This Thursday (11/13), the Iraqi national team will play against the United Arab Emirates in the World Cup qualifying playoffs. Iraq last played in the World Cup in 1986, almost 40 years ago. Finally, this country can turn a new page in its history, from the turmoil caused by successive wars to the happiness of its people through achievements in the world of football.
Both teams will play in two games. In addition to the talks this Thursday, the two sides are scheduled to meet again next Tuesday (11/18).
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After decades of war, the country’s situation regarding geopolitical frictions appears to be stable. Since 1990, the Iraq region has been remembered for the conflict scenario of the invasion of Kuwait. In 2003, the War on Terrorism, a U.S.-led movement to combat terrorism, began and lasted until 2011.
The situation began to stabilize only after troops were ordered to leave the country by Barack Obama. Despite this, internal conflicts with terrorist organizations, mainly Islamic State, continued for several years. Iraq is no longer the focus of war in the Middle East and could become another representative of the region at the World Cup.
In the second stage of qualification, Iraq finished undefeated in Group F in first place with six wins and a success rate of 100%. However, in the next stage, the main opponent was strong and Iraq came in third place. South Korea took first place, and Jordan took second place.
The fourth phase saw a repeat of the misfortune. This was the Iraqi team’s last chance to aim for direct participation in the World Cup. But Saudi Arabia came out on top.
Eight Asian teams have already been confirmed to participate in the World Cup. They are Iran, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Jordan, Japan, Australia, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. Iraq needs to win their two matches against the United Arab Emirates by a combined score to join them.
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Possibility of trip to the World Cup
The campaign, Iraq’s only participation in the world championships, left a lot to be desired. If the team is to qualify for the World Cup, the task of overcoming its past performance does not seem to be too difficult. That’s because in 1986 the team lost all its games and left Mexico at the end of the group stage. Mexico, Paraguay and Belgium were at the top.
After debuting in the tournament, I had a chance to try again in the next edition. However, the next World Cup was held in 1990. Coincidentally, this was also the year that Saddam Hussein led his army to occupy Kuwaiti territory.
Football was no longer the focus and the conflict would continue for almost 20 years. But now the climate is different. Iraq wants to distance itself from the battlefield, and soccer success could help change that atmosphere.
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