Iraq

Overview

The Iraq national football team (Arabic: منتخب الْعِرَاق لِكُرَةُ الْقَدَم), nicknamed the Lions of Mesopotamia (Arabic: أسود الرافدين), represents Iraq in men's international football and is controlled by the Iraq Football Association (IFA), the governing body for football in Iraq. Iraq's usual home venue is the Basra International Stadium. Iraq made its first FIFA World Cup appearance in 1986, scoring a solitary goal against Belgium, and qualified for the second time in 2026. Iraq is one of eight current AFC nations to have won the AFC Asian Cup, claiming the title in 2007 in spite of difficult conditions and limited preparation. Iraq defeated some of the favourites in the competition including Australia, South Korea and Saudi Arabia. This qualified the team for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup where they earned two points in the group stage; they later finished fourth at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. Iraq is the Arab Cup's most successful nation with four titles, and has also won the Arabian Gulf Cup four times and the WAFF Championship once. Iraq is known for its passionate football fans and the national team is seen as a symbol of hope and unity for Iraqi people. The team reached its highest FIFA World Ranking of 39th in October 2004.