 0 Iraq Erbil v.  Lebanon, August 26, 2015
DF Samal Saeed (1984-05-27) May 27, 1984 (age 40) 66 2 Iraq Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya v.  Japan, June 11, 2015
DF Ali Bahjat (1992-03-03) March 3, 1992 (age 32) 26 0 Iraq Al-Minaa v.  Japan, June 11, 2015
DF Hawbir Mustafa (1993-09-24) September 24, 1993 (age 30) 1 0 Netherlands MVV v.  DR Congo, March 31, 2015
DF Aldin El-Zubaidi (1995-03-07) March 7, 1995 (age 29) 0 0 Scotland Cowdenbeath v.  DR Congo, March 31, 2015
MF Ahmed Yasin (1991-04-22) April 22, 1991 (age 33) 42 4 Sweden AIK v.  Vietnam, October 8, 2015 INJ
MF Bashar Rasan (1996-12-22) December 22, 1996 (age 27) 3 0 Iraq Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya v.  Vietnam, October 8, 2015
MF Osama Ali (1988-06-25) June 25, 1988 (age 36) 5 0 Iraq Al-Talaba v.  Jordan, October 3, 2015
MF Ahmad Ayad (1991-01-19) January 19, 1991 (age 33) 15 0 Iraq Al-Shorta v.  Lebanon, August 26, 2015
MF Hussein Abdul-Wahed (1980-02-08) February 8, 1980 (age 44) 5 0 Iraq Al-Zawraa v.  Lebanon, August 26, 2015
MF Amjad Waleed (1990-06-01) June 1, 1990 (age 34) 0 0 Iraq Naft Al-Wasat v.  Lebanon, August 26, 2015
MF Saif Salman (1993-07-01) July 1, 1993 (age 31) 37 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad v.  Japan, June 11, 2015
MF Arjan Mostafa (1994-05-05) May 5, 1994 (age 30) 1 0 Iraq Zakho v.  DR Congo, March 31, 2015
FW Marwan Hussein (1992-01-26) January 26, 1992 (age 32) 11 0 Iraq Al-Shorta v.  Thailand, September 8, 2015
FW Ayman Hussein (1996-03-22) March 22, 1996 (age 28) 1 0 Iraq Al-Naft v.  Thailand, September 8, 2015
FW Hammadi Ahmad (1983-10-18) October 18, 1983 (age 40) 33 6 Iraq Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya v.  Lebanon, August 26, 2015
FW Abdul-Qadir Tariq (1994-07-01) July 1, 1994 (age 30) 1 0 Iraq Al-Talaba v.  Lebanon, August 26, 2015
FW Amjad Radhi (1990-07-17) July 17, 1990 (age 34) 35 2 Iraq Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya v.  Japan, June 11, 2015
FW Hussein Ali Wahid (1992-10-08) October 8, 1992 (age 31) 3 1 Iraq Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya v.  Japan, June 11, 2015
FW Ali Salah (1987-02-11) February 11, 1987 (age 37) 9 0 Iraq Al-Shorta v.  DR Congo, March 31, 2015

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Previous squads

World Cups

Asian Cups

Confederations Cups

Records

Players with over 100 caps

As of 17 November 2015
Players in bold are still active, at least at club level.
# Name Caps Goals First cap Latest cap
1 Younis Mahmoud 145 57 19 July 2002 17 November 2015
2 Hussein Saeed 137 78 5 September 1976 3 March 1990
3 Ahmed Radhi 121 62 21 February 1982 20 June 1997
4 Adnan Dirjal 116 8 1978 1990
5 Nashat Akram 114 17 5 October 2001 4 June 2013
6 Hawar Mulla Mohammed 112 19 31 August 2001 12 June 2012
7 Ali Rehema 111 2 8 June 2005 17 November 2015
8 Mahdi Karim 109 11 12 October 2001 22 December 2014
9 Raad Hammoudi 104 0 8 February 1976 21 February 1987
10 Falah Hassan 103 29 1970 1986
10 Emad Mohammed 103 27 31 January 2001 28 May 2012
11 Hassan Farhan 101 2 1973 1982

The records are collected based on data from RSSSF.

Top goalscorers

As of 17 November 2015
Players in bold are still active, at least at club level.
# Name Career Goals Caps Goal ratio
1 Hussein Saeed 1976–1990 78 137 0.57
2 Ahmed Radhi 1982–1997 62 121 0.51
3 Younis Mahmoud 2002– 57 145 0.39
4 Ali Kadhim 1970–1980 35 82 0.43
5 Falah Hassan 1969–1986 29 103 0.28
6 Emad Mohammed 2000–2012 27 103 0.26
7 Razzaq Farhan 1998–2007 25 62 0.40
8 Laith Hussein 1986–2002 21 80 0.26

The records are collected based on data from RSSSF.

Trivia

  • Iraq holds the Asian record for having scored in 27 consecutive matches between 1992 and 1996.[18]

Honours

Major tournaments

Group stage (1): 1986
Group stage (1): 2009
Winners (1): 2007
Fourth place (2): 1976, 2015

Regional tournaments

Winners (4): 1964, 1966, 1985, 1988
Third place (1): 2012
Winners (3): 1979, 1984, 1988
Runners-up (2): 1976, 2013
Winners (1): 2002
Runners-up (2): 2007, 2012
Third place (2): 2000, 2010(1)
Fourth place (1): 2004
Winners (1): 1982
Winners (1): 2005
Winners (1): 1985
Runners-up (1): 1999
1 No third place match was played, so it can be assumed that Iraq and Yemen (the two losing semi-finalists) shared third place.
2 Since 2002, the Asian Games has been part of the olympic team record.

See also

References

  1. ↑ FIFA provisionally suspends Iraq, Associated Press, May 26, 2008.[dead link]
  2. ↑ Socceroos qualifier against Iraq to proceed, The Age, May 29, 2008.
  3. ↑ President’s promise to lift the ban on Iraq soon, Iraq123 News, February 10, 2014.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ [1] Archived October 2, 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ [2] Archived September 28, 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ [3] Archived September 27, 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ AFC green-light to Arbil as venue
  10. ↑ [4]
  11. ↑ Al-Mutamar Newspapers (Arabic)
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Storied Gulf Cup rivalry between Iraq and Kuwait survives war
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ fifa.com: Aussies face tough test

External links

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Template:2007 AFC Asian Cup finalists Template:2011 AFC Asian Cup finalists

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