Iraq Ends 40-Year World Cup Drought as Dearborn Fans Celebrate Qualification

Q: Facing former champions France, can Iraq's underdog team finally achieve the nation's first-ever World Cup victory?

Probably not against France, though Iraq do have a realistic chance to chase their first World Cup win elsewhere in the group. France enter the match as one of the tournament favorites: 2018 champions, 2022 runners-up, and widely ranked near the top of the field. Iraq, by contrast, are back at the World Cup for the first time since 1986, are ranked far lower, and arrived as one of the competition’s biggest outsiders after a long 21-match qualifying path. On paper, an Iraqi win over France would be a major shock. That does not mean Iraq are without hope. Graham Arnold brings World Cup experience after leading Australia to the knockout stage in 2022, and Iraq have several players with higher-level experience, including Ali Al-Hamadi, Zidane Iqbal, Aymen Hussein and Amir Al-Ammari. The team’s compact, counterattacking style and the sense of having “no pressure” could make them difficult to break down. Still, the evidence points strongly toward France having too much depth, pace and quality, especially with elite attackers and a squad built to contend for the title. Iraq have never won a World Cup match, losing all three games in 1986, so beating a side of France’s caliber would likely rank among the tournament’s biggest upsets. Iraq’s best route to a first World Cup victory is more likely to come against Norway or Senegal, or through grinding out a draw and staying alive deep into the group stage. Against France, the ambition is credible; the probability remains low.

3 articles · Updated · NPR · Jun 16

Tuesday night marked Iraq's return to the men's World Cup after a 40-year absence, prompting celebrations among Iraqi fans in Dearborn, Michigan.
Dearborn — home to a large Iraqi diaspora — became a focal point for the reaction as supporters gathered to mark the national team's qualification.
The breakthrough ends one of Iraqi soccer's longest waits and gives diaspora communities in the United States a rare chance to celebrate a World Cup berth.