Iraq national football team

The Iraqi national football team in 1951; they played two games in the Turkish cities of İzmir and Ankara.

On 8 October 1948, the Iraq Football Association was founded.[2] The Iraq FA joined FIFA in 1950 and in April 1951, Iraq played their first match: a 5–0 win over the Civil Cantonment (CC) team of Habbaniyah.[3][2] Iraq's first ever official international game came in the opening game of the 1957 Arab Games in Beirut where Iraq drew 3–3 to Morocco with goals from Ammo Baba, Youra Eshaya (both from Iraq's Assyrian minority) and Fakhri Mohammed Salman.[4][2] One of the members of Iraq's first national team was Youra Eshaya, who in 1954 became the first Iraqi footballer to play in England for Bristol Rovers Colts.

In 1962, Iraq appointed their first foreign manager, Romanian coach Cornel Drăgușin. Iraq won their first trophy in 1964 when they won the Arab Cup, winning three and drawing one of their four games. In the following edition, they retained their Arab Cup title, beating Syria 2–1 in the final in Baghdad.[2]

In 1972, Iraq played at their first ever AFC Asian Cup but failed to win a game in the tournament. In March 1973, Iraq played their first ever FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign. They finished second in their group, a point behind Australia, therefore failing to qualify for the next round. In the remaining years of the 1970s, Iraq reached the second round of the Asian Games (1974), lost the Arabian Gulf Cup final (1976), finished fourth at the AFC Asian Cup (1976), finished fourth in the Asian Games (1978) and finally hosted and won the Arabian Gulf Cup (1979).[5] The 1976 Asian Cup would be the last Asian Cup that Iraq appeared in for the next 20 years, as they withdrew from the next four editions.

The 1980s was arguably Iraq's most successful period in their history. They started the decade off disappointingly, being knocked out in the first round of qualifiers for the 1982 FIFA World Cup. In 1982, they won the gold medal at the 1982 Asian Games. In 1984, Iraq won the Arabian Gulf Cup. The following year, they won the 1985 Arab Cup and also won the gold medal at the 1985 Arab Games.

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 controversially 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. Iraq played against hosts Mexico in the third game, losing 1–0 and being eliminated from the World Cup.

In the following years, Iraq won the 1988 Arabian Gulf Cup and won the 1988 Arab Cup. Overall, Iraq won nine competitions in the 1980s and played in their only World Cup, leading many to believe that this was the golden era of Iraqi football. In 1989, Iraq competed in qualifying for a berth in the 1990 World Cup finals, but they lost a crucial game against Qatar.

Following the Gulf War in 1990, Iraq was banned from participating in the Asian Games and in most Arab competitions, leading them to participate in friendly competitions instead.

In 1993, Iraq participated in qualifiers for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Grouped with China, Yemen, Jordan and Pakistan in the first stage, Iraq proved to be too strong for the rest, with the team only failing to win twice, an draw to Jordan and loss to China.

In the final round, Iraq was grouped with Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Japan, Iran and North Korea.

On the first matchday, Iraq lost 3–2 to North Korea in a dramatic way, being 2–0 ahead in the second half. After an Iraqi player was sent off, North Korea pulled back in the 67th minute, equalized in the 77th minute and scored the winner in the 82nd minute.[6]

They then tied 2–2 with South Korea.[7] and then defeated Iran 2–1 by goals of Ahmed Radhi and Alaa Kadhim.[8]

Iraq missed out on a World Cup spot by two points. By drawing their last game with Japan 2–2, they denied the Japanese a place in the finals in a match referred to by the Japanese media as the Agony of Doha.[9] The loss against North Korea proved to be the difference with the other teams, as they finished bottom of the group with 4 losses.

Iraq participated in the 1996 AFC Asian Cup, their first Asian Cup campaign for 20 years of withdrawing from the previous four. They reached the quarter-finals but lost to the United Arab Emirates due to a golden goal scored by Abdulrahman Ibrahim. In 1996, Iraq was ranked 139th in the world, which is their worst FIFA ranking in their history due to inactivity after withdrawing from several tournaments.

