Iraqi national soccer team

Iraq

Nickname (s)	Usud Al-Rafidain أسود الرافدين (The lions of Mesopotamia)
Association	al-Ittihad al-ʿiraqi li-curate al-qadam
confederacy	AFC
Technical sponsor	Jako
Head coach	Srečko Katanec (since 2018)
captain	Mohammed Kassid
Record scorer	Hussain Said (78)
Record player	Yunis Mahmud (148)
Home stadium	Basra Sports City , Basra
FIFA code	IRQ
FIFA rank	70th (1344 points) (as of July 16, 2020)
First jersey Second jersey
statistics
First international match Morocco 3: 3 Iraq ( Beirut , Lebanon ; October 19, 1957)
Biggest victory Iraq 10-1 Bahrain ( Baghdad , Iraq ; April 5, 1966)
Biggest defeat Brazil 6-0 Iraq Chile 6-0 Iraq ( Malmö , Sweden ; October 11, 2012) ( Copenhagen , Denmark ; August 14, 2013)
Successes in tournaments
World Championship
Participation in the finals	1 ( first : 1986 )
Best results	1986 preliminary round
Asian Championship
Participation in the finals	9 ( first : 1972 )
Best results	Asian champion 2007
Confederations Cup
Participation in the finals	1 ( first : 2009 )
Best results	Preliminary round 2009
(Status: unknown)

The Iraqi national soccer team is a selection of Iraqi soccer players made by the national coach. It represents the National Association al-Ittihad al-'iraqi li-curate al-qadam at international level, for example in friendly matches against the national teams of other national associations, but also in the Asia Championship of the Asian continental federation AFC or FIFA World Cup of FIFA . The Iraqi team is organized by the Iraq Football Association. This was founded in 1948 and joined FIFA in the same year. In 1971 she became a member of the AFC .

The team's greatest successes from the Middle East were winning the 2007 Asian Cup and participating in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa.

Playing clothes

The Iraqi team traditionally appeared in the green jersey at home games and in white away from home. In recent years, however, the white jersey has been used as the home color, for example at the 2007 Asian Cup and the 2009 Confederation Cup.

At the 1986 World Cup it was the colors blue and yellow. During the 1990s and until 2002, the team wore a black jersey instead of the white one.

The supplier is Peak Sports .

Home and international matches

The Iraqi team's home stadium is the Al-Shaab Stadium in Baghdad , built in 1966 and seating 45,000 . However, due to the wars and instability in the country, games were rarely held in Iraq. In the 1980s, the team had to play their international games due to the first Gulf War in neighboring countries, but still qualified for the 1986 World Cup and the 1988 Olympic Games.

In the 1990s the team was able to play again in Baghdad, some teams such as Saudi Arabia refused to travel to Iraq for political reasons. The last game before the Iraq war was against Syria on July 22, 2002. Due to the unstable security situation after the fall of the regime, the team had to play their home games in neutral venues ( Syria , Jordan , Qatar , United Arab Emirates ).

Only seven years later the team was able to compete at home again. On July 10, 2009, Iraq met Palestine and won 3-0 at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil . The second international match in Baghdad followed on July 13, with a final score of 4-0 for Iraq. At the game in Baghdad there were more people in the stadium than there was capacity. Some even opted for the stadium track.

Due to the good organization and the stable security situation in the autonomous Kurdish province, the Asian Association lifted the post-war ban on home games on July 15, 2009. From then on, Iraq could host its games in Erbil. Iraqi association president Hussein Saeed said that he would also like to have Baghdad and Sulaimaniyya confirmed as venues. The first game in Sulaimaniyya was played on December 18, 2010, Iraq lost the game against Syria 1-0.

During the World Cup qualifying match between the Iraqi team and Jordan on September 2, 2011, there was a power outage in the overcrowded Franso Hariri Stadium. FIFA then relocated the remaining qualifying matches again outside of the country due to security concerns and breaches of security regulations. As a result of this decision, Iraq played the remaining home games of the World Cup qualifying in the Qatari capital Doha. Friendlies, on the other hand, were played in Baghdad in 2013. B. on May 27, 2013 against Liberia.

