Iraq

Nickname(s)	Usood al-Rafidayn (Lions of Mesopotamia)
Association	Iraq Football Association (IFA)
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation	WAFF (West Asia)
Head coach	Graham Arnold
Captain	Jalal Hassan
Most caps	Younis Mahmoud (148)
Top scorer	Hussein Saeed (78)
Home stadium	Basra International Stadium
FIFA code	IRQ
First colours Second colours Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current	57 (11 June 2026)[1]
Highest	39 (6 October 2004)
Lowest	139 (3 July 1996)
First international
Morocco 3–3 Iraq  (Beirut, Lebanon; 19 October 1957)
Biggest win
Iraq 13–0 Ethiopia  (Irbid, Jordan; 18 August 1992)
Biggest defeat
Turkey 7–1 Iraq  (Adana, Turkey; 6 December 1959)  Brazil 6–0 Iraq  (Malmö, Sweden; 11 October 2012)  Chile 6–0 Iraq  (Copenhagen, Denmark; 14 August 2013)
World Cup
Appearances	2 (first in 1986)
Best result	Group stage (1986)
Asian Cup
Appearances	11 (first in 1972)
Best result	Champions (2007)
Arab Cup
Appearances	7 (first in 1964)
Best result	Champions (1964, 1966, 1985, 1988)
WAFF Championship
Appearances	8 (first in 2000)
Best result	Champions (2002)
Arabian Gulf Cup
Appearances	17 (first in 1976)
Best result	Champions (1979, 1984, 1988, 2023)
Confederations Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 2009)
Best result	Group stage (2009)
Medal record AFC Asian Cup 2007 Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam Team Asian Games 1982 New Delhi Team WAFF Championship 2002 Syria Team 2007 Jordan Team 2012 Kuwait Team 2019 Iraq Team 2000 Jordan Team Arab Cup 1964 Kuwait Team 1966 Iraq Team 1985 Saudi Arabia Team 1988 Jordan Team 2012 Saudi Arabia Team Arabian Gulf Cup 1979 Iraq Team 1984 Oman Team 1988 Saudi Arabia Team 2023 Iraq Team 1976 Qatar Team 2013 Bahrain Team West Asian Games 2005 Doha Team Arab Games 1985 Rabat Team 1999 Amman Team

The Iraq national football team (Arabic: منتخب الْعِرَاق لِكُرَةُ الْقَدَم), nicknamed the Lions of Mesopotamia (Arabic: أسود الرافدين),^[3] represents Iraq in men's international football and is controlled by the Iraq Football Association (IFA), the governing body for football in Iraq. Iraq's usual home venue is the Basra International Stadium.^[4]

Iraq made its first FIFA World Cup appearance in 1986, scoring its first World Cup goal against Belgium, and qualified for the second time in 2026. Iraq is one of eight current AFC nations to have won the AFC Asian Cup, claiming the title in 2007 in spite of difficult conditions and limited preparation. Iraq defeated some of the favourites in the competition including Australia, South Korea and Saudi Arabia. This qualified the team for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup where they earned two points in the group stage; they later finished fourth at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.^[5]

Iraq is the Arab Cup's most successful nation with four titles, and has also won the Arabian Gulf Cup four times and the WAFF Championship once.^[6] Iraq is known for its passionate football fans and the national team is seen as a symbol of hope and unity for Iraqi people.^[7] The team reached its highest FIFA World Ranking of 39th in October 2004.^[8]

On 8 October 1948, the Iraq Football Association was founded.^[9] The Iraq FA joined FIFA in 1950 and in April 1951, Iraq played their first match: a 5–0 win over the Civil Cantonment (CC) team of Habbaniyah.^[10][9] Iraq's first ever official international game came in the opening game of the 1957 Arab Games in Beirut where Iraq drew 3–3 to Morocco with goals from Ammo Baba, Youra Eshaya (both from Iraq's Assyrian minority) and Fakhri Mohammed Salman.^[11][9] One of the members of Iraq's first national team was Youra Eshaya, who in 1954 became the first Iraqi footballer to play in England for Bristol Rovers Colts.^[12]

In 1962, Iraq appointed their first foreign manager, Romanian coach Cornel Drăgușin. Iraq won their first trophy in 1964 when they won the Arab Cup, winning three and drawing one of their four games. In the following edition, they retained their Arab Cup title, beating Syria 2–1 in the final in Baghdad.^[9]

In 1972, Iraq played at their first ever AFC Asian Cup but failed to win a game in the tournament. In March 1973, Iraq played their first ever FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign. They finished second in their group, a point behind Australia, therefore failing to qualify for the next round. In the remaining years of the 1970s, Iraq reached the second round of the Asian Games (1974), lost the Arabian Gulf Cup final (1976), finished fourth at the AFC Asian Cup (1976), finished fourth in the Asian Games (1978) and finally hosted and won the Arabian Gulf Cup (1979).^[13] The 1976 Asian Cup would be the last Asian Cup that Iraq appeared in for the next 20 years, as they withdrew from the next three editions.

The 1980s was arguably Iraq's most successful period in their history. They started the decade off disappointingly, being knocked out in the first round of qualifiers for the 1982 FIFA World Cup. In 1982, they won the gold medal at the 1982 Asian Games. In 1984, Iraq won the Arabian Gulf Cup. The following year, they won the 1985 Arab Cup and also won the gold medal at the 1985 Arab Games.^{[citation needed]}

Iraq were seeded into the first round of qualifiers where they faced Qatar and Jordan. Iraq topped Group 1B with 6 points, and advanced to the second round. Iraq faced United Arab Emirates in two legs. Iraq defeated UAE 3–2 in Dubai. Iraq lost 2–1 to UAE in the second leg. Iraq progressed on away goals after a 4–4 aggregate scoreline and advanced to the final round. In the final round, Iraq drew 0-0 against Syria in Damascus.^[14] Iraq defeated Syria 3–1 in the second leg in Taif. Iraq won 3–1 on aggregate and qualified for the 1986 FIFA World Cup.^[15]

At their first game of the Group B at the 1986 FIFA World Cup, Iraq played well against Paraguay, losing narrowly 1–0 despite scoring a goal that was controversially disallowed by the referee. Iraq recorded their first World Cup goal in the second game, scoring against Belgium in a 1–2 defeat despite having ten men, with Ahmed Radhi scoring a goal for Iraq.^[16] Iraq played against hosts Mexico in the third game, losing 1–0 and being eliminated from the World Cup.^[17]

In the following years, Iraq won the 1988 Arabian Gulf Cup and won the 1988 Arab Cup. Overall, Iraq won nine competitions in the 1980s and played in their first World Cup, leading many to believe that this was the golden era of Iraqi football. In 1989, Iraq competed in qualifying for a berth in the 1990 World Cup finals, but they lost a crucial game against Qatar.^[18]

Following the Gulf War in 1990, Iraq was banned from participating in the Asian Games and in most Arab competitions. The ban wasn't extended to the World Cup.