In 1997, Iraq participated in qualifiers for the 1998 FIFA World Cup but were knocked out at the first round following two defeats by Kazakhstan.

This period is known as 'The Dark Era' as Uday Hussein, the son of Saddam Hussein, abused his control of Iraqi football and tortured players who played poorly, punishing them by sending them to prison, making them bathe in raw sewage and kick concrete balls, and shaving their heads among many other punishments.[10][11]

The 2000s was widely considered to be the rebirth and rise of one of Iraq's greatest football generation second only to the 1980s generation.

However, Iraq had a rocky beginning.

Iraq played in the 2000 AFC Asian Cup but were knocked out at the quarter-final stage again, this time by Japan in a 4–1 loss.

Iraq reached the final round of 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification for the first time since 1994 but lost five of their eight second-round games and therefore failed to make the finals.

Iraq won their first ever WAFF Championship in 2002, beating Jordan 3–2 in the final after extra time despite being two goals down.

In 2004, Iraq stunned Asia by beating Saudi Arabia, and reached the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Cup before getting knocked out by China.[12]

In the same year they were knocked out at the second round of 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers by Uzbekistan.

Iraq were ranked as high as 39th in the World Rankings in October 2004 which is their highest ranking position in their history. The following year, Iraq won the gold medal in the West Asian Games by beating Syria in the final via a penalty shootout. In 2007, Iraq were knocked out at the group stage of the Arabian Gulf Cup after a controversial defeat to Saudi Arabia.[13] Akram Salman was sacked and Jorvan Vieira appointed as head coach. Under him, Iraq reached the final of the WAFF Championship but lost 2–1 to Iran.

Iraq playing against Australia in Group A of the 2007 AFC Asian Cup; Iraq won the game 3–1 on their way to winning the cup.

In July 2007, Iraq kicked off their 2007 AFC Asian Cup campaign. The squad was made mainly of players that won the 2000 AFC Youth Championship, finished fourth at the 2004 Olympic Games and second at the 2006 Asian Games. Vieira only had two months to prepare his team for the tournament, and the team suffered from very poor facilities. The Iraq FA struggled to provide the team with enough kits for the tournament and Iraq had not been able to play any previous games in their own country for security reasons and most of the players had had family members killed in the war.

The team started the tournament with a 1–1 draw against joint-hosts Thailand before producing a 3–1 win over favourites Australia. A draw with Oman followed to put Iraq into the quarter-finals where two goals from Younis Mahmoud against Vietnam put Iraq into the semi-finals for the second time in their history. They manages to knock out one of the best Asian teams, South Korea in the semis via a penalty shootout in which Noor Sabri made a crucial save. After the game, a suicide bomber killed 30 football fans who were celebrating the semi-final win over South Korea and this almost led to the Iraqi team withdrawing from the final, but they decided to go on in honour of the dead and succeeded in doing that after defeating Saudi Arabia 1–0 in the final, a game that they dominated from start to finish and that was won by a Younis Mahmoud header. This tournament win is seen as one of the greatest upsets in international history as a war-torn country became international champions in what is described as one of sport's greatest 'fairytales'.[14][15]

Vieira stated during the final that he would resign after the Asian Cup.[16] He was replaced by Egil Olsen in September 2007.[17]

Under Egil Olsen, Iraq advanced from the first round by beating Pakistan 7-0 on aggregate. Then they were drawn with Australia, China, and Qatar for the second round.[18] On the first matchday, Iraq tied China. As a consequence, Olsen was sacked and replaced by Adnan Hamad.[19]

The next two matches saw Iraq lose twice to Qatar and Australia. However, Iraq bounced back with an 1-0 win on Australia and 2-1 win against China.[20]

On 26 May 2008, FIFA decided to suspend Iraq from all international competitions after the Iraq Football Association was disbanded by the government on 20 May 2008.[21] The suspension was provisionally and conditionally lifted on 29 May 2008.[22]

