Iraq football team to travel for World Cup playoff in Mexico
Iraq will travel to Mexico for a 2026 World Cup playoff match despite calls for it to be postponed due to the Middle East war, the country's football association said Saturday. "The national team will depart at the end of the week to Mexico via a private plane," said Iraq football association president Adnan Dirjal in a statement, adding they had contacted FIFA to help facilitate the trip during the conflict in the region that has hampered flights.
"We succeeded in communicating with some of the clubs of our professional players to facilitate their joining the national team." The match date has been set for March 31 in the Mexican city of Monterrey. Iraq is scheduled to face either Suriname or Bolivia in an intercontinental playoff final. The winner will play in Group I alongside France, Senegal and Norway in the first round of this summer's men's tournament jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The war, triggered by US-Israeli strikes on February 28, has thrown into doubt Iran's participation in the global spectacle. US President Donald Trump warned on Thursday that the Iranian team's "life and safety" would be at risk in the US, despite FIFA chief Gianni Infantino saying they would be welcome at the tournament.
The conflict had also cast doubt on the participation of Iraq, which neighbours Iran, due to travel disruption concerns, with its manager calling for FIFA to postpone the country's playoff match. Iraq's head coach, Australian Graham Arnold, said many of the team's players and technical staff were stranded in the Middle East due to the ongoing conflict.