The games for qualifying for the 2018 World Cup will take place in Iran . After a ban was lifted by the world football association FIFA, the national team of Iraq has won its first home game in four years. On June 1, 2017, the hosts in Basra defeated Jordan 1-0 (1-0). Alaa Abdul-Zahra scored the goal of the day in the 14th minute. According to official information, a total of 5,000 police officers and law enforcement officers secured the game. "We hope that we will soon be able to play competitive games in our country again," said Ali Jabbar, Secretary General of the Iraqi Association. FIFA has so far only lifted the home game ban for the crisis-ridden country for the cities of Basra, Karbala and Erbil on probation. A final decision should be made within three months.

National team history

Beginning of football (1920–1959)

The history of football developed at the time of the British mandate over Iraq (from 1920). As early as 1924, an Iraqi national team met a team of British soldiers in Baghdad and lost 2-1. On July 4, 1931, Al-Quwa al-Dschawiya (German: Air Force), the country's first football club, was founded. During the 1930s and 1940s, more and more clubs were formed, and the game grew in popularity in the country.

On October 6, 1948, 14 domestic teams joined forces to form the Iraqi Football Association , and in 1950 the association became an official FIFA member. The team played their first - still unofficial - games in 1951 during a stay in Turkey, so they lost 7-0 against the Turkish B-team and 7-5 against a selection from Ankara . Six years later - during the Pan-Arab Games in Beirut - the Iraqi national team's first official international match against Morocco took place. In the 3-3 draw, Ammo Baba , Youra Eshaya and Fakhri Mohammed Salman scored for Iraq. The team achieved their first victory on October 23, during the same final round in a 3-1 win over Libya , after having lost 4-2 against Tunisia .

In the first international tournament qualification, Iraq took part in the qualifying games for the 1960 Olympic Games. There they started with victories against Lebanon, but against Turkey they had no chance and were eliminated.

The 1960s and 1970s

In 1964 he won a championship for the first time, at the Arab Nations Cup in Kuwait Iraq won the championship with victories over Jordan, Kuwait and Lebanon as well as a draw against Libya. Two years later they defeated Syria 2-1 in the final and were able to defend their title.

Because of Israel's membership , Iraq had long boycotted the Asian Confederation. They only joined in 1971. In the same year Iraq was able to qualify for the 5th Asian Cup in 1972 for the first time , but there the team was eliminated in the preliminary round. Four years later you could reach the semifinals and finally came fourth. In 1973 the Iraqi federation registered for the first time for the World Cup qualification. Iraq played their first World Cup qualifier on March 11, 1973 against Australia (final score 1: 3). In the further course of qualification, the team won three games and also played two draws, but in the end they missed progress with a deficit of one point compared to the eventual World Cup participants Australia. The 1978 World Cup qualification was denied to protest against Israel's placement in the Asian zone.

From 1976 Iraq took part in the Golf Cup. In the fourth edition, which was also the first participation for the team, they took second place behind Kuwait. From 1974 they also took part in the Asian Games and reached the quarter-finals (1974) and the semi-finals (1978).

In 1978, the former national player Ammo Baba became the coach of Iraq, and the team's most successful coach was to be appointed as a coach six more times by 1997.

Upswing in the 1980s

Iraqi football experienced its most successful period up to then in the years 1979 to 1988. Iraq took part in three Olympic Games and qualified for a World Cup final for the first time in its history. At the regional level, the team was able to win the gold medal at the Asian Games in 1982 and three golf cup titles ( 1979 in Baghdad , 1984 in Oman and 1988 in Saudi Arabia ). In 1985, Iraq won the Arab Cup and the Pan-Arab Games with the B-team, and in 1988 another title followed at the Arab Cup.

1980 Summer Olympics

See also : 1980 Summer Olympics / Football

Participation in the Summer Olympics in Moscow was Iraq's first appearance on the international stage. The team initially missed qualifying for the final after a 3-2 defeat against Kuwait, but since several countries boycotted the games for political reasons, Iraq was invited to the games instead of Malaysia.

