Iraq national football team

Iraq

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	89 2 (4 February 2016)
Highest	39 (October 2004)
Lowest	139 (July 1996)
Elo ranking
Current	73 (31 March 2015)
Highest	26 (December 1982)
Lowest	86 (15 November 2013)
First international
Morocco 3–3 Iraq (Beirut, Lebanon; October 19, 1957)
Biggest win
Iraq 13–0 Ethiopia (Irbid, Jordan; August 18, 1992)
Biggest defeat
Turkey 7–1 Iraq (Adana, Turkey; December 6, 1959)  Brazil 6–0 Iraq (Malmö, Sweden; October 11, 2012)  Chile 6–0 Iraq (Copenhagen, Denmark; August 14, 2013)
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 Iraq 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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]

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.

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	Umbro
1986–1994	Adidas
1996	Puma
2000	Patrick
2004–2005	Jack & Jones
2005–2006	Lotto
2006	Adidas
2007	Umbro
2008–2014	Peak
2014–present	Jako

Competition records

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record Qualifications record Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA GP W D L GS GA 1930 to 1970 Did not enter Did not enter 1974 Did not qualify 6 3 2 1 11 6 1978 Did not enter Did not enter 1982 Did not qualify 4 3 0 1 5 2 1986 Group stage 23rd 3 0 0 3 1 4 8 5 1 2 13 11 1990 Did not qualify 6 3 2 1 11 5 1994 13 7 4 2 37 13 1998 4 2 0 2 14 8 2002 14 6 3 5 37 15 2006 6 3 2 1 17 7 2010 8 3 2 3 11 6 2014 16 7 3 6 20 12 2018 To be determined 4 2 2 0 10 4 Total Group Stage 1/21 3 0 0 3 1 4 89 44 21 24 186 89

FIFA Confederations Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup record Year Round Position Pld W D * L GF GA 1992 to 1995 Did not enter 1997 to 2005 Did not qualify 2009 Group stage 7th 3 0 2 1 0 1 2013 to 2017 Did not qualify Total Best: Group stage 1/9 3 0 2 1 0 1

Summer Olympics

Olympic Games record Year Result Position GP W D* L GS GA 1908 to 1956 Did not enter 1960 to 1976 Did not qualify 1980 Quarterfinals 8th 4 1 2 1 4 5 1984 Group stage 14th 3 0 1 2 3 6 1988 Group Stage 10th 3 1 1 1 5 4 1992–present See Iraq national under-23 team Total Best:Quarterfinals 3/17 10 2 4 4 12 15

AFC Asian Cup

AFC Asian Cup Finals record Year Result Position GP W D* L GS GA 1956 Did not enter 1960 1964 1968 1972 Group stage 6th 3 0 2 1 1 4 1976 Fourth place 4th 4 1 0 3 3 6 1980 Withdrew 1984 1988 1992 Did not enter 1996 Quarterfinals 6th 4 2 0 2 6 4 2000 Quarterfinals 7th 4 1 1 2 5 7 2004 Quarterfinals 8th 4 2 0 2 5 7 2007 Champions 1st 6 3 3 0 7 2 2011 Quarterfinals 8th 4 2 0 2 3 3 2015 Fourth place 4th 6 2 1 3 8 9 2019 To be determined Total Best: Champions 8/17 35 13 7 15 38 42

Regional tournaments

Asian Games record

Asian Games Finals record Year Result Position GP W D* L GS GA 1951 to 1970 Did not enter 1974 Round 2 5th 6 3 2 1 6 2 1978 Fourth place 4th 7 4 1 2 11 4 1982 Gold Medal 1st 6 5 0 1 11 2 1986 Quarterfinals 6th 5 3 1 1 13 5 1990 to 1998 Banned1 Since 2002, the Asian Games are part of Iraq Olympic team's record Total Best: Gold Medal 4/11 24 15 4 5 41 13 1 Iraq was banned from the competition from 1990 to 2002 due to the Gulf War.

