Forty years after the Iraqi national team’s last participation in the 1986 Mexico World Cup, the Iraqi people are waiting for their team to reach the World Cup again when they face the Bolivian national team in the World Cup qualifying playoff for the 2026 World Cup in the Mexican city of Monterrey. The match will be held at six o’clock in the morning (Wednesday).
Iraq enters the match after finishing third in Group B of the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, behind South Korea and Jordan, and ahead of Oman, Palestine, and Kuwait. The team qualified for the Asian play-off for a place in the intercontinental play-off, finishing second in Group B behind Saudi Arabia, who qualified directly for the World Cup. They then faced the UAE, who finished second in Group A, and secured their qualification after a 1-1 draw in the first leg in the UAE, followed by a 2-1 victory at home in the second leg, thus advancing to the intercontinental play-off.
A decisive confrontation... a new achievement
The draw placed the Iraqi national team in the final of the playoff against the winner of the semi-final match between Bolivia and Suriname. The Iraqi national team, led by its Australian coach Graham Arnold, aspires to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since the 1986 edition in Mexico, in which the team was eliminated from the group stage after three matches against Mexico, Belgium and Paraguay.
stubborn opponent
In contrast, the Bolivian national team reached the World Cup play-off stage after finishing seventh in the South American qualifiers, having achieved 6 wins, 2 draws, and 10 losses out of the 18 matches played, thus qualifying for the World Cup play-off. They succeeded in defeating Suriname 2-1, after turning a one-goal deficit into a victory that granted them passage to the World Cup play-off final and a chance to touch the dream of qualifying for the World Cup, according to the report broadcast by the RT website.
3 World Cups
The Bolivian national team participated in the World Cup three times. The first time was in the first edition of the competition in 1930, and they were eliminated from the group stage. They followed the same pattern in their participation in the 1950 and 1994 editions.
The decisive match between Iraq and Bolivia for a ticket to the 2026 World Cup will be the second in the history of matches between the two teams. The first was a friendly match held on November 20, 2018, which ended in a goalless draw.
The winner of the match between Iraq and Bolivia will play in Group I of the 2026 World Cup alongside France, Senegal and Norway.
After 40 years since the last participation of the Iraqi national team in the 1986 Mexico World Cup, the Iraqi people are eagerly awaiting their team's return to the World Cup as they face the Bolivian national team in the global playoff match qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in Monterrey, Mexico. The match will take place at six in the morning (Wednesday).
Iraq enters the encounter after finishing third in Group B of the third round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, behind South Korea and Jordan, and ahead of Oman, Palestine, and Kuwait. The team qualified for the Asian playoff leading to the global playoff, finishing second in Group B behind the Saudi team, which qualified directly for the World Cup. Iraq then faced the UAE, which finished second in Group A, to settle the situation in its favor after a 1-1 draw away from home against the UAE. Iraq succeeded in winning at home in the return match with a score of 2-1, thus qualifying for the global playoff.
A decisive encounter.. A new achievement
The draw placed the Iraqi team in the final playoff match against the winner of the match between Bolivia and Suriname in the semifinals. The Iraqi team, led by its Australian coach Graham Arnold, aspires to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since the 1986 edition in Mexico, where the team was eliminated in the group stage after three matches against Mexico, Belgium, and Paraguay.
A tough opponent
On the other hand, the Bolivian national team reached the global playoff stage after finishing seventh in the South American qualifiers, achieving 6 wins, 2 draws, and losing 10 matches out of 18 played, thus qualifying for the global playoff. They managed to win against Suriname 2-1 after coming back from a goal down to secure a spot in the global playoff final and get a chance to touch the dream of qualifying for the World Cup, according to a report broadcast by the “RT” website.
3 World Cups
The Bolivian national team has participated in the World Cup three times, the first being in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 1930, where they were eliminated in the group stage, and they followed the same pattern in their participations in 1950 and 1994.
The decisive match between Iraq and Bolivia for the ticket to the 2026 World Cup will be the second in the history of the encounters between the two teams, with the first being a friendly match held on November 20, 2018, which ended in a goalless draw.
The winner of the match between Iraq and Bolivia will play in Group 9 of the 2026 World Cup alongside the teams of France, Senegal, and Norway.
