Lose and the wait for a World Cup spot could extend another four years. Win and there's a shot at one of the last two places in the expanded 48-team global tournament for 2026.
Iraq and United Arab Emirates each have one last chance to stay on the road to the 2026 World Cup in a two-game series in the fifth round of Asian qualification.
UAE hosts the first game at Abu Dhabi on Thursday, with the return leg to be played at Basra, Iraq, next Tuesday.
The winner will advance to FIFA’s intercontinental playoffs in March, joining five other teams from different confederations. Two spots at the World Cup, to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will be up for grabs.
“Our first goal is to secure Iraq’s qualification to the World Cup, which is the most important achievement for us,” Iraq coach Graham Arnold said.
Arnold guided Australia to the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup — a loss to eventual champion Argentina — before stepping down as Socceroos head coach in September of last year. The 62-year-old Australian took charge of Iraq in March and hopes his experience in qualifying can help the team return to the tournament for the first time since its only appearance in 1986.
“Qualifying through the playoffs is a historic opportunity for Iraq, and we must take it,” Arnold said. “We need everyone representing Iraq to give everything.”
In the third round, which ended in June, Iraq and the UAE placed third in their groups when only the top two qualified automatically. In October’s fourth round, both countries missed out once again, finishing second in their three-team groups behind Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which secured places at the World Cup.
Arnold was unhappy with the staging of the previous round, saying Qatar and Saudi Arabia benefited from home advantage and a six-day rest between games — twice as long as the other four teams.
“I’ve never seen anything like this format in my career,” Arnold said. “When I was with Australia, we were told these playoffs would be at a neutral venue. It’s the same situation — Qatar had six days of rest, home support, and went through.”
Arnold said he hopes the 60,000 fans expected in Basra can make a difference in the return leg of this series.
UAE coach Cosmin Olaroiu shared similar frustration about the fourth round but wanted his players to move their focus ahead of Thursday’s sold-out match, with 36,000 fans expected at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium.
“We have to forget the Qatar match,” Olaroiu said. “We still have an opportunity to qualify for the World Cup, and we must take advantage of it. We have to be at our best against Iraq, and everyone has a part to play.”
Asia was allocated eight automatic places at the 2026 World Cup, and Japan, South Korea, Australia, Iran, Uzbekistan and Jordan qualified from the third round.
Last month they were joined by Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Saudi Arabia, after beating Indonesia, got the draw it needed on home soil against Iraq to win Group B.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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