Gulf Cup of Nations record Gulf Cup of Nations Year Result GP W D* L GS GA 1970 Did not enter 1972 1974 1976 Runners-up 7 4 2 1 23 8 1979 Champions 6 6 0 0 23 1 1982 Withdrew 4 3 1 0 8 2 1984 Champions 7 4 2 1 12 5 1986 6th place 6 1 3 2 8 9 1988 Champions 6 4 2 0 8 1 1990 Withdrew 3 1 2 0 4 3 1992 to 2003 Banned1 2004 Group stage 3 0 2 1 5 7 2007 Group stage 3 1 1 1 2 2 2009 Group stage 3 0 1 2 2 8 2010 Semifinals 4 1 3 0 5 4 2013 Runners-up 5 4 0 1 7 3 2014 Group stage 3 0 1 2 1 4 Total Best: Champions 66 33 21 12 108 58 1 Iraq was banned from the competition from 1992 to 2003 due to the Gulf War.

West Asian Football Federation Championship record WAFF Championship Year Result GP W D* L GF GA 2000 Third place 5 3 2 0 10 2 2002 Champions 4 3 1 0 6 2 2004 Fourth place 4 1 0 3 4 8 2007 Runners-up 4 2 1 1 5 2 2008 Withdrew 2010 Semifinals 3 2 0 1 6 3 2012 Runners-up 4 2 1 1 4 2 2014 Group stage 2 0 2 0 0 0 Total Best: Champions 25 13 6 6 35 19 West Asian Games record West Asian Games Year Result GP W D* L GF GA 1997 Did not enter 2002 2005 Gold Medal 4 3 1 0 13 3 Total Best: Gold Medal 4 3 1 0 13 3

Arab Nations Cup record Arab Nations Cup Year Result GP W D* L GF GA 1963 Did not enter 1964 Champions 4 3 1 0 6 2 1966 Champions 6 5 1 0 20 5 1985 Champions 4 3 1 0 7 3 1988 Champions 6 2 4 0 7 2 1992 Banned1 1998 2002 2012 Third place 5 3 1 1 6 4 Total Best: Champions 25 16 8 1 46 16 1 Iraq was banned from the competition from 1992 to 2002 due to the Gulf War.

Pan Arab Games record Pan Arab Games Year Result GP W D* L GF GA 1953 Did not enter 1957 Group stage 3 1 1 1 8 8 1961 Did not enter 1965 Group stage 4 1 2 1 7 2 1976 Did not enter 1985 Gold Medal 4 4 0 0 7 1 1997 Did not enter 1999 Silver Medal 7 4 1 2 17 9 2007 Did not enter 2011 Group stage 2 0 1 1 0 3 Total Best: Gold Medal 20 10 5 5 39 23

Friendly tournaments

Year	Tournament	Result	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1981	Merdeka Tournament	Champions	6	4	1	1	16	4
1984	Merlion Cup	Champions	5	4	1	0	10	3
1989	Peace and Friendship Cup	Champions	5	2	2	1	9	5
1995	Nehru Cup	Champions	5	3	2	0	8	3
1995	Merdeka Tournament	Champions	4	3	1	0	7	3
1997	Nehru Cup	Champions	6	5	1	0	14	3
2009	UAE International Cup	Champions	2	2	0	0	2	0

Matches

Records versus other nations

Rivalries

• Kuwait national football team

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]

• Iran national football team

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

      Win       Draw       Lose

Coaching staff

Position	Name
Head coach	Yahya Alwan
Assistant coach	Nazar Ashraf
Team manager	Basil Gorgis
Goalkeeping coach	Abdul-Kareem Naieem
Fitness coach	Gonzalo Rodriguez
Team doctor	Qasim Mohammed

Players

Current squad

• The following 23 players are called up for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification :
• Match date: 17 November 2015
• Opposition:  Chinese Taipei
• Caps and goals are correct as of November 17, 2015, after the match against Chinese Taipei.