In 1993, Iraq participated in qualifiers for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Grouped with China, Yemen, Jordan and Pakistan in the first stage, Iraq proved to be too strong for the rest, with the team only failing to win twice, a draw to Jordan and loss to China.^{[citation needed]}

In the final round, Iraq was grouped with Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Japan, Iran and North Korea.^{[citation needed]} On the first matchday, Iraq lost 3–2 to North Korea in a dramatic way, being 2–0 ahead in the second half. After an Iraqi player was sent off, North Korea pulled back in the 67th minute, equalized in the 77th minute and scored the winner in the 82nd minute.^[19] They then tied 2–2 with South Korea.^[20] and then defeated Iran 2–1 by goals of Ahmed Radhi and Alaa Kadhim.^[21]

Iraq missed out on a World Cup spot by two points. By drawing their last game with Japan 2–2, they denied the Japanese a place in the finals in a match referred to by the Japanese media as the Agony of Doha.^[22] The loss against North Korea proved to be the difference with the other teams, as North Korea lost their other 4 matches and finished bottom of the group.^{[citation needed]}

Iraq participated in the 1996 AFC Asian Cup, their first Asian Cup campaign for 20 years after being banned in 1992 and withdrawing from the three tournaments before that. They reached the quarter-finals but lost to the United Arab Emirates due to a golden goal scored by Abdulrahman Ibrahim. In 1996, Iraq was ranked 139th in the world, which is their worst FIFA ranking in their history due to inactivity after withdrawing from several tournaments.

In 1997, Iraq participated in qualifiers for the 1998 FIFA World Cup but were knocked out at the first round following two defeats by Kazakhstan.^{[citation needed]}

This period is known as 'The Dark Era' as Uday Hussein, the son of Saddam Hussein and then-president of IFA, abused his control of Iraqi football and tortured players who played poorly, punishing them by sending them to prison, making them bathe in raw sewage and kick concrete balls, and shaving their heads among many other punishments.^[23][24]

The 2000s was considered to be the rebirth of a new Iraqi football golden generation. However, Iraq had a rocky beginning. Iraq played in the 2000 AFC Asian Cup but were knocked out at the quarter-final stage again, this time by Japan in a 4–1 loss.^[25] Iraq reached the final round of 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification for the first time since 1994 but lost five of their eight second-round games and therefore failed to make the finals.^[26] Iraq won their first ever WAFF Championship in 2002, beating Jordan 3–2 in the final after extra time.^[27]

In the 2004 AFC Asian Cup, Iraq lost the opening match against Uzbekistan, then they won against Turkmenistan and Saudi Arabia respectively, to reach the quarter-finals before getting knocked out by China.^[28] In the same year they were knocked out at the second round of 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers by Uzbekistan.^[29]

Iraq were ranked as high as 39th in the World Rankings in October 2004 which is their highest ranking position in their history. The following year, Iraq won the gold medal in the West Asian Games by beating Syria in the final via a penalty shootout. In 2007, Iraq were knocked out at the group stage of the Arabian Gulf Cup after a controversial defeat to Saudi Arabia.^[30] Akram Salman was sacked and Jorvan Vieira appointed as head coach. Under him, Iraq reached the final of the WAFF Championship but lost 2–1 to Iran.^[31]

In July 2007, Iraq kicked off their 2007 AFC Asian Cup campaign. The squad was made mainly of players that won the 2000 AFC Youth Championship, finished fourth at the 2004 Olympic Games and second at the 2006 Asian Games. Vieira only had two months to prepare his team for the tournament, and the team suffered from very poor facilities. The Iraq FA struggled to provide the team with enough kits for the tournament and Iraq had not been able to play any previous games in their own country for security reasons and most of the players had had family members killed in the war.^[32]

The team started the tournament with a 1–1 draw against joint-hosts Thailand before producing a 3–1 win over favourites Australia. A draw with Oman followed to put Iraq into the quarter-finals where two goals from Younis Mahmoud against Vietnam put Iraq into the semi-finals for the second time in their history. They manages to knock out one of the best Asian teams, South Korea in the semis via a penalty shootout in which Noor Sabri made a crucial save.^[32] After the game, a suicide bomber killed 30 football fans who were celebrating the semi-final win over South Korea and this almost led to the Iraqi team withdrawing from the final,^[33] but they decided to go on in honour of the dead and succeeded in doing that after defeating Saudi Arabia 1–0 in the final, a game that they dominated from start to finish and that was won by a Younis Mahmoud header. This tournament win is seen as one of the greatest upsets in international history as a war-torn country became international champions in what is described as one of sport's greatest 'fairytales'.^[34][35]

Vieira stated during the final that he would resign after the Asian Cup.^[36] He was replaced by Egil Olsen in September 2007.^[37]

Under Egil Olsen, Iraq advanced from the first round by beating Pakistan 7–0 on aggregate. Then they were drawn with Australia, China, and Qatar for the second round.^[38] On the first matchday, Iraq tied China. As a consequence, Olsen was sacked and replaced by Adnan Hamad.^[39] The next two matches saw Iraq lose twice to Qatar and Australia. However, Iraq bounced back with an 1–0 win on Australia and 2–1 win against China.^[40]

On 26 May 2008, FIFA decided to suspend Iraq from all international competitions after the Iraq Football Association was disbanded by the government on 20 May 2008.^[41] The suspension was provisionally and conditionally lifted on 29 May 2008.^[42] Iraq needed 1 point to advance to the final stage on the last matchday, but failed to advance to the final round of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers as a 1–0 defeat to Qatar saw them finish in third in the group. Following this, the Iraq FA decided to disband the team and sacked Hamad.^[43]

Qatar fielded ineligible player Emerson in the 2–0 defeat to Iraq on 26 March 2008, prompting FIFA to controversially^[44] suspend him but clear Qatar of any wrongdoing, in direct contradiction to its decisions against Singapore. Iraq appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport but it was rejected by the CAS, saying that Iraq submitted documents and appeal fees too late.^[45]

Jorvan Vieira was reappointed in September 2008. After a disappointing 2009 Arabian Gulf Cup, Vieira was sacked and replaced by Bora Milutinovic.^[46]

In 2009, Iraq participated in only their second FIFA tournament ever: the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, which they qualified for by winning the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. They started the tournament with a 0–0 draw with hosts South Africa, before losing 1–0 to UEFA Euro 2008 winners Spain. Iraq drew the last game 0–0 with New Zealand and were knocked out.

On 20 November 2009, the FIFA Emergency Committee suspended the Iraq FA due to government interference;^[47] the suspension was lifted on 19 March 2010.^[48]

Iraq qualified automatically for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. They were drawn against Iran, North Korea and UAE in Group D. After a 2–1 loss against Iran, and 1–0 win against UAE, Iraq went into the match against North Korea needing only a draw to progress. Iraq won 1–0 and advanced to the quarterfinals as group runners-up. On 22 January, Iraq lost to Australia, 1–0, in the quarterfinal. The match went into extra time with Harry Kewell heading in a goal in the 117th minute just inside the 18-yard box.^[49]

Under coach Wolfgang Sidka, Iraq were drawn into the second round of qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup where they faced Yemen. Iraq defeated Yemen 2–0 in Arbil on 23 July before drawing 0–0 in Al Ain five days later. Iraq advanced to the third round of qualifiers where they were grouped with Jordan, China and Singapore. The IFA announced it would not renew Wolfgang Sidka's contract on 2 August 2011.^[50] On 29 August 2011, Brazilian legend Zico signed a one-year contract to become the new coach of Iraq.^[51]

Iraq topped Group A with 15 points, and in the final qualification stage was drawn with Jordan, Japan, Australia and Oman. Iraq started with 1–1 draws against Jordan away and Oman at home. After their slow start, Iraq lost 1–0 to Japan away and lost a crucial home match against Australia 2–1, moving them into bottom position with 2 points. On 14 November 2012, Iraq won 1–0 against Jordan in Doha which elevated them to third in Group B, behind Australia on goal difference and ahead of Oman.^[52]

On 28 November 2012, Zico resigned as head coach.^[53] The Iraqi FA appointed Vladimir Petrović as his replacement on 25 February 2013.^[54] However, on 11 June 2013, Iraq lost 1–0 to Japan in Doha and were eliminated from the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.^[55]

Iraq were in a 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualifying group alongside Saudi Arabia, China and Indonesia. After losing consecutively against China and Saudi Arabia, Iraq was in danger of missing out on the Asian Cup. They kept alive their hopes of qualifying for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup with a 2–0 away win over Indonesia on 19 November 2013, and on the last matchday, Iraq booked their spot with a commanding 3–1 win at the Sharjah Stadium against China. Due to bad results at the 22nd Arabian Gulf Cup, Hakeem Shaker was sacked and the FA appointed Radhi Shenaishil as caretaker coach.