Iraq needed 1 point to advance to the final stage on the last matchday, but failed to advance to the final round of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers as a 1–0 defeat to Qatar saw them finish in third in the group. Following this, the Iraq FA decided to disband the team and sacked Hamad.[23]

Qatar fielded ineligible player Emerson in the 2–0 defeat to Iraq on 26 March 2008, prompting FIFA to controversially[24] suspend him but clear Qatar of any wrongdoing, in direct contradiction to its decisions against Singapore. Iraq appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport but it was rejected by the CAS, saying that Iraq submitted documents and appeal fees too late.[25]

Jorvan Vieira was reappointed in September 2008. After a disappointing 2009 Arabian Gulf Cup, Vieira was sacked and replaced by Bora Milutinovic.[26]

In 2009, Iraq participated in only their second FIFA tournament ever: the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, which they qualified for by winning the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. They started the tournament with a 0–0 draw with hosts South Africa, before losing 1–0 to UEFA Euro 2008 winners Spain. Iraq drew the last game 0–0 with New Zealand and were knocked out.

On 20 November 2009, the FIFA Emergency Committee suspended the Iraq FA due to government interference;[27] the suspension was lifted on 19 March 2010.[28]

Iraq qualified automatically for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. They were drawn against Iran, North Korea and UAE in Group D. After a 2–1 loss against Iran, and 1–0 win against UAE, Iraq went into the match against North Korea needing only a draw to progress. Iraq won 1–0 and advanced to the quarterfinals as group 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.

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 IFA announced it would not renew Wolfgang Sidka's contract on 2 August 2011.[29] On 29 August 2011, Brazilian legend Zico signed a one-year contract to become the new coach of Iraq.[30]

Iraq topped Group A with 15 points, and in the final qualification stage was drawn with Jordan, Japan, Australia and Oman. Iraq started with 1–1 draws against Jordan away and Oman at home. After their slow start, Iraq lost 1–0 to Japan away and lost a crucial home match against Australia 2–1, moving them into bottom position with 2 points. On 14 November 2012, Iraq won 1–0 against Jordan in Doha which elevated them to third in Group B, behind Australia on goal difference and ahead of Oman.

On 28 November 2012, Zico resigned as head coach.[31] The Iraqi FA appointed Vladimir Petrović as his replacement on 25 February 2013.[32] However, on 11 June 2013, Iraq lost 1-0 to Japan in Doha and were eliminated from the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Iraq were in an 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualifying group alongside Saudi Arabia, China and Indonesia. After losing consecutively against China and Saudi Arabia, Iraq was in danger of missing out on the Asian Cup. They kept alive their hopes of qualifying for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup with a 2–0 away win over Indonesia on 19 November 2013, and on the last matchday, Iraq booked their spot with a commanding 3–1 win at the Sharjah Stadium against China. Due to bad results at the 22nd Arabian 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. In the 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. 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. Iraq finished the AFC Asian Cup in fourth place, after losing 2–3 to United Arab Emirates in third/fourth place play-off.

For the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Iraq were drawn with Thailand, Vietnam and Chinese Taipei.[33]

In August 2015, Yahya Alwan was appointed coach for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[34] After initially starting well with a 5-1 win against Chinese Taipei, two consecutive draws against Thailand and Vietnam left Iraq in real danger of missing out on the final round. On 24 March 2016, Iraq tied 2-2 with Thailand and Alwan was replaced with Abdul-Ghani Shahad. Five days later, he led Iraq to the final round and 2019 AFC Asian Cup by beating Vietnam 1-0.

On 15 April 2016, Radhi Shenaishil became the new coach of Iraq in order to lead the team in the final round.[35] For the final round, Iraq was drawn with Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Thailand. After seven matchdays, Iraq only managed to collect 4 points by beating Thailand and tie 1-1 with Australia. As a result, Shenaishil was sacked on April 10, 2017.[36]

Basim Qasim was appointed for the remainder of the qualifiers and Iraq finished fifth in the final round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification.