In the preliminary round you met Yugoslavia, Finland and Costa Rica. The latter defeated Iraq 3-0. The victory against the South Americans was followed by two draws against Finland and Yugoslavia and thus the quarter-finals. In Kiev they were defeated by the GDR with 0: 4 and eliminated.

1984 Summer Olympics

See also : 1984 Summer Olympics / Football

For the first time in the history of Iraqi football, Iraq was able to successfully qualify for the Olympic Games in 1984. After they had only reached second place in the group behind Qatar in the final round of the qualifying round, the team competed in the playoff against South Korea. This game ended with a 1-0 victory over the East Asians and thus they qualified for the games in Los Angeles .

In the tournament, however, you did not get beyond the preliminary round. The draw against Canada in the opening game was followed by two defeats against Cameroon and Yugoslavia. A temporary 2-0 lead was lost against the kickers from the Balkans and the game ended in a 2-4 defeat.

Soccer World Cup 1986

See also : Soccer World Cup 1986 / Iraq

Twelve years after the first World Cup qualifier, Iraq qualified for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. In the first round they narrowly prevailed against Qatar, due to the first Gulf War , the team had to play their home games first in Kuwait, then in Saudi Arabia. The decisive game of the first round was played in Calcutta, India, where Iraq beat Qatar 2-1. In the semi-finals of the qualification they won 3-2 in Dubai against the UAE, the second game was lost with 1-2, but Iraq was able to qualify for the final due to the away goals rule. Final opponents Syria were defeated 3-1 in Taif (Saudi Arabia), previously the team had played 0-0 in Damascus. With the victory over Syria, the team qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time.

At the finals in Mexico all preliminary round matches were lost. So they lost to the hosts and Paraguay each with 0: 1. Against Belgium the team lost with 1: 2. In this game Ahmed Radhi scored the only World Cup goal for Iraq to date.

1988 Summer Olympics

See also : 1988 Summer Olympics / Football

For the third time in a row, the Iraqi soccer team was represented at the Summer Games in Seoul . In the qualification they prevailed against Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Iraq won the decisive game against Kuwait 1-0 and thus bought their ticket to the finals.

As in 1984, however, the team was eliminated again in the preliminary round. After a draw with Zambia and a win over Guatemala, Iraq needed a draw with Italy to advance. The decisive game against the southern Europeans was lost 2-0.

The stagnation

The isolation of Iraq as a result of the second Gulf War of 1991 also had an impact on the Iraqi football team, for example Iraq was excluded from FIFA after the invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. You were also no longer allowed to participate in other tournaments such as the Golf Cup and the Arab Nations Cup. It wasn't until 1993, three years after the suspension, that the team played again for international matches.

Iraq had to compete in the World Cup qualification right at the start . In the first phase they prevailed against China and reached the final round of the elimination. The team's success was also exploited by the former regime's propaganda, and participation in the World Cup in the United States was hyped up as revenge for the lost Gulf War. The final round of qualifying was held in Qatar , where Iraq met North Korea , South Korea , Iran , Saudi Arabia and Japan . The encounters between Iraq and Iran and Iraq and Saudi Arabia were classified as particularly explosive due to the political situation.

In the first game against North Korea, the team led 2-0 at the beginning of the second half, but lost 3-2. After this defeat, the then coach Adnan Dirjal was dismissed and replaced by Ammo Baba. Under Baba they still achieved a victory over Iran (2: 1) and a draw against South Korea (2: 2), Saudi Arabia (1: 1) and Japan (2: 2), but it was no longer enough for the qualification.

Two years later, for the first time in 20 years, an Iraqi selection took part in the qualification for the Asian Cup and immediately reached the final round in the United Arab Emirates. At the beginning of the tournament, Iran was defeated 2-1, followed by a 0-1 defeat against Saudi Arabia and a 4-1 victory over Thailand, which were enough to advance. In the quarterfinals, however, they were eliminated after extra time against the hosts. Qualification for the 1998 World Cup ended for the team in the first round after two defeats against Kazakhstan. In Baghdad they lost 1: 2, in Almaty 1: 3. At the Asian Cup 2000 the quarter-finals were reached again, but there they lost against the eventual Asian champions Japan clearly 1: 4.