Iraq began the 2015 AFC Asian Cup campaign with a 1–0 win over Jordan.^[56] In the next match, Iraq faced Japan and lost the match 0–1.^[57] Iraq then beat Palestine 2–0 and qualified to knockout stage as the Group D runner-up.^[58] Iraq defeated Iran in the quarter-finals in penalties, 7–6, after the game ended 3–3 after 120 minutes of play.^[59] They faced South Korea in the semi-finals but lost 0–2.^[60] Iraq finished the AFC Asian Cup in fourth place, after losing 2–3 to United Arab Emirates in third/fourth place play-off.^[61]

For the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Iraq were drawn with Thailand, Vietnam and Chinese Taipei.^[62]

In August 2015, Yahya Alwan was appointed coach for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.^[63] After initially starting well with a 5–1 win against Chinese Taipei, two consecutive draws against Thailand and Vietnam left Iraq in real danger of missing out on the final round. On 24 March 2016, Iraq tied 2–2 with Thailand and Alwan was replaced with Abdul-Ghani Shahad. Five days later, he led Iraq to the final round and 2019 AFC Asian Cup by beating Vietnam 1–0.^[64]

On 15 April 2016, Radhi Shenaishil became the new coach of Iraq in order to lead the team in the final round.^[65] For the final round, Iraq was drawn with Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Thailand. After seven matchdays, Iraq only managed to collect 4 points by beating Thailand and tie 1–1 with Australia. As a result, Shenaishil was sacked on April 10, 2017.^[66]

Basim Qasim was appointed for the remainder of the qualifiers and Iraq finished fifth in the final round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification.

The 2019 AFC Asian Cup draw put Iraq in Group D, with Iran, Vietnam, and Yemen.^[67]

On 3 September 2018, Srečko Katanec was appointed as head coach on a three-year contract to lead Iraq in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup and 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.^[68]

Their first match took place on 8 January 2019 against Vietnam and ended in a 3–2 victory for Iraq.^[69] Their second match against Yemen on January 12 ended in a 3–0 victory, with goals coming from Mohanad Ali, Bashar Resan, and Alaa Abbas. In their final group game, Iraq faced Iran on January 16, resulting in a 0–0 draw. With these performances, Iraq finished second in Group D and advanced to the knockout stage.^[70]

In the Round of 16, Iraq faced Qatar. Despite their efforts, Iraq suffered a 1–0 defeat, with Bassam Al-Rawi scoring the only goal, ending their journey in the tournament. Qatar later won the tournament.^[71]

Iraq participated in the second round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. They were placed in Group C alongside Bahrain, Iran, Cambodia, and Hong Kong and reached the final round with five wins from eight matches including a 2–1 victory against Iran.^[72]

Iraq went 19 consecutive matches without losing between 2019 and 2021 and moved up from 89th to 68th in the FIFA rankings during Katanec's tenure. Katanec departed in July 2021 after six months of unpaid wages and filed a complaint with FIFA.^[73]

On 31 July 2021, Dutchman Dick Advocaat was appointed head coach of Iraq.^[74] Under Advocaat, Iraq made to a slow start to the final round of World Cup Qualifiers, drawing four games and losing two, and on 21 November 2021, Advocaat resigned. Željko Petrović took charge of the team for the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup, where Iraq were eliminated from the group stage. Petrović was sacked after two further winless qualifying games and Abdul-Ghani Shahad was appointed as an interim manager, but Iraq were eliminated after finishing fourth in the group.

On 7 November 2022, Jesús Casas was appointed head coach of the Iraq national football team, with a contract running until the 2026 FIFA World Cup.^[75] In his first tournament in charge, Iraq hosted and won the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup, defeating Oman 3–2 after extra time in the final.^[76]

Iraq was drawn in Group D of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup with Japan, Vietnam, and Indonesia.^[77] On 15 January 2024, Iraq overcame Indonesia 3–1.^[78] Four days later, Iraq created the biggest shock in the tournament, stunning Japan (who had been undefeated in the last 11 matches) by beating them 2–1 in the second group match to ensure first place in the group; both Iraq goals were scored by Aymen Hussein.^[79] With the outcome confirmed, Iraq largely rotated their squad on the final match against Vietnam, and ended up triumphant 3–2 to make history by earning a perfect record of nine points.^[80] However, Iraq suffered a shock defeat in the Round of 16, losing 2–3 to Jordan to exit the tournament. The result was controversial due to a second yellow card shown to Aymen Hussein by the referee for his celebration after he had scored to take a 2–1 lead.^[81]

During the second round of World Cup qualification, Iraq was placed in Group F alongside Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia. The team had an impressive run, winning all six matches, securing qualification to the next round and for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.^[82] In the third round of qualification, Iraq was drawn into Group B, which included South Korea, Jordan, Palestine, Oman, and Kuwait. However, despite early momentum, Iraq struggled to maintain consistency. Following a 2–1 defeat to Palestine on 27 March 2025, the Iraq Football Association (IFA) held an urgent meeting and unanimously decided to dismiss Casas and his coaching staff. His contract was officially terminated on 15 April 2025.^[83]

Casas was succeeded by Australian coach Graham Arnold, who previously coached his own national team in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Arnold took over for the final matches of the third round, but Iraq finished third in the group and missed out on direct qualification to the World Cup, instead proceeding to the fourth round of qualifiers. In the fourth round, Iraq were drawn with hosts Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. Iraq ended Indonesia's hope of qualification with a 1–0 victory,^[84] however Iraq finished as group runners-up after a goalless draw with Saudi Arabia, who qualified to the World Cup on goals scored.^[85] Iraq advanced to the two-legged fifth round playoff against the United Arab Emirates; in the first leg in Abu Dhabi, the teams drew 1–1.^[86] In the return leg in Basra, Iraq triumphed 2–1, winning the tie 3–2 on aggregate, thanks to a dramatic stoppage-time penalty converted by Amir Al-Ammari. With that victory, Iraq advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs,^[87] where they were drawn to face the winner of the game between Bolivia and Suriname in a play-off match held in Mexico to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.^[88] Iraq ultimately faced Bolivia and defeated them 2–1, with Aymen Hussein scoring the decisive goal to secure Iraq's place at the World Cup.^[89] Iraq's successful qualifying campaign for the 2026 FIFA World Cup spanned 21 matches over a period of 28 months.^[90][91]

The traditional colours of the Iraq national football team are green, white and black. Green and white are often interchangeable as Iraq's home and away colours, while black is used as the third colour.