The 2019 Asian Cup draw put Iraq in Group D, with Iran, Vietnam, and Yemen.[37]

On 3 September 2018, Srečko Katanec was appointed as head coach on a three-year contract to lead Iraq in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup and 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.[38]

Their first match took place on 8 January 2019 against Vietnam and ended in a 3-2 victory for Iraq.[39] In their second match, Iraq faced Iran on January 12, resulting in a 0-0 draw. Their final group game against Yemen on January 16 ended in a 3-0 victory, with goals coming from Mohanad Ali, Bashar Resan, and Alaa Abbas. With these performances, Iraq finished at the top of Group D and advanced to the knockout stage.[40]

In the Round of 16, Iraq faced Qatar. Despite their efforts, Iraq suffered a 1-0 defeat, with Bassam Al-Rawi scoring the only goal, ending their journey in the tournament. Qatar later won the tournament.[41]

Iraq participated in the second round of the Asian qualifiers. They were placed in Group C alongside Bahrain, Iran, Cambodia, and Hong Kong and reached the final round with five wins from eight matches including a 2–1 victory against Iran.[42]

Iraq went 19 consecutive matches without losing between 2019 and 2021 and moved up from 89th to 68th in the FIFA rankings during Katanec's tenure. Katanec departed in July 2021 after six months of unpaid wages and filed a complaint with FIFA.[43]

On 31 July 2021, Dutchman Dick Advocaat was appointed head coach of Iraq.[44] Under Advocaat, Iraq made to a slow start to the final round of World Cup Qualifiers, drawing four games and losing two, and on 21 November 2021, Advocaat resigned. Željko Petrović took charge of the team for the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup, where Iraq were eliminated from the group stage. Petrović was sacked after two further winless qualifying games and Abdul-Ghani Shahad was appointed as an interim manager, but Iraq were eliminated after finishing fourth in the group.

On 7 November 2022, Jesús Casas was appointed head coach of Iraq to lead the national team in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup and 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.[45] In the first tournament under Casas' leadership, Iraq hosted and won the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup, beating Oman 3–2 after extra time in the final.[46]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Iraq national football team kits.

The Iraqi national football team's traditional home colour is green, while the away colour is white and the third colour is black. Iraq's kits have previously been manufactured by brands such as Adidas, Puma, Nike, Diadora, Jack & Jones, Lotto, Peak, Givova and Umbro. The current kit supplier is Jako.[47][48]

Lion in ceramic tile from the Ishtar Gate in Babylon.

The Iraqi team is commonly known as Usood Al-Rafidain (Arabic: أُسُودُ الرَّافِدَيْن), meaning "Lions of Mesopotamia". In ancient Mesopotamia, the Babylonian lion was a symbol of power, impetuosity, ferocity, prestige and dominance.[51] This is reflected in the sculpted lions in Babylon, where the processional path is ornamented with ceramic tile bas-reliefs representing a prestigious lion from the time of Nebuchadnezzar II. This kind of representation aimed to glorify the king, master of the beasts, and also represent the defeat of the enemy.[52] Moreover, the Chaldean royal inscriptions depict the king as a ferocious lion to whom nothing can be resisted.[53][54][55] The presence of lions in ancient Iraqi civilization was based on the belief, or desire, that the animals represented would bring with them the virtues they symbolized, so that they could be transmitted to the owners.[56]

Iraq kits throughout history have usually featured the flag of Iraq on them, although the coat of arms of Iraq and the Iraq Football Association logo have both appeared on kits in the past. The national team has occasionally had its own unique logo, the first of which was in 1983. This logo was based on the Iraq flag, with Iraqi written at the top of the crest.[57] From 2000 to 2002, the national team's logo featured a green outline with the word Iraq written at the top in green Arabic text. In the 2005 West Asian Games, the team wore a new logo with the red band of the flag appearing in a large semi-circle shape,[58] and in 2007, Iraq briefly reverted to using the logo that they had used from 2000 to 2002. On 23 October 2020, the national team's current logo was revealed, with a star featuring above the crest to commemorate the nation's 2007 AFC Asian Cup victory.[59]

• 
  1983
• 
  2000–2002, 2007
• 
  2005
• 
  2020–present

Due to geographical location, Iraq maintains strong rivalries with many neighbours.