In qualifying for the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, they met Kazakhstan again in the first round , and in the first game in Baghdad there was a 1-1 draw against rivals from Central Asia . The two teams went into the second leg with the same score, but Iraq had the better goal difference. In the central stadium in Almaty, the two teams separated 1: 1, so Iraq was qualified for the final round. The drawing of the round revealed that Iraq had to face Iran, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Thailand. With only two wins against Thailand and Bahrain and one draw, the team only reached fourth place in the group and was eliminated.

In 2002, Bernd Stange was named national coach. After the fall of the Ba'ath regime in 2003, it became known that Saddam's son Udai tortured national players after defeat.

Return and win the Asian Cup

Due to security problems, Bernd Stange resigned from his position as national coach in 2004, and was succeeded by Adnan Hamad . At the 2004 Asian Cup , the quarter-finals were reached for the third time in a row. However, the team did not qualify for the World Cup , Iraq lost the decisive game against Uzbekistan 2-1, and Hamad was sacked at the end of the year after another failure at the Golf Cup.

As his successor, Akram Salman took up the post of coach in January 2005. The qualification for the Asian Cup turned out to be very difficult for Iraq. The first game against Singapore was lost 2-0 and the team could not convince in the further course. Iraq won their group, but in the end they scored eight goals in six games. After the preliminary round in the golf cup , Salman was fired in early 2007.

In May 2007, the Brazilian Jorvan Vieira coached the Iraqi national team and led them to their greatest success to date, winning the 2007 Asian Cup. First they started with a weak 1-1 draw against co-hosts Thailand, but Iraq succeeded in the second game 3-1 victory over the favored Australians. The Iraqis then secured group victory with a goalless draw against Oman.

In the quarterfinals they defeated Vietnam 2-0. Iraq won the semi-final game against South Korea on penalties. 50 people were killed in two bombs on celebrating fans.

On July 29, 2007, the final against Saudi Arabia took place in the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta , which Iraq won with a goal from its captain Yunis Mahmud in the 71st minute. The title win was enthusiastically celebrated across the country.

A monument was erected in Baghdad in memory of winning the Asian Cup.

Another stagnation

Vieira resigned after the end of the Asian Cup, and was succeeded by Egil Olsen . The Norwegian only lasted a few months, however, after the 1-1 draw with China at the beginning of the World Cup qualifiers , he was sacked and replaced by Adnan Hamad. Under Hamad, however, Iraq also lost the games against Qatar (0: 2) and Australia (0: 1) and at the end of the first half of the season were only one point in the last group place.

With victories against the Australians and Chinese, however, they seemed to be on the way to qualifying again and a draw in the last group game against Qatar would have been enough to qualify for the next round, but the Iraqi team lost 1-0 in Dubai and were eliminated. A protest by the Iraqi federation against an ineligible player from Qatar was rejected by the international sports court (CAS ) because the Iraqi federation had paid a necessary fee too late.

The dismissed Hamad was succeeded again by Jorvan Vieira, who signed a one-year contract with the Iraqi Association in September. Vieira's second term ended after only five months. Due to poor performance at the Golf Cup , the Brazilian was released in January 2009. The 4-0 defeat against Oman in this tournament was the biggest defeat by an Iraqi national team since 1970.

In April 2009 Bora Milutinović took over the management of the team, he should look after the reigning Asian champions at the Confederations Cup. The first game against hosts South Africa ended in a goalless draw. The 1-0 defeat by European champions Spain was followed by another goalless draw against New Zealand , leaving Iraq out of the preliminary round without scoring a single goal.

In August 2010, Wolfgang Sidka became the new coach of the national team, making him the second German after Stange to coach the national team of Iraq. Iraq failed to defend its title at the 2011 Asian Cup, and in the quarterfinals they lost 1-0 to Australia. In August 2011 it was announced that Sidka's one-year contract will no longer be renewed. The new coach was the Brazilian Zico , who resigned in November 2012. Under his successor Petrović, Iraq once again failed to qualify for the World Cup.

Youth teams

The country's U-20 team won the Asian Championship in this age group five times (1975, 1977, 1978, 1988 and 2000) . Four times ( 1977 , 1989 , 2001 and 2013 ) it was represented at the junior soccer world championship. The quarter-finals were reached in 1989 and the semi-finals in 2013.

