Iraq Is One Of The Strong Teams In Group D Of The 2023 Asian Cup Which Is The First Opponent Of The Indonesian National Team

Iraq is the strong opponent of the Indonesian national team in Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup (Instagram/@iraq.ifa).

JAKARTA - Iraq is one of the residents of Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup. They became the first opponent of the Indonesian national team in a tournament that took place on January 12-10 February 2024 in Qatar.

The meeting of the Indonesian and Iraqi national teams will take place at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Ar-Rayyan, on Monday, January 15, 2024. Iraq is one of the favorites in Group D to advance to the round of 16.

This condition cannot be separated from the situation in Iraq which is indeed in confidence after successfully coming out as champions of the 2023 Gulf Cup.

Before starting his work in the 2023 Asian Cup, Iraq had made thorough preparations through a trial match. In the preparation agenda, Iraq has only scheduled one trial, namely against South Korea.

In that single trial, Iran actually reaped bad results. Facing South Korea on Saturday, January 6, 2024, at the Al-Shaab Stadium, they lost 0-1.

However, Iraq is still a team to watch out for. The reason is, they will appear in the 2023 Asian Cup with a team composition consisting of a combination of young players and experienced players.

The choice of the Spaniard, Jesus Casas, is clearly able to support Iraq's movement as a strong team.

They are clearly one of the candidates to win the 2023 Asian Cup trophy. Iraq had a successful track record when it won the 2007 edition. In addition, Iraq was once the semifinals in the 2015 Asian Cup.

Being the first opponent of the Indonesian national team in the 2023 Asian Cup, Iraq's appearance clearly needs to be watched out for. They still rely on strikers Ali Al Hamadi.

Ali Al Hamadi, who is now playing for AFC Wimbledon in the English League One, became one of the actors who buried the Garuda Squad in the 5-1 win in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers in November 2023.

Apart from Al Hamadi, Iraq is also strengthened by a number of players who appear in European clubs. One of them, Youssef Amyn, who plays for Eintracht Braxiweig in the Bundesliga

Youssef Amyn also contributed one goal against the Indonesian national team in the 2026 World Cup Qualification match.

Iraq qualified for the 2023 Asian Cup through the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers with Iran, Hong Kong, Bahrain, and Cambodia in Group C. In that phase, they qualified with runner-up status through five wins, two draws, and one loss.

Iraq will certainly compete fiercely with Japan, which is also a strong team in Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup.

To support his performance as a team that was championed into the last 16 of the 2023 Asian Cup, Jesus Casas has appointed 26 players registered with the AFC even though the final squad can still change six hours before the group's inaugural match.

List Of Iraqi Players In The 2023 Asian Cup

Goalkeeper

Jalal Hassan (Al Zawraa)

Fahad Talib (Sanat Naft Century)

Ahmed Basil (Al Shorta)

Behind

Ali Adnan (Mes Rafsanjan)

Rebin Sulaka (Brommapojkarna)

Saad Natiq (Abha)

Frans Putros (Port)

Merchas Doski (Slovacko)

Zaid Tahseen (Al-Talaba)

Hussein Ali (Heerenveen)

Ahmed Yahya (Al-Shorta)

Allan Mohideen (Utsikten)

Midfielder

Amjad Attwan (Zakho)

Bashar Resan (SC Qatar)

Ibrahim Bayesh (Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya)

Osama Rashid (Vizela)

Amir Al-Ammari (HaLMstad)

Zidane Iqbal (Utrecht)

Ali Jasim (Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya)

Ahmad Allee (Rouen)

Danilo Al-Saed (Sandefjord)

Youssef Amyn (Eintracht Braguweig)

Montader Madjed (Hammarby)

Striker

Aymen Hussein (Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya)

Mohanad Ali (Al-Shorta)

Ali Al-Hamadi (AFC Wimbledon)