The national team frequently wore white kits during the 1960s and early 1970s, including at the 1966 Arab Cup and during early FIFA World Cup qualifying campaigns. Green became increasingly prominent from the mid-1970s onward, notably during the 4th Arabian Gulf Cup and the 1976 AFC Asian Cup. Over time, it developed into the team’s primary football colour and was often combined with white details inspired by the national flag. The shade of green has varied across different periods, ranging from brighter tones in earlier decades to darker modern interpretations introduced by manufacturers such as Adidas and Umbro.^[92]

Iraq have also previously worn red, yellow and blue kits. One of the most notable departures from the traditional colour scheme occurred during the 1986 FIFA World Cup, when Iraq wore yellow against Paraguay and blue against Belgium and Mexico despite having mainly used green and white during qualification.^[93] Former Iraqi players later stated that members of the team delegation had attempted to retain the traditional colours, but the request was rejected by then-Iraq Football Association president Uday Hussein, who reportedly insisted on using yellow and blue kits.^[94] Following the tournament, Iraq gradually returned to green-and-white combinations.

Since the 2000s, green and white have again formed the basis of Iraq’s visual identity, while black has increasingly been used for alternative kits, particularly in designs incorporating references to Mesopotamian civilisation, Babylonian ornamentation and traditional Iraqi motifs. One of the most notable examples was Umbro’s black third kit introduced in November 2021 for the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup, which featured geometric patterns inspired by Mesopotamian art, including Babylonian palm motifs symbolising victory, ornamental Assyrian flowers and decorative elements referencing the walls of the Ishtar Gate. The shirt also incorporated the word “Iraq” in Kufic script on the back and later received international attention among football shirt collectors, including a nomination by Classic Football Shirts among the best football shirts of the year.^[95]

Iraq’s kits have been manufactured by several international and regional sportswear brands, including Umbro, Adidas, Puma, Jako, Peak, Givova, Lotto, Diadora and Jack & Jones. The current kit supplier is Jako.^[96]

Kit supplier	Period
Umbro	1984–1986, 2007, 2020–2022[97][3]
Adidas	1986–1994, 2007, 2014, 2024[98]
Puma	1996
Patrick	2000
Jako	2003–2004, 2014–2019, 2022–2023,[99] 2024–present[100]
Jack & Jones	2004–2006
Diadora	2006
Lotto	2006
Peak	2008–2014
Givova	2019–2020

The Iraqi team is commonly known as Usood al-Rafidayn (Arabic: أُسُودُ الرَّافِدَيْن), meaning "Lions of Mesopotamia". In ancient Mesopotamia, the Babylonian lion was a symbol of power, impetuosity, ferocity, prestige and dominance.^[101] This is reflected in the sculpted lions in Babylon, where the processional path is ornamented with ceramic tile bas-reliefs representing a prestigious lion from the time of Nebuchadnezzar II. This kind of representation aimed to glorify the king, master of the beasts, and also represent the defeat of the enemy.^[102] Moreover, the Mesopotamian royal inscriptions depict the king as a ferocious lion to whom nothing can be resisted.^{[103][104][105]} The presence of lions in ancient Iraqi civilization was based on the belief, or desire, that the animals represented would bring with them the virtues they symbolized, so that they could be transmitted to the owners.^[106]

Iraq kits throughout history have usually featured the flag of Iraq on them, although the coat of arms of Iraq and the Iraq Football Association logo have both appeared on kits in the past. The national team has occasionally had its own unique logo, the first of which was from 1982 to 1983. This logo was based on the Iraq flag, with Iraqi written at the top of the crest.^[107] From 2000 to 2002, the national team's logo featured a green outline with the word Iraq written at the top in green Arabic text. In the 2005 West Asian Games, the team wore a new logo with the red band of the flag appearing in a large semi-circle shape,^[108] and in 2007, Iraq briefly reverted to using the logo that they had used from 2000 to 2002. On 23 October 2020, the national team's current logo was revealed, with a star featuring above the crest from 2021 to 2022 to commemorate the nation's 2007 AFC Asian Cup victory.^[109]

• 
  1982–1983
• 
  2000–2002,
  2007
• 
  2005
• 
  2020–2021,
  2022–present
• 
  2021–2022

Due to its geographical location, Iraq maintains strong rivalries with many neighbours.

Opponent	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Iran	31	6	7	18	21	43	−22	019.35
Saudi Arabia	44	18	12	14	63	43	+20	040.91
Kuwait	43	18	13	12	56	46	+10	041.86

Iraq's main and traditional rival has been Iran, and they are often considered to be two of the greatest football teams in the Middle East and Asia with one of the greatest rivalries. At the early stage, Iran had proved to be more dominant than Iraq, remaining undefeated from 1964 until 1993. In the contemporary era, especially during the reign of Saddam Hussein, the two countries had bad relations and fought the Iran–Iraq War for eight years.^[110][111] Iraqis have considered any matches against Iran as a must-win encounter and are known to treat it differently from any other football matches.^[112] Iraq has played 31 matches against Iran with 6 victories, 7 draws, and 18 losses.

Iraq's other rival is Saudi Arabia, and matches between the two teams also draw significant attention from Iraqi fans, with Iraq and Saudi Arabia being recognised as the two most successful Arab teams in Asia. The beginnings of the footballing rivalry between them dates back to the 1970s, but it was only after the 1990s that the rivalry between the two Arab nations truly developed since it was previously overshadowed by Iraq's rivalries with Iran and Kuwait.^[113] One of these reasons for the rivalry to develop is due to the bitter Gulf War, where Iraq fought against Saudi Arabia over Kuwait, an ally of Saudi Arabia.^[114] These encounters have also been marred with various controversies and hostilities, such as the 21st Arabian Gulf Cup hosting rights, where Iraq was stripped from hosting with the tournament instead being moved to Bahrain, a move which was believed by Iraqis as a deliberate act by Saudi Arabia to remove Iraq's home advantage.^[114] Before that, Iraq was also banned from hosting home games against Saudi Arabia due to the Gulf War.^[114] Iraq has played 44 matches against Saudi Arabia with 18 victories, 12 draws, and 14 losses.

Iraq's rivalry with Kuwait was once considered the greatest football rivalry in the Middle East, until being taken over by Iraq's rivalry with Saudi Arabia due to Kuwait's decline. The rivalry began in the mid-1970s. Because of the Gulf War, Iraq and Kuwait were in complete avoidance and never met for more than 15 years until 2005. Iraq has played 43 matches against Kuwait with 18 victories, 13 draws, and 12 losses.

The Iraq national football team has frequently been viewed as a symbol of national unity within Iraqi society. During periods of war, sanctions and political instability, matches involving the national team often carried social and cultural significance beyond sport itself. Iraq’s victory at the 2007 AFC Asian Cup is widely regarded as one of the most significant moments in the country’s sporting history. Celebrations following the victory took place across several Iraqi cities and among Iraqi communities abroad, with the triumph frequently described as a unifying national moment.

Iraqi supporter culture is characterised by patriotic chants and strong displays of national symbolism. Among the most widely used chants are "O Victorious Baghdad" ("منصورة يا بغداد") or "With our souls and our blood, we will redeem you, O Iraq" ("بالروح بالدم نفديك يا عراق") during the Iraqi team's matches.^[115]

Another famous chant is "the first goal is coming" ("هسه يجي الاول") which is chanted in the beginning of the match.^[116] A succeeding chant is "the second goal is coming" ("هسه يجي الثاني"); this is usually chanted repeatedly after Iraq score a goal to motivate the players to score another.

