Graham Arnold Says Getting Iraq to 2026 World Cup One of the Hardest Jobs

JAKARTA - Graham Arnold knows all too well how to balance the high stakes in World Cup Qualifiers.

But four years after leading Australia to a heroic penalty shootout win in the qualifying round against Peru, the 62-year-old faces the biggest challenge of his coaching career, namely getting Iraq to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Iraq will compete for the ticket against Bolivia on April 1, 2026, WIB morning. They will fight to return to the first World Cup in 40 years.

"Before I accepted this job, I was told that this might be one of the hardest jobs in the world."

"Iraq hasn't qualified for the World Cup for 40 years, it's a big challenge with a lot of pressure. They are a country of 46 million people obsessed with football," said Arnold.

Arnold will become the first Australian coach to lead a team to the World Cup with two different countries if Iraq beat Bolivia in Monterrey, Mexico.

He doesn't speak Arabic, but he clearly understands the huge impact it could have on Iraq if they qualify for their first World Cup since 1986.

"I remember how great it was when we qualified in 2005 with the Socceroos (nickname of the Australian National Team) and the impact it could have on this country."

"In Iraq, they all have the same blood and they are very excited for this game. For years I have trained or played against Iraq, they have always been a very tough team and you think, why haven't they qualified for 40 years?" said Arnold.

Conflict is one obvious answer to explain Iraq's absence from the World Cup, as is the interference of Saddam Hussein's son Uday, who was president of the Iraqi Olympic Committee (NOC Iraq) and was accused of torturing the soccer players.

Four years after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Hussein, Iraq won the 2007 Asian Cup, but it proved a false hope.

Arnold's team - who were banned from social media by their coach - beat the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to qualify for the 2026 World Cup Intercontinental Qualification with a penalty in the 17th minute of injury time in the second half which sparked a national celebration.

It has given the coach an insight into how to take Iraq to the World Cup.

"In the 10 months since I've been working, I think I've spent seven of them in Baghdad because I want to get to know the culture."

"I can't go anywhere without a social life because wherever I go, I'm surrounded. Everyone wants to take a picture and they immediately run towards me."

"I saw footage of the scene in Baghdad (after the UAE victory) where they were all lining up in the streets, waving flags, and celebrating the victory."

"The emotion of victory was very big. After the match was over, I had to say that we had not qualified."

"These players are very excited to do it for their country," Arnold said.