0#0 Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club 1 1GK Karrar Ibrahim (1994-09-19) September 19, 1994 0 0 Al-Minaa 12 1GK Mohammed Gassid (1986-12-13) December 13, 1986 55 0 Al-Zawraa 22 1GK Noor Sabri (1980-12-16) December 16, 1980 97 0 Naft Al-Wasat 2 2DF Ahmad Ibrahim (1992-02-25) February 25, 1992 53 1 Al Dhafra 3 2DF Dhurgham Ismail (1994-05-23) May 23, 1994 32 3 Rizespor 4 2DF Mustafa Nadhim (1993-09-23) September 23, 1993 13 3 Naft Al-Wasat 6 2DF Ali Adnan (1993-12-19) December 19, 1993 38 2 Udinese 14 2DF Salam Shaker (1986-07-31) July 31, 1986 90 4 Al-Fateh 15 2DF Ali Rehema (1983-08-08) August 8, 1983 111 2 Al-Wakrah 18 2DF Karrar Mohammed (1989-12-06) December 6, 1989 0 0 Al-Zawraa 23 2DF Faisal Jassim (1986-07-01) July 1, 1986 1 0 Al-Minaa 5 3MF Yaser Kasim (1991-05-10) May 10, 1991 17 3 Swindon Town 8 3MF Karrar Jassim (1987-03-15) March 15, 1987 64 6 Naft Al-Wasat 11 3MF Humam Tariq (1996-02-10) February 10, 1996 32 1 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 16 3MF Ali Husni (1994-05-23) May 23, 1994 9 1 Al-Minaa 19 3MF Mahdi Kamel (1995-01-06) January 6, 1995 13 0 Al-Shorta 20 3MF Ali Qasim (1996-03-05) March 5, 1996 5 1 Al-Minaa 21 3MF Saad Abdul-Amir (1992-01-20) January 20, 1992 52 1 Al-Qadisiyah 7 4FW Justin Meram (1988-12-04) December 4, 1988 17 2 Columbus Crew 8 4FW Mohannad Abdul-Raheem (1993-09-22) September 22, 1993 21 4 Al-Zawraa 9 4FW Mazen Faiadh (1997-04-02) April 2, 1997 0 0 Al-Naft 10 4FW Younis Mahmoud (Captain) (1983-02-03) February 3, 1983 145 57 Al-Talaba 17 4FW Alaa Abdul-Zahra (1985-12-22) December 22, 1985 87 14 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 0 0 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya v.  Thailand, September 8, 2015 GK Ali Yaseen (1993-08-09) August 9, 1993 0 0 Al-Naft v.  Thailand, September 8, 2015 GK Jalal Hassan (1991-05-18) May 18, 1991 25 0 Al-Shorta v.  Japan, June 11, 2015 GK Mohammed Hameed (1993-01-24) January 24, 1993 11 0 Al-Talaba v.  DR Congo, March 31, 2015 DF Sameh Saeed (1992-05-26) May 26, 1992 10 0 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya v.  Vietnam, October 8, 2015 DF Hussein Falah (1994-07-01) July 1, 1994 2 0 Al-Minaa v.  Vietnam, October 8, 2015 DF Hamza Adnan (1996-02-08) February 8, 1996 1 0 Al-Minaa v.  Vietnam, October 8, 2015 DF Safa Jabbar (1993-07-20) July 20, 1993 1 0 Zakho v.  Jordan, October 3, 2015 DF Rebin Sulaka (1992-04-12) April 12, 1992 1 0 Syrianska FC v.  Chinese Taipei, September 3, 2015 DF Saad Natiq (1994-03-19) March 19, 1994 1 0 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya v.  Chinese Taipei, September 3, 2015 DF Burhan Jumaah (1996-07-01) July 1, 1996 0 0 Erbil v.  Lebanon, August 26, 2015 DF Samal Saeed (1984-05-27) May 27, 1984 66 2 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya v.  