Iraq primarily plays its home matches at Basra International Stadium but has also used various other venues across the country. Since 1980, FIFA has imposed bans on Iraq hosting competitive international matches on six occasions.

The first ban came in 1980 after fan and player violence during a match against Kuwait. Although lifted in 1982, the Iran–Iraq War led to a renewed ban. During this period, Iraq played home games at neutral venues but still qualified for the 1986 FIFA World Cup and three Olympic Games tournaments. The ban ended in 1988 after the war.^[117]

A new ban followed the Gulf War in 1990 which lasted until 1995. Iraq hosted matches during the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers but was again forced to play abroad following the Iraq War in 2003. Home matches resumed in 2009, but security concerns led to another ban in 2011.^[118]

Between 2013 and 2018, Iraq hosted friendlies in Baghdad, Basra, and Karbala, culminating in FIFA lifting the ban in 2018. Basra hosted the 2018 AFC Cup Final,^[119] while the 2019 WAFF Championship was held in Karbala and Erbil.^[120] However, the Iraqi protests in 2019 led to another ban,^[121] forcing Iraq to play its home games at neutral venues during the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.^[122][123]

In 2023, Iraq successfully hosted the Arabian Gulf Cup for the first time since 1979,^[124] and resumed hosting official matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.^[125]

Stadium	City	Pld	W	D	L	Win %	Last match hosted	Map of the host cities
Al-Shaab Stadium	Baghdad	87	54	24	9	62.1	2013	Baghdad Basra Erbil Karbala Sulaymaniyah
Basra International Stadium	Basra	24	17	5	2	70.8	2025
Al-Kashafa Stadium	Baghdad	9	6	2	1	66.7	1966
Karbala International Stadium	Karbala	6	3	2	1	50.0	2019
Franso Hariri Stadium	Erbil	4	2	0	2	50.0	2011
Al-Madina Stadium	Baghdad	2	2	0	0	100.0	2022
Al-Fayhaa Stadium	Basra	2	1	1	0	50.0	2021
Al-Minaa Olympic Stadium	Basra	1	1	0	0	100.0	2022
Sulaymaniyah Stadium	Sulaymaniyah	1	0	0	1	0.0	2010
Total		136	86	34	16	63.2%	2025

Last updated: Iraq vs. UAE, 18 November 2025
Statistics include only official international matches.^[126]

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

As of 17 June 2026.

Year	GP	W	D	L	Win %	Matches
1957–1969	43	17	14	12	039.53	Matches
1970–1979	119	64	31	24	053.78	Matches
1980–1989	148	78	39	31	052.70	Matches
1990–1999	62	37	16	9	059.68	Matches
2000–2009	143	55	42	46	038.46	Matches
2010–2019	170	69	48	53	040.59	Matches
2020–present	80	37	24	19	046.25	Matches
Total	765	357	214	194	046.67	—

As of 9 May 2025.^[127]

Position	Name
Head Coach	Graham Arnold
Assistant Coach	René Meulensteen[128] Robert Stanton
Goalkeeping Coach	Zeljko Kalac
Fitness Coach	Chris Pappas
Lead Technical Analyst	Adam Barbera
Technical Analyst	Stevan Antonić
Data and Insights Analyst	Huw Cox
Lead Opposition Scout	Doug Kors
Physiotherapist	Brahim Boubaker Marouan Slim
Chief Medical Officer	Mokhtar Chaabane
Team Doctor	Mourad Mokrani
Team Manager	Mustafa Jalal
Interpreter	Ali Abbas
Media Coordinator	Salam Al-Manaseer
Security Coordinator	Samed Abu Jaber
Kitman	Abdallah Al-Mahmoudi

The following 26 players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.^[129][130]
Caps and goals correct as of 16 June 2026, after the match against Norway.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Fahad Talib	(1994-10-21) 21 October 1994 (age 31)	21	0	Al-Talaba
12	1GK	Jalal Hassan (captain)	(1991-05-18) 18 May 1991 (age 35)	103	0	Al-Zawraa
22	1GK	Ahmed Basil	(1996-08-19) 19 August 1996 (age 29)	16	0	Al-Shorta
2	2DF	Rebin Sulaka	(1992-04-12) 12 April 1992 (age 34)	56	1	Port
3	2DF	Hussein Ali	(2002-03-01) 1 March 2002 (age 24)	28	1	Pogoń Szczecin
4	2DF	Zaid Tahseen	(2001-01-29) 29 January 2001 (age 25)	29	1	Pakhtakor
5	2DF	Akam Hashim	(1998-08-16) 16 August 1998 (age 27)	15	1	Al-Zawraa
6	2DF	Munaf Younis	(1996-11-16) 16 November 1996 (age 29)	34	1	Al-Shorta
15	2DF	Ahmed Maknzi	(2001-09-24) 24 September 2001 (age 24)	7	0	Al-Karma
23	2DF	Merchas Doski	(1999-12-07) 7 December 1999 (age 26)	32	1	Viktoria Plzeň
25	2DF	Mustafa Saadoon	(2001-05-25) 25 May 2001 (age 25)	18	0	Al-Shorta
26	2DF	Frans Putros	(1993-07-14) 14 July 1993 (age 32)	28	0	Persib
7	3MF	Youssef Amyn	(2003-08-21) 21 August 2003 (age 22)	27	2	AEK Larnaca
8	3MF	Ibrahim Bayesh	(2000-05-01) 1 May 2000 (age 26)	77	8	Al-Dhafra
11	3MF	Ahmed Qasem	(2003-07-12) 12 July 2003 (age 22)	4	0	Nashville SC
14	3MF	Zidane Iqbal	(2003-04-27) 27 April 2003 (age 23)	26	2	Utrecht
16	3MF	Amir Al-Ammari	(1997-07-27) 27 July 1997 (age 28)	52	3	Cracovia
17	3MF	Ali Jasim	(2004-01-20) 20 January 2004 (age 22)	37	2	Al-Najma
19	3MF	Kevin Yakob	(2000-10-10) 10 October 2000 (age 25)	9	0	AGF
20	3MF	Aimar Sher	(2002-12-20) 20 December 2002 (age 23)	7	0	Sarpsborg
21	3MF	Marko Farji	(2004-03-16) 16 March 2004 (age 22)	13	0	Venezia
24	3MF	Zaid Ismail	(2002-01-03) 3 January 2002 (age 24)	7	0	Al-Talaba
9	4FW	Ali Al-Hamadi	(2002-03-01) 1 March 2002 (age 24)	21	5	Ipswich Town
10	4FW	Mohanad Ali	(2000-06-20) 20 June 2000 (age 26)	73	27	Dibba
13	4FW	Ali Yousif	(1996-01-19) 19 January 1996 (age 30)	7	1	Al-Talaba
18	4FW	Aymen Hussein	(1996-03-22) 22 March 1996 (age 30)	96	34	Al-Karma