At the Games in Athens in 2004 , the Olympic selection made headlines after the 4-2 victory over Portugal, in the further course of the tournament the team advanced to the semi-finals and finished in fourth place. After Japan's third place at the 1968 Games, it was the second greatest success of an Asian nation at the Olympic soccer competition. In 2006 the Olympic team won a silver medal at the Asian Games in Qatar , and the team won bronze at the Asian Games in 2014 . Furthermore, the Olympic team won the first edition of the Asian Championship in this age group in 2014 . In the second edition two years later, the team took third place and thus qualified for the 2016 Summer Games in Rio , where they were eliminated in the preliminary round.

Participation in international soccer competitions

Participation in the Olympic Games

→ Main article : Iraqi national soccer team / Olympic Games

year	Host city	Participation until ...	opponent	Result
1900 to 1956		no participation	-	-
1960	Rome	not qualified	-	-
1964	Tokyo	not qualified	-	-
1968	Mexico city	not qualified	-	-
1972	Munich	not qualified	-	-
1976	Montreal	not qualified	-	-
1980	Moscow	Quarter finals	GDR	0: 4
1984	los Angeles	Preliminary round	Yugoslavia, Canada, Cameroon	1 point, 3: 6 goals
1988	Seoul	Preliminary round	Zambia, Italy, Guatemala	3 points, 5: 4 goals

After 1988 the senior national team stopped taking part in the Olympic Games and the qualifying games. In 2004 , the Olympic team finished 4th. For 2016, the U-23 team qualified in January 2016 at the U-23 Asian Football Championship .

Participation in the soccer world championships

year	Host country	Participation until ...	opponent	Result	Trainer
1956 - 1970		no participation	-	-
1974	BR Germany	not qualified	-	-
1978	Argentina	withdrawn	-	-
1982	Spain	not qualified	-	-
1986	Mexico	Preliminary round	Mexico, Belgium, Paraguay	23.	Evaristo
1990	Italy	not qualified	-	-
1994	United States	not qualified	-	-
1998	France	not qualified	-	-
2002	Japan / South Korea	not qualified	-	-
2006	Germany	not qualified	-	-
2010	South Africa	not qualified	-	-
2014	Brazil	not qualified	-	-
2018	Russia	not qualified	-	-

In qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, the team will face Australia , Japan , Saudi Arabia , Thailand and the United Arab Emirates in the third round . Iraq has no chance of qualifying before the last three games.

Participation in the Asian soccer championships

year	Host country	Participation until ...	opponent	Result
1956 - 1968		no participation	-	-
1972	Thailand	Preliminary round	Iran, Thailand
1976	Iran	3rd place match	China	0: 1
1980	Kuwait	no participation	-	-
1984	Singapore	no participation	-	-
1988	Qatar	no participation	-	-
1992	Japan	no participation	-	-
1996	UAE	Quarter finals	UAE	0: 1 a.d.
2000	Lebanon	Quarter finals	Japan	1: 4
2004	China	Quarter finals	China	0: 3
2007	Indonesia / Malaysia Thailand / Vietnam	final	Saudi Arabia	1-0, Asian champions
2011	Qatar	Quarter finals	Australia	0: 1 a.d.
2015	Australia	3rd place match	UAE	2: 3
2019	UAE	Round of 16	Qatar	0: 1

Participation in the West Asian Championships

year	Host country	Participation until ...	opponent	Result
2000	Jordan	3rd place match	Jordan	4: 1, 3rd place
2002	Syria	final	Jordan	3: 2, 1st place
2004	Iran	3rd place match	Jordan	1: 3, 4th place
2007	Jordan	final	Iran	1: 2, 2nd place
2008	Iran	not participated	-	-
2010	Jordan	Semifinals	Iran	1: 2
2012	Kuwait	final	Syria	0: 1, 2nd place
2013	Qatar	Preliminary round	-	-
2019	Iraq	final	Bahrain	0: 1, 2nd place

International matches against German-speaking national soccer teams

The only clashes between the Iraqi national team and a German-speaking team took place only against the GDR . Between 1969 and 1982 five international matches were played against each other. Iraq and the GDR could each win one game, the remaining three ended in a draw. Four of the five games took place in Iraq, only one in the GDR.