Japan, June 11, 2015 DF Ali Bahjat (1992-03-03) March 3, 1992 26 0 Al-Minaa v.  Japan, June 11, 2015 DF Hawbir Mustafa (1993-09-24) September 24, 1993 1 0 MVV v.  DR Congo, March 31, 2015 DF Aldin El-Zubaidi (1995-03-07) March 7, 1995 0 0 Cowdenbeath v.  DR Congo, March 31, 2015 MF Ahmed Yasin (1991-04-22) April 22, 1991 42 4 AIK v.  Vietnam, October 8, 2015 INJ MF Bashar Rasan (1996-12-22) December 22, 1996 3 0 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya v.  Vietnam, October 8, 2015 MF Osama Ali (1988-06-25) June 25, 1988 5 0 Al-Talaba v.  Jordan, October 3, 2015 MF Ahmad Ayad (1991-01-19) January 19, 1991 15 0 Al-Shorta v.  Lebanon, August 26, 2015 MF Hussein Abdul-Wahed (1980-02-08) February 8, 1980 5 0 Al-Zawraa v.  Lebanon, August 26, 2015 MF Amjad Waleed (1990-06-01) June 1, 1990 0 0 Naft Al-Wasat v.  Lebanon, August 26, 2015 MF Saif Salman (1993-07-01) July 1, 1993 37 0 Al-Ittihad v.  Japan, June 11, 2015 MF Arjan Mostafa (1994-05-05) May 5, 1994 1 0 Zakho v.  DR Congo, March 31, 2015 FW Marwan Hussein (1992-01-26) January 26, 1992 11 0 Al-Shorta v.  Thailand, September 8, 2015 FW Ayman Hussein (1996-03-22) March 22, 1996 1 0 Al-Naft v.  Thailand, September 8, 2015 FW Hammadi Ahmad (1983-10-18) October 18, 1983 33 6 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya v.  Lebanon, August 26, 2015 FW Abdul-Qadir Tariq (1994-07-01) July 1, 1994 1 0 Al-Talaba v.  Lebanon, August 26, 2015 FW Amjad Radhi (1990-07-17) July 17, 1990 35 2 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya v.  Japan, June 11, 2015 FW Hussein Ali Wahid (1992-10-08) October 8, 1992 3 1 Al-Mina'a SC v.  Japan, June 11, 2015 FW Ali Salah (1987-02-11) February 11, 1987 9 0 Al-Shorta v.  DR Congo, March 31, 2015

Previous squads

World Cups

• 1986 FIFA World Cup squad

Asian Cups

• 1972 Asian Cup squad
• 1976 Asian Cup squad
• 1996 Asian Cup squad
• 2000 Asian Cup squad
• 2004 Asian Cup squad
• 2007 Asian Cup squad
• 2011 Asian Cup squad
• 2015 Asian Cup squad

Confederations Cups

• 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup squad

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
	Emad Mohammed		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

• FIFA World Cup

Group stage (1): 1986

• FIFA Confederations Cup

Group stage (1): 2009

• AFC Asian Cup

Winners (1): 2007

Fourth place (2): 1976, 2015

Regional tournaments

• Arab Nations Cup

Winners (4): 1964, 1966, 1985, 1988

Third place (1): 2012

• Gulf Cup of Nations

Winners (3): 1979, 1984, 1988

Runners-up (2): 1976, 2013

• WAFF Championship

Winners (1): 2002

Runners-up (2): 2007, 2012

Third place (2): 2000, 2010⁽¹⁾

Fourth place (1): 2004

• Asian Games⁽²⁾

Winners (1): 1982

• West Asian Games

Winners (1): 2005

• Pan Arab Games

Winners (1): 1985

Runners-up (1): 1999