The following players have been called up within the last 12 months and remain eligible for selection.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Kumel Al-Rekabe	(2004-08-19) 19 August 2004 (age 21)	1	0	Erbil	2026 FIFA World Cup PRE
DF	Ahmed Yahya	(1995-07-01) 1 July 1995 (age 30)	20	0	Al-Shorta	2026 FIFA World Cup INJ
DF	Maitham Jabbar	(2000-11-10) 10 November 2000 (age 25)	20	0	Al-Zawraa	2026 FIFA World Cup PRE
DF	Dario Naamo	(2005-06-14) 14 June 2005 (age 21)	1	0	Dundee United	2026 FIFA World Cup PRE
DF	Saad Natiq	(1994-03-19) 19 March 1994 (age 32)	44	1	Duhok	2025 FIFA Arab Cup
DF	Ameer Sabah Khudhair	(1998-06-03) 3 June 1998 (age 28)	0	0	Al-Shorta	2025 FIFA Arab Cup INJ
DF	Ali Faez	(1994-09-09) 9 September 1994 (age 31)	54	4	Al-Najaf	v.  Thailand, 7 September 2025
MF	Hasan Abdulkareem	(1999-01-01) 1 January 1999 (age 27)	21	1	Al-Zawraa	2026 FIFA World Cup PRE
MF	Peter Gwargis	(2000-09-04) 4 September 2000 (age 25)	4	0	Duhok	2026 FIFA World Cup PRE
MF	Jussef Nasrawe	(2007-03-22) 22 March 2007 (age 19)	1	0	SV Ried	2026 FIFA World Cup PRE
MF	Karrar Nabeel	(1998-01-16) 16 January 1998 (age 28)	8	0	Al-Zawraa	2026 FIFA World Cup PRE
MF	Amjad Attwan	(1997-03-12) 12 March 1997 (age 29)	91	5	Zakho	2025 FIFA Arab Cup
MF	Hussein Ali Al-Saedi	(1996-11-29) 29 November 1996 (age 29)	53	6	Al-Shorta	2025 FIFA Arab Cup
MF	Sherko Karim	(1996-05-25) 25 May 1996 (age 30)	28	1	Zakho	2025 FIFA Arab Cup
MF	Sajjad Jassim	(1998-01-07) 7 January 1998 (age 28)	14	1	Al-Karma	2025 FIFA Arab Cup
MF	Osama Rashid	(1992-01-17) 17 January 1992 (age 34)	43	2	Zakho	2025 FIFA Arab Cup INJ
MF	Bashar Rasan	(1996-12-22) 22 December 1996 (age 29)	65	4	Pakhtakor	v.  Saudi Arabia, 14 October 2025
MF	Montader Madjed	(2005-04-24) 24 April 2005 (age 21)	4	0	Hammarby	v.  Saudi Arabia, 14 October 2025
FW	Amar Muhsin	(1997-12-27) 27 December 1997 (age 28)	8	0	Gimpo	2025 FIFA Arab Cup
FW	Mohammed Jawad	(1996-10-19) 19 October 1996 (age 29)	3	0	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	2025 FIFA Arab Cup
SUS Player suspended INJ Player injured PRE Player was named in preliminary squad CLB Player refused by club or unable to attend due to club commitments RET Player retired from the national team WD Player withdrew for non-injury related reasons

As of 17 June 2026.^[131]

Players in bold are still active with Iraq.

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Younis Mahmoud	148	57	2002–2016
2	Hussein Saeed	137	78	1976–1990
3	Alaa Abdul-Zahra	124	17	2007–2021
4	Adnan Dirjal	122	8	1978–1990
5	Ahmed Radhi	121	62	1982–1997
6	Ahmed Ibrahim	117	5	2010–2022
7	Hawar Mulla Mohammed	113	20	2001–2012
	Nashat Akram	113	17	2001–2013
	Ali Rehema	113	2	2005–2016
10	Mahdi Karim	110	11	2001–2018

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Hussein Saeed (list)	78	137	0.57	1976–1990
2	Ahmed Radhi	62	121	0.51	1982–1997
3	Younis Mahmoud	57	148	0.39	2002–2016
4	Ali Kadhim	36	84	0.43	1970–1980
5	Aymen Hussein (list)	34	96	0.35	2015–present
6	Falah Hassan	29	102	0.28	1970–1986
7	Mohanad Ali	27	73	0.37	2017–present
	Emad Mohammed	27	103	0.26	2001–2012
9	Razzaq Farhan	25	63	0.4	1998–2007
10	Laith Hussein	22	80	0.28	1986–2002

FIFA World Cup record											FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1950	Not a FIFA member										Not a FIFA member
1954 to 1970	Did not enter										Did not enter
1974	Did not qualify										6	3	2	1	11	6
1978	Withdrew										Withdrew
1982	Did not qualify										4	3	0	1	5	2
1986	Group stage	23rd	3	0	0	3	1	4	Squad		8	5	1	2	14	11
1990	Did not qualify										6	3	2	1	11	5
1994											13	7	4	2	37	13
1998											4	2	0	2	14	8
2002											14	6	3	5	37	15
2006											6	3	2	1	17	7
2010											8	3	2	3	11	6
2014											16	7	3	6	20	12
2018											16	6	5	5	24	18
2022											18	6	8	4	20	16
2026	in progress	TBD	1	0	0	1	1	4	Squad		21	13	5	3	32	14
2030	To be determined
2034
Total: 2/18	Group stage	23rd	4	0	0	4	2	8	—		140	67	37	36	253	133

FIFA World Cup history
Year	Manager	Round	Score	Result	Goalscorers for Iraq
1986	Evaristo de Macedo	Group stage
			Iraq 0–1  Paraguay	Loss
			Iraq 1–2  Belgium	Loss	Radhi 59'
			Iraq 0–1  Mexico	Loss
2026	Graham Arnold	Group stage
			Iraq 1–4  Norway	Loss	Hussein 39'
			Iraq –  France	TBD
			Iraq –  Senegal	TBD
First match:  Iraq 0–1  Paraguay – 4 June 1986, Estadio Nemesio Díez, Toluca, Mexico Biggest win: None Biggest defeat:  Iraq 1–4  Norway – 16 June 2026, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, United States Best finish: Group stage (1986) Worst finish: Group stage (1986) Overall top scorer: Ahmed Radhi and Aymen Hussein (1 goal each) Most goals in a single tournament: 1 goal — Ahmed Radhi (1986), Aymen Hussein (2026)

AFC Asian Cup record											AFC Asian Cup qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1956 to 1968	Not an AFC member										Not an AFC member
1972	Group stage	6th	3	0	2	1	1	4	Squad		6	5	1	0	13	2
1976	Fourth place	4th	4	1	0	3	3	6	Squad		6	5	1	0	14	3
1980	Withdrew										Withdrew
1984
1988
1992	Banned due to Gulf War										Banned due to Gulf War
1996	Quarter-finals	6th	4	2	0	2	6	4	Squad		2	2	0	0	4	0
2000		8th	4	1	1	2	5	7	Squad		3	3	0	0	9	2
2004		8th	4	2	0	2	5	7	Squad		6	4	1	1	16	4
2007	Champions	1st	6	3	3	0	7	2	Squad		6	3	2	1	12	8
2011	Quarter-finals	8th	4	2	0	2	3	3	Squad		Qualified as defending champions
2015	Fourth place	4th	6	2	1	3	8	9	Squad		6	3	0	3	7	6
2019	Round of 16	14th	4	2	1	1	6	3	Squad		6	3	3	0	13	6
2023		12th	4	3	0	1	10	7	Squad		8	5	2	1	14	4
2027	Qualified										6	6	0	0	17	2
Total	1 Title	11/15	43	18	8	17	54	52	—		55	39	10	6	119	37
Champions     Runners-up     Third place     Fourth place *Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