Iraq's main and traditional rival has been Iran, and they are often considered to be two of the greatest football teams in the Middle East and Asia with one of the greatest rivalries. At the early stage, Iran had proved to be more dominant than Iraq, remaining undefeated from 1964 until 1993. In the contemporary era, especially during the reign of Saddam Hussein, the two countries had bad relations and fought the Iran–Iraq War for eight years.[60][61] Iraqis have considered any matches against Iran as a must-win encounter and are known to treat it differently from any other football matches.[62] Iraq has played 31 matches against Iran with 6 victories, 7 draws, and 18 losses.

Iraq's other rival is Saudi Arabia, and matches between the two teams also draw significant attention from Iraqi fans, with Iraq and Saudi Arabia being recognised as the two most successful Arab teams in Asia. The beginnings of the footballing rivalry between them dates back to the 1970s, but it was only after the 1990s that the rivalry between the two Arab nations truly developed since it was previously overshadowed by Iraq's rivalries with Iran and Kuwait.[63] One of these reasons for the rivalry to develop is due to the bitter Gulf War, where Iraq fought against Saudi Arabia over Kuwait, an ally of Saudi Arabia.[64] These encounters have also been marred with various controversies and hostilities, such as the 21st Arabian Gulf Cup hosting rights, where Iraq was stripped from hosting with the tournament instead being moved to Bahrain, a move which was believed by Iraqis as a deliberate act by Saudi Arabia to remove Iraq's home advantage.[64] Before that, Iraq was also banned from hosting home games against Saudi Arabia due to the Gulf War.[64] Iraq has played 40 matches against Saudi Arabia with 18 victories, 11 draws, and 11 losses

Iraq's rivalry with Kuwait was once considered the greatest football rivalry in the Middle East, until being taken over by Iraq's rivalry with Saudi Arabia due to Kuwait's decline. The rivalry began in the mid-1970s. Because of the Gulf War, Iraq and Kuwait were in complete avoidance and never met for more than 15 years until 2005. Iraq has played 37 matches against Kuwait with 17 victories, 10 draws, and 10 losses.

Iraqi fans in London celebrating Iraq winning the 2007 AFC Asian Cup.

Iraq national team supporters are known for chanting "O Victorious Baghdad" ("منصورة يا بغداد") or "With our souls and our blood, we will redeem you, O Iraq" ("بالروح بالدم نفديك يا عراق") during the Iraqi team's matches.[65]

Another famous chant is "the first goal is coming" ("هسه يجي الاول") which is chanted in the beginning of the match.[66] A succeeding chant is "the second goal is coming" ("هسه يجي الثاني"); this is usually chanted repeatedly after Iraq score a goal to motivate the players to score another.

Basra International Stadium during the second opening friendly match between Al-Zawraa and Zamalek in 2013.

Currently, Iraq primarily play their home matches in Basra or Baghdad, and use other various stadiums around Iraq. Since 1980, FIFA imposed bans on seven occasions that prevented Iraq from hosting competitive international games.

Pre-2003

The first ban was imposed in 1980 after an Olympic qualifying play-off between Iraq and Kuwait in Baghdad, where the match referee was attacked by enraged home fans and members of the Iraqi team after the Malaysian official's decision to award a match-changing penalty to the Kuwaitis that led to Iraq losing 3–2. The ban was lifted in 1982.[67]

Around the same time, the Iran–Iraq War started and the ban was imposed again. Iraq played their qualifying home games at a neutral venue and still qualified for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, and three Olympic Games (Moscow, Los Angeles and Seoul). The ban was lifted in 1988, when the war ended.

When the Gulf War broke out in 1990, FIFA banned Iraq from hosting matches again until 1995. Iraq played at home at the 1998 World Cup qualifiers and 2002 World Cup qualifiers.