The only game against an all-German team took place during the U-20 World Cup 2001 in Argentina and ended with a 3-1 for Germany.

International matches against the GDR

Results always from an Iraqi perspective

date	place	Result	occasion	Goal scorers
December 8, 1969	Baghdad	1: 1	Friendly match	0: 1 grain (23rd), 1: 1 ammo (36th)
July 26, 1970	Jena	0: 5	Friendly match	0: 1, 0: 2 P. Ducke (8th, 21st), 0: 3 screeching (37th), 0: 4 Vogel (47th), 0: 5 wise (88th)
February 9, 1979	Baghdad	1: 1	Friendly match	1: 0 Shihab (80th), 1: 1 prank (89th)
February 12, 1979	Baghdad	2: 1	Friendly match	0: 1 Kühn (3rd); 1: 1, 2: 1 Saeed (74th, 88th)
March 2, 1982	Baghdad	0-0	Friendly match

So far, Iraq has not played an international match against Germany , Austria or Switzerland .

Record player

(As of December 5, 2019) After Saudi Arabia (17), Iraq has the most players in Asia with at least 100 international matches . FIFA counts for all of them less than the games listed by rsssf.com.

Record player
Games	player	Period	Gates
148	Yunis Mahmud	2002-2016	57
137	Hussain Said	1977-1990	78
121	Adnan Dirjal	1978-1990	08th
121	Ahmed Radhi	1982-1997	62
115	Alaa Al-Azzawi	2007–0000	16
113	Nasch'at Akram	2001-2013	17th
113	Hawar Mulla Mohammed	2001-2013	19th
113	Ali Hussein Rehema	2005-2016	02
111	Mahdi Karim	2001-2018	11
104	Raad Hamudi	1976-1987	00
103	Falah Hassan	1970-1986	29
103	Emad Mohammed	2001–2012	27
101	Hassan Farhan	1973-1982	02
100	Just Sabri	2002-2018	00

Record shooters
Gates	player	Period	Games
78	Hussain Said	1977-1990	137
62	Ahmed Radhi	1982-1997	121
57	Yunis Mahmud	2002-2016	148
35	Ali Kadhim	1970-1980	082
29	Falah Hassan	1970-1986	103
27	Emad Mohammed	2001–2012	103
25th	Razzaq Farhan	1998-2007	<71
25th	Laith Hussein	1986-2002	080

1. ↑ ^{a b} FIFA counts the games on May 31, 2009 against Qatar, on January 2, 2011 against China, on November 6, 2011 against Lebanon, on October 6, 2013 and October 10, 2014 against Yemen and on November 4, 2011 against Yemen. January 2015 against Iran.
2. ↑ ^{a b} FIFA does not count two goals on January 2, 2011 against China and one goal on October 6, 2013 against Yemen.
3. ↑ ^{a b} 40 games are not (any longer) counted by FIFA, including 21 qualifying games for the 1980, 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games, nine games at the 1980, 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games, five games at the 1982 Golf Cup after Iraq withdrew, two World Cup qualifying games for the 1986 World Cup, which were taken out of the rating because the opponent then withdrew and three games at the 1990 Golf Cup after Iraq withdrew.
4. ↑ ^{a b} 21 goals are not counted (anymore) by FIFA, of which nine goals in qualifying games for the Olympic Games 1980, 1984 and 1988, three goals in games in the Olympic Games 1980 and 1984, five goals in the 1982 Golf Cup after Iraq withdrew and four goals in two World Cup qualifying games for the 1986 World Cup, which were taken out of the rating because the opponent then withdrew.
5. ↑ ^{a b c d e} FIFA counted fewer than 100 games on December 4, 2019, rsssf.com does not yet have a detailed list of games.
6. ↑ ^{a b} FIFA does not count 19 games in the Olympic qualifications and three games in the 1988 Olympic Games, which Iraq counts as an A international game.
7. ↑ ^{a b} FIFA does not count four goals in games in the Olympic qualifications and two goals in the 1988 Olympic Games, which Iraq counts as an "A" international.
8. ↑ FIFA does not count the games against China on January 2, 2011, against Qatar on November 7, 2012, against Yemen on October 6, 2013 and against Iran on January 4, 2015.
9. ↑ FIFA does not take into account the games against China or Lebanon on January 2 and 6, 2011, but names only one game less than rsssf.com.
10. ↑ FIFA does not count the games against Qatar on May 31, 2009, against China on January 2, 2011, against Lebanon on November 5, 2011 and January 22, 2012, as there were too many substitutions.
11. ↑ FIFA does not count the games on May 31, 2009 against Qatar, on January 2, 2011 against China, on November 5, 2011 against Lebanon and on November 7, 2012 against Qatar.
12. ↑ FIFA does not count the games on January 2, 2011 against China, on November 5, 2011 against Lebanon, on October 10, 2014 against Yemen and on October 14, 2014 against Bahrain.
13. ↑ ^{a b} FIFA does not count the games on January 2, 2011 against China and on January 6, 2011 against Lebanon
14. ↑ FIFA does not count the matches on May 31, 2009 against Qatar, on January 22, 2012 against Lebanon, on November 7, 2012 against Qatar, on February 1, 2013 against Malaysia and on October 6, 2013 against Yemen.
15. ↑ FIFA does not count a goal against Lebanon on January 6, 2011.