AFC Asian Cup history
Year	Manager	Round	Score	Result	Goalscorers for Iraq
1972	Abdelilah Mohammed Hassan	Group allocation matches
			Iraq 0–0 (a.e.t.) (4–2 p)  South Korea	Draw
		Group stage
			Iraq 0–3  Iran	Loss
			Iraq 1–1  Thailand	Draw	Yousif 6'
1976	Lenko Grčić	Group stage
			Iraq 0–2  Iran	Loss
			Iraq 1–0  South Yemen	Win	Waal 84'
		Semi-finals
			Iraq 2–3 (a.e.t.)  Kuwait	Loss	Abdul-Jalil 46', Hassan 85'
		Third place match
			Iraq 0–1  China	Loss
1996	Yahya Alwan	Group stage
			Iraq 2–1  Iran	Win	Fawzi 37', Sabbar 69'
			Iraq 0–1  Saudi Arabia	Loss
			Iraq 4–1  Thailand	Win	H. Mahmoud 17', 50', L. Hussein 23', 63'
		Quarter-finals
			Iraq 0–1 (a.e.t.)  United Arab Emirates	Loss
2000	Milan Živadinović	Group stage
			Iraq 2–0  Thailand	Win	Chathir 27', H. Mahmoud 60'
			Iraq 2–2  Lebanon	Draw	Jeayer 5', 22'
			Iraq 0–1  Iran	Loss
		Quarter-finals
			Iraq 1–4  Japan	Loss	Obeid 4'
2004	Adnan Hamad	Group stage
			Iraq 0–1  Uzbekistan	Loss
			Iraq 3–2  Turkmenistan	Win	Mohammed 12', Farhan 80', Munir 88'
			Iraq 2–1  Saudi Arabia	Win	Akram 51', Y. Mahmoud 86'
		Quarter-finals
			Iraq 0–3  China	Loss
2007	Jorvan Vieira	Group stage
			Iraq 1–1  Thailand	Draw	Y. Mahmoud 32'
			Iraq 3–1  Australia	Win	Akram 22', Mohammed 60', K. Jassim 86'
			Iraq 0–0  Oman	Draw
		Quarter-finals
			Iraq 2–0  Vietnam	Win	Y. Mahmoud 2', 65'
		Semi-finals
			Iraq 0–0 (a.e.t.) (4–3 p)  South Korea	Draw
		Final
			Iraq 1–0  Saudi Arabia	Win	Y. Mahmoud 72'
2011	Wolfgang Sidka	Group stage
			Iraq 1–2  Iran	Loss	Y. Mahmoud 13'
			Iraq 1–0  United Arab Emirates	Win	W. Abbas 90+3' (o.g.)
			Iraq 1–0  North Korea	Win	Jassim 22'
		Quarter-finals
			Iraq 0–1 (a.e.t.)  Australia	Loss
2015	Radhi Shenaishil	Group stage
			Iraq 1–0  Jordan	Win	Kasim 77'
			Iraq 0–1  Japan	Loss
			Iraq 2–0  Palestine	Win	Y. Mahmoud 48', Yasin 88'
		Quarter-finals
			Iraq 3–3 (a.e.t.) (7–6 p)  Iran	Draw	Yasin 56', Y. Mahmoud 93', Ismail 116' (pen.)
		Semi-finals
			Iraq 0–2  South Korea	Loss
		Third place match
			Iraq 2–3  United Arab Emirates	Loss	Salim 28', Kalaf 42'
2019	Srečko Katanec	Group stage
			Iraq 3–2  Vietnam	Win	Ali 35', Tariq 60', Adnan 90'
			Iraq 3–0  Yemen	Win	Ali 11', Resan 19', Abbas 90+1'
			Iraq 0–0  Iran	Draw
		Round of 16
			Iraq 0–1  Qatar	Loss
2023	Jesús Casas	Group stage
			Iraq 3–1  Indonesia	Win	Ali 17', Rashid 45+7', A. Hussein 75'
			Iraq 2–1  Japan	Win	A. Hussein 5', 45+4'
			Iraq 3–2  Vietnam	Win	Sulaka 47', A. Hussein 73', 90+12' (pen.)
		Round of 16
			Iraq 2–3  Jordan	Loss	Natiq 68', A. Hussein 76'
First match:  Iraq 0–0  South Korea – 7 May 1972, National Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand Biggest win:  Iraq 4–1  Thailand – 11 December 1996 and  Iraq 3–0  Yemen – 12 January 2019 Biggest defeat:  Iraq 0–3  Iran – 9 May 1972 and  Iraq 1–4  Japan – 24 October 2000 and  Iraq 0–3  China – 30 July 2004 Best finish: Champions (2007) Worst finish: Group stage (1972) Overall top scorer: Younis Mahmoud (8 goals) Most goals in a single tournament: Aymen Hussein (6 goals, 2023) Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
1992	Did not enter
1995	Banned due to Gulf War
1997	Did not qualify
1999
2001
2003
2005
2009	Group stage	7th	3	0	2	1	0	1	Squad
2013	Did not qualify
2017
Total	Best: Group stage	1/10	3	0	2	1	0	1	—

FIFA Confederations Cup history
Year	Manager	Round	Score	Result	Goalscorers for Iraq
2009	Bora Milutinović	Group stage
			Iraq 0–0  South Africa	Draw
			Iraq 0–1  Spain	Loss
			Iraq 0–0  New Zealand	Draw
First match:  Iraq 0–0  South Africa – 14 June 2009, Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa Biggest win: None Biggest defeat:  Iraq 0–1  Spain – 17 June 2009, Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein, South Africa Best finish: Group stage (2009) Worst finish: Group stage (2009) Overall top scorer: None Most goals in a single tournament: None

Summer Olympics record											Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1900 to 1936	Not an IOC member										Not an IOC member
1948 to 1956	Did not enter										Did not enter
1960	Did not qualify										4	2	0	2	14	10
1964											2	0	1	1	0	4
1968											4	1	1	2	7	5
1972											5	3	0	2	4	5
1976											4	2	0	2	6	4
1980	Quarter-finals	8th	4	1	2	1	4	5	Squad		5	3	1	1	10	3
1984	Group stage	14th	3	0	1	2	3	6	Squad		8	4	3	1	10	7
1988	Group stage	10th	3	1	1	1	5	4	Squad		8	6	1	1	14	6
1992 to present	See Iraq national under-23 football team										See Iraq national under-23 football team
Total	Quarter-finals	3/11	10	2	4	4	12	15	—		40	21	7	12	65	44

Summer Olympics history
Year	Manager	Round	Score	Result	Goalscorers for Iraq
1980	Anwar Jassam	Group stage
			Iraq 3–0  Costa Rica	Win	Ahmed 45', Saeed 49', Hassan 75'
			Iraq 0–0  Finland	Draw
			Iraq 1–1  Yugoslavia	Draw	Hassan 61'
		Quarter-finals
			Iraq 0–4  East Germany	Loss
1984	Ammo Baba	Group stage
			Iraq 1–1  Canada	Draw	Saeed 83'
			Iraq 0–1  Cameroon	Loss
			Iraq 2–4  Yugoslavia	Loss	Saeed 17', Shihab 43'
1988	Ammo Baba	Group stage
			Iraq 2–2  Zambia	Draw	Radhi 36' (pen.), Allawi 71'
			Iraq 3–0  Guatemala	Win	Radhi 57', Jabbar 67', Mazariegos 77' (o.g.)
			Iraq 0–2  Italy	Loss
1992–present
	See Iraq national under-23 football team
First match:  Iraq 3–0  Costa Rica – 21 July 1980, Republican Stadium, Kyiv, Soviet Union Biggest win:  Iraq 3–0  Costa Rica – 21 July 1980 and  Iraq 3–0  Guatemala – 19 September 1988 Biggest defeat:  Iraq 0–4  East Germany – 27 July 1980, Republican Stadium, Kyiv, Soviet Union Best finish: Quarter-finals (1980) Worst finish: Group stage (1984, 1988) Overall top scorer: Hussein Saeed (3 goals) Most goals in a single tournament: 2 goals — Falah Hassan (1980), Hussein Saeed (1984), Ahmed Radhi (1988)