Post-2003

The Iraq War in 2003 forced Iraq to play their home matches outside the country for security reasons, and so home games were held at neutral venues for the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, 2007 Asian Cup qualifiers and 2010 World Cup qualifiers. In July 2009, Iraq played on home soil for the first time since the Iraq War, against Palestine in Erbil and Baghdad. The same month, the AFC Executive Committee approved the Franso Hariri Stadium as Iraq's venue for international matches and for clubs in continental tournaments.[68]

On 23 July 2011, Iraq played a FIFA World Cup qualifier on home ground for the first time since 2001, defeating Yemen 2–0 at Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil. However, FIFA re-imposed the ban on 23 September 2011 due to fears over security and a breach of safety regulations in the qualifying match with Jordan. Between 2013 and 2018, Iraq played various friendlies on home soil – in 2013 against Syria and Liberia in Baghdad, and in 2017 against Jordan, Kenya and Syria in Basra and Karbala. After successfully hosting these friendlies, on 16 March 2018, FIFA announced the lifting of the ban on competitive matches in the three cities.[69][70] The 2018 AFC Cup Final was hosted in Basra,[71] and in the summer of 2019, Iraq hosted the 2019 WAFF Championship.[72]

However, following the outbreak of the 2019 Iraqi protests, FIFA once again imposed competitive home matches ban on Iraq.[73] This meant that Iraq played the remainder of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers at neutral venues. The ban was briefly lifted before being re-imposed following the 2022 Erbil missile attacks.

In 2023, Iraq hosted the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup, which was the first time they had hosted the tournament since 1979.[74]

The following 23 players were called up for the 2023 Jordan International Tournament:[76]

Caps and goals correct as of 17 October 2023, after the game against Jordan.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
12	1GK	Jalal Hassan (captain)	(1991-05-18) 18 May 1991	73	0	Al-Zawraa
1	1GK	Fahad Talib	(1994-10-21) 21 October 1994	19	0	Sanat Naft Abadan
22	1GK	Ahmed Basil	(1996-08-19) 19 August 1996	4	0	Al-Shorta
6	2DF	Ali Adnan	(1993-12-19) 19 December 1993	88	7	Mes Rafsanjan
3	2DF	Rebin Sulaka	(1992-04-12) 12 April 1992	32	0	Brommapojkarna
2	2DF	Manaf Younis	(1996-11-16) 16 November 1996	15	1	Al-Shorta
19	2DF	Frans Putros	(1993-07-14) 14 July 1993	14	0	Port
23	2DF	Merchas Doski	(1999-12-07) 7 December 1999	7	0	Slovácko
5	2DF	Ahmed Yahya	(1997-05-27) 27 May 1997	3	0	Al-Shorta
	2DF	Masies Artien	(1993-08-08) 8 August 1993	1	0	Spakenburg
4	2DF	Mustafa Saadoun	(2001-05-25) 25 May 2001	1	0	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
14	3MF	Amjad Attwan	(1997-03-12) 12 March 1997	77	4	Zakho
13	3MF	Bashar Resan	(1996-12-22) 22 December 1996	57	3	Qatar
8	3MF	Ibrahim Bayesh	(2000-05-01) 1 May 2000	44	6	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
20	3MF	Osama Rashid	(1992-01-17) 17 January 1992	27	0	Vizela
16	3MF	Amir Al-Ammari	(1997-07-27) 27 July 1997	21	1	Halmstad
17	3MF	Ahmed Farhan	(1999-01-01) 1 January 1999	9	0	Al-Shorta
21	3MF	Ahmad Allée	(1996-04-29) 29 April 1996	2	0	Rouen
24	3MF	Danilo Al-Saed	(1999-02-24) 24 February 1999	2	0	Sandefjord
11	3MF	Ali Jasim	(2004-01-20) 20 January 2004	2	0	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
7	3MF	Ali Hayder	(2005-10-01) 1 October 2005	1	0	Stoke City Academy
18	4FW	Aymen Hussein	(1996-03-22) 22 March 1996	66	17	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
10	4FW	Mohanad Ali	(2000-06-20) 20 June 2000	39	17	Al-Shorta
9	4FW	Ali Al-Hamadi	(2002-03-01) 1 March 2002	9	2	AFC Wimbledon