Other well-known players

• Ammo Baba - Most famous football player
• Hadi Ahmed - first goalscorer in an international tournament (1980 in the Soviet Union against Costa Rica)

Trainer

•  Evaristo de Macedo (1986)
•  Bernd Stange (2002-2004)
•  Jorvan Vieira (2007-2008, 2008-2009)
•  Bora Milutinović (2009)
•  Wolfgang Sidka (2010-2011)
•  Zico (2011-2012)
•  Hakeem Shakir (2012-2013)
•  Vladimir Petrović (2013)
•  Hakeem Shakir (2013-2014)
•  Radhi Shenaishil Swadi (2014-2015)
•  Akram Ahmad Salman (2015)
•  Yahya Alwan Manhal (2015-2016)
•  Radhi Shenaishil Swadi (2016-2017)
•  Basim Qasim (2017-2018)
•  Srečko Katanec (09.2018–)

See also

• List of national football teams (men)
• Iraqi National Football Team (U-20 Men)

Web links

Commons : Iraqi National Soccer Team  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website of the Iraqi Football Association (Arabic)
• FIFA overview page
• All of Iraq's international matches (1957-2004)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The FIFA / Coca-Cola World Ranking. In: fifa.com. July 16, 2020, accessed July 21, 2020 . 
2. ↑ Peaceful football festival in Baghdad  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , fifa.com of July 14, 2009.  
3. ↑ ^{a b} AFC green-light to Arbil as venue , the-afc.com of July 15, 2009.
4. ↑ Iraq has to play qualifying home games abroad  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , sportal.de from September 23, 2011.  
5. ↑ Mir Farhad Ali Khan: Crisis-Hit Countries Can Play World Cup Qualifiers in Iran , persianfootball.com of April 29, 2015.
6. ↑ Iraq Seeks Revenge On Soccer Field , Eugene Register-Guard, October 14, 1993.
7. ↑ Hussein-Sohn tortured Iraq's kicker ( memento from June 14, 2011 in the Internet Archive ), rp-online from October 9, 2003.
8. ↑ Many dead in attacks on football fans in Baghdad , faz from July 25, 2007
9. ↑ Iraq is freaking out - for joy  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Star from July 30, 2007.  
10. ↑ image of the monument to photobucket.com
11. ↑ Iraqi eleven are not allowed to the 2010 World Cup , Der Tagesspiegel from September 29, 2008.
12. ↑ Ex-soccer professional Sidka trains Iraq moz.de from August 9, 2010.
13. ↑ The placements from 5th place onwards were determined by FIFA without any placement games. See: All-time FIFA World Cup Ranking 1930–2010 (PDF; 200 kB)
14. ↑ ^{a b} rsssf.com: Iraq - Record International Players