Asian Games record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad
1951 to 1970	Did not enter
1974	Second round	5th	6	3	2	1	6	2	Squad
1978	Fourth place	4th	7	4	1	2	11	4	Squad
1982	Gold medalists	1st	6	5	0	1	11	2	Squad
1986	Quarter-finals	6th	5	3	1	1	13	5	Squad
1990 to 1998	Banned due to Gulf War
2002 to present	See Iraq national under-23 football team
Total	1 Title	4/13	24	15	4	5	41	13	—

Asian Games history
Year	Manager	Round	Score	Result	Goalscorers for Iraq
1974	Thamir Muhsin	First round
			Iraq 3–0  India	Win	Jassam 19', Hassan 27', Kadhim 58'
			Iraq 1–0  North Korea	Win	Jassam 73'
			Iraq 1–0  China	Win	Hatim 24'
		Second round
			Iraq 1–1  South Korea	Draw	Jassam 74'
			Iraq 0–0  Malaysia	Draw
			Iraq 0–1  Iran	Loss
1978	Ammo Baba	First round
			Iraq 2–1  Qatar	Win	Subhi 35', Farhan 90'
			Iraq 2–0  China	Win	Saeed 44', 62' (o.g.)
			Iraq 1–1  Saudi Arabia	Draw	Ali 53' (pen.)
		Second round
			Iraq 0–1  North Korea	Loss
			Iraq 3–0  Kuwait	Win	Mahmoud 40', Saeed 55', Abdul-Sahib 85'
			Iraq 3–0  India	Win	Mahmoud 20', Shaker 25', Saeed 63'
		Bronze medal match
			Iraq 0–1  China	Loss
1982	Ammo Baba	Group stage
			Iraq 4–0  Burma	Win	Hashim 10', Saeed 32', Shihab 54', Mohammed 86'
			Iraq 3–0    Nepal	Win	Odisho 3', Saeed 56', 75'
			Iraq 1–2  Kuwait	Loss	Shihab 73'
		Quarter-finals
			Iraq 1–0 (a.e.t.)  Japan	Win	Jassim 102'
		Semi-finals
			Iraq 1–0  Saudi Arabia	Win	Mohammed 17'
		Final
			Iraq 1–0  Kuwait	Win	Saeed 82'
1986	Akram Salman	Group stage
			Iraq 4–0  Oman	Win	Allawi 12', 70', Saeed 29', Radhi 80'
			Iraq 5–1  Pakistan	Win	Radhi 14' (pen.), 36', Hameed 21', Mohammed 34', 86'
			Iraq 1–2  United Arab Emirates	Loss	Saeed 84'
			Iraq 2–1  Thailand	Win	Dirjal 50', Mohammed 79'
		Quarter-finals
			Iraq 1–1 (a.e.t.) (8–9 p)  Saudi Arabia	Draw	Mohammed 51'
2002–present
	See Iraq national under-23 football team
First match:  Iraq 3–0  India – 2 September 1974, Amjadieh Stadium, Tehran, Iran Biggest win:  Iraq 4–0  Burma – 21 November 1982 and  Iraq 4–0  Oman – 21 September 1986 and  Iraq 5–1  Pakistan – 23 September 1986 Biggest defeat:  Iraq 0–1  Iran – 13 September 1974 and  Iraq 0–1  North Korea – 17 December 1978 and  Iraq 0–1  China – 20 December 1978 and  Iraq 1–2  Kuwait – 25 November 1982 and  Iraq 1–2  United Arab Emirates – 25 September 1986 Best finish: Gold medalists (1982) Worst finish: Second round (1974), Quarter-finals (1986) Overall top scorer: Hussein Saeed (9 goals) Most goals in a single tournament: 4 goals — Hussein Saeed (1982), Haris Mohammed (1986)

WAFF Championship record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad
2000	Third place	5	3	2	0	10	2	Squad
2002	Champions	4	3	1	0	6	2	Squad
2004	Fourth place	4	1	0	3	4	8	Squad
2007	Runners-up	4	2	1	1	5	2	Squad
2008	Withdrew
2010	Semi-finals	3	2	0	1	6	3	Squad
2012	Runners-up	4	2	1	1	4	2	Squad
2013	Group stage	2	0	2	0	0	0	Squad
2019	Runners-up	5	3	1	1	5	3	Squad
2026	To be determined
Total	1 Title	31	16	8	7	40	22	—

WAFF Championship history
Year	Manager	Round	Score	Result	Goalscorers for Iraq
2000	Adnan Hamad	Group stage
			Iraq 2–1  Lebanon	Win	Obeid 63' (pen.), Fawzi 66'
			Iraq 0–0  Jordan	Draw
			Iraq 4–0  Kyrgyzstan	Win	Farhan 28', 35', 75', H. Mohammed 67'
		Semi-finals
			Iraq 0–0 (a.e.t.) (3–5 p)  Syria	Draw
		Third place match
			Iraq 4–1  Jordan	Win	Farhan 16', 74', Kadhim 30', Hadi 37'
2002	Adnan Hamad	Group stage
			Iraq 2–0  Palestine	Win	Wahaib 47', Farhan 69'
			Iraq 1–0  Syria	Win	Kadhim 43'
		Semi-finals
			Iraq 0–0 (a.e.t.) (6–5 p)  Iran	Draw
		Final
			Iraq 3–2 (a.e.t.)  Jordan	Win	Farhan 32', Y. Mahmoud 89', H. Mahmoud 103'
2004	Bernd Stange	Group stage
			Iraq 2–1  Palestine	Win	E. Mohammed 41', 83'
			Iraq 0–2  Jordan	Loss
		Semi-finals
			Iraq 1–2  Iran	Loss	Mnajed 30'
		Third place match
			Iraq 1–3  Jordan	Loss	E. Mohammed 81'
2007	Jorvan Vieira	Group stage
			Iraq 0–0  Iran	Draw
			Iraq 1–0  Palestine	Win	H. M. Mohammed 86'
		Semi-finals
			Iraq 3–0  Syria	Win	Y. Mahmoud 10' (pen.), Mnajed 42', Sadir 85'
		Final
			Iraq 1–2  Iran	Loss	Sadir 86' (pen.)
2010	Wolfgang Sidka	Group stage
			Iraq 2–1  Yemen	Win	Saeed 49', H. M. Mohammed 72'
			Iraq 3–0  Palestine	Win	Karim 15', 76', Akram 86' (pen.)
		Semi-finals
			Iraq 1–2  Iran	Loss	Karim 71'
2012	Hakeem Shaker	Group stage
			Iraq 1–0  Jordan	Win	Ahmed 62'
			Iraq 1–1  Syria	Draw	Al Masri 11' (o.g.)
		Semi-finals
			Iraq 2–0  Oman	Win	Radhi 6', Yasin 39'
		Final
			Iraq 0–1