The following players have been called up within the last 12 months and remain eligible for selection.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Ali Ebadi	(2000-02-16) 16 February 2000	0	0	Al-Kahrabaa	Training camp, June 2023PRE
GK	Hassan Ahmed	(1999-10-04) 4 October 1999	0	0	Al-Talaba	25th Arabian Gulf Cup PRE
GK	Dolvan Mahdi	(1993-10-27) 27 October 1993	0	0	Al-Talaba	Friendlies, November 2022
GK	Ahmed Shaker	(1998-09-19) 19 September 1998	0	0	Al-Karkh	Friendlies, November 2022 PRE INJ
DF	Hussein Ali	(2002-03-01) 1 March 2002	2	0	Heerenveen	2023 King's CupINJ
DF	Ali Faez	(1994-09-09) 9 September 1994	48	4	Al-Talaba	v.  Colombia, 16 June 2023
DF	Mustafa Nadhim	(1993-09-23) 23 September 1993	43	4	Al-Zawraa	v.  Colombia, 16 June 2023
DF	Saad Natiq	(1994-03-19) 19 March 1994	33	0	Abha	v.  Colombia, 16 June 2023
DF	Alai Ghasem	(2003-02-16) 16 February 2003	8	0	Utsikten	v.  Colombia, 16 June 2023INJ
DF	Allan Mohideen	(1993-11-11) 11 November 1993	2	0	Utsikten	v.  Colombia, 16 June 2023
DF	Mohanad Jeahze	(1997-04-10) 10 April 1997	4	0	D.C. United	Training camp, June 2023PRE
DF	Hammoud Mishaan	(1998-07-25) 25 July 1998	0	0	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	Training camp, June 2023PRE
DF	Mustafa Mohammed	(1998-01-14) 14 January 1998	16	0	Al-Zawraa	v.  Russia, 26 March 2023
DF	Hassan Raed	(2000-09-23) 23 September 2000	11	0	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	v.  Russia, 26 March 2023
DF	Hamza Adnan	(1996-02-08) 8 February 1996	6	0	Al-Minaa	v.  Russia, 26 March 2023
DF	Hussein Ammar	(1999-08-18) 18 August 1999	4	0	Al-Talaba	v.  Russia, 26 March 2023
DF	Dhurgham Ismail	(1994-05-24) 24 May 1994	70	4	Al-Khaldiya	25th Arabian Gulf Cup
DF	Zaid Tahseen	(2001-01-29) 29 January 2001	4	0	Al-Talaba	25th Arabian Gulf Cup
DF	Ahmed Abdul-Hussein	(1997-10-22) 22 October 1997	4	0	Al-Zawraa	25th Arabian Gulf Cup PRE
DF	Karrar Amer	(1994-10-16) 16 October 1994	3	0	Al-Shorta	v.  Ecuador, 12 November 2022
DF	Ahmed Zero	(2002-11-10) 10 November 2002	1	0	Al-Shorta	v.  Mexico, 9 November 2022
MF	Zidane Iqbal	(2003-04-27) 27 April 2003	5	0	Utrecht	2023 King's CupINJ
MF	Hussein Ali Al-Saedi	(1996-11-29) 29 November 1996	50	6	Al-Shorta	2023 King's Cup
MF	André Alsanati	(2000-01-06) 6 January 2000	1	0	Sirius	2023 King's Cup
MF	Humam Tariq	(1996-02-10) 10 February 1996	75	3	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	v.  Colombia, 16 June 2023
MF	Sherko Karim	(1996-05-25) 25 May 1996	22	1	Erbil	v.  Colombia, 16 June 2023
MF	Hasan Abdulkareem	(1999-04-17) 17 April 1999	13	1	Al-Zawraa	v.  Colombia, 16 June 2023
MF	Kevin Yakob	(2000-10-10) 10 October 2000	1	0	AGF	v.  Colombia, 16 June 2023
