Graham Arnold says a delay to the March 31 game will allow his dispersed team members to gather and prepare.
Published March 9, 2026
Iraq men’s soccer team head coach Graham Arnold has urgently called on FIFA to delay his team’s intercontinental World Cup qualifier due to disruptions caused by Israel and the United States’ escalating war against Iran.
Iraq faces major logistical problems ahead of the winner-take-all playoff against Suriname or Bolivia, scheduled for March 31 in Monterrey, Mexico.
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With Iraqi airspace closed until April 1 due to the escalating conflict, Arnold’s team, predominantly made up of national league players, will not be able to fully assemble.
Players have not obtained visas for the playoff tournament in Mexico due to the closure of foreign embassies, and Arnold is stranded in the United Arab Emirates due to the conflict.
“Please help us with this match because right now we are fighting to get our players out of the country of Iraq,” Arnold, former Australia national team coach, told the Australian Associated Press on Sunday.
The turmoil has already forced the postponement of a planned training camp in Houston, United States.
Arnold said forming a team solely with players based outside Iraq would hamper the country’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 1986.
“It wouldn’t be our best team and we need our best team available for the biggest game in the country in 40 years,” Arnold said.
He has proposed a strategic delay in the playoff schedule, suggesting that FIFA allow Suriname and Bolivia to play their preliminary match this month but postpone the final playoff until a week before the World Cup begins.
The World Cup will take place in the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19.
“In my opinion, if FIFA delayed the match, it would give us time to prepare properly,” Arnold said. “In my opinion, it also gives FIFA more time to decide what Iran is going to do.
“If Iran withdraws, we will go to the World Cup and that will give the United Arab Emirates, who we beat in qualifying, the opportunity to prepare for Bolivia or Suriname.”
Iran was the first team to seal qualification for the World Cup, but the ongoing conflict has put its participation in doubt, both due to logistical difficulties and attacks on Iran by the host nation, the United States.
Arnold said the love of football runs deep in Iraq, making the prospect of missing out on a World Cup berth heartbreaking news for Mesopotamian Lions fans.
“The Iraqi people are so passionate about football it’s crazy. The fact that they haven’t qualified for 40 years is probably the main reason I took this job.
“But right now, with the airport closing, we are working hard to try to find another alternative.”
The coach highlighted the efforts being made by Iraqi football leaders to ensure that the team can play the match.
“Our federation president Adnan Dirjal is working day and night trying to plan and prepare to make everyone’s dream in Iraq come true, so we need this decision to be made quickly.”
New Caledonia, Jamaica and the Democratic Republic of the Congo will travel to Guadalajara later this month to compete in the other three-way playoff for a World Cup berth.