MF	Bassam Shakir	(2000-05-17) 17 May 2000	2	0	Al-Shorta	Training camp, June 2023PRE
MF	Sumar Almadjed	(1996-03-13) 13 March 1996	0	0	Helsingborg	Training camp, June 2023PRE
MF	Abdul-Razzaq Qasim	(2003-02-19) 19 February 2003	0	0	Al-Shorta	Training camp, June 2023PRE
MF	Youssef Amyn	(2003-08-21) 21 August 2003	0	0	Eintracht Braunschweig	Training camp, June 2023PRE
MF	Mohammed Ali Abbood	(2000-10-01) 1 October 2000	15	0	Al-Zawraa	v.  Russia, 26 March 2023
MF	Karrar Nabeel	(1998-01-16) 16 January 1998	4	0	Al-Talaba	v.  Russia, 26 March 2023
MF	Louaï El Ani	(1997-07-12) 12 July 1997	1	0	Al-Talaba	v.  Russia, 26 March 2023
MF	Alexander Aoraha	(2003-01-17) 17 January 2003	1	0	Queens Park Rangers	v.  Russia, 26 March 2023
MF	Hussein Jabbar	(1998-03-09) 9 March 1998	10	0	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	25th Arabian Gulf Cup
MF	Rewan Amin	(1996-01-08) 8 January 1996	6	0	Duhok	25th Arabian Gulf Cup
MF	Moammel Abdul-Ridha	(2000-03-28) 28 March 2000	3	0	Al-Talaba	Training camp, June 2023PRE
MF	Ahmed Yasin	(1991-04-22) 22 April 1991	63	6	Al-Kholood	25th Arabian Gulf Cup WD
MF	Saad Abdul-Amir	(1992-01-19) 19 January 1992	84	4	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	25th Arabian Gulf Cup PRE
MF	Shihab Razzaq	(1995-10-07) 7 October 1995	2	0	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	25th Arabian Gulf Cup PRE
MF	Jiloan Hamad	(1990-11-06) 6 November 1990	1	0	Uthai Thani	25th Arabian Gulf Cup PRE
MF	Ali Mahdi	(1995-06-26) 26 June 1995	0	0	Al-Talaba	25th Arabian Gulf Cup PRE
MF	Ahmed Sartip	(2000-02-20) 20 February 2000	0	0	Erbil	25th Arabian Gulf Cup PRE
MF	Mohammed Qasim	(1996-12-06) 6 December 1996	24	2	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	v.  Ecuador, 12 November 2022
MF	Sajjad Jassim	(1998-01-07) 7 January 1998	9	1	Al-Shorta	v.  Ecuador, 12 November 2022
MF	Hiran Ahmed	(2000-04-06) 6 April 2000	3	0	Duhok	v.  Mexico, 9 November 2022
MF	Marwan Bazi	(1998-02-03) 3 February 1998	0	0	Jönköping Södra	Friendlies, November 2022 PRE
FW	Pashang Abdulla	(1994-05-29) 29 May 1994	2	0	Degerfors	2023 King's Cup
FW	Amin Al-Hamawi	(2003-12-17) 17 December 2003	2	0	Helsingborg	2023 King's Cup
FW	Alaa Abbas	(1997-07-27) 27 July 1997	27	4	Nassaji	Training camp, June 2023PRE
FW	Aso Rostam	(1994-12-01) 1 December 1994	7	1	Erbil	v.  Russia, 26 March 2023
FW	Amar Muhsin	(1997-12-27) 27 December 1997	2	0	Helsingborg	25th Arabian Gulf Cup PRE WD
SUS Player suspended INJ Player injured PRE Player was named in preliminary squad RET Player retired from the national team WD Player withdrew for non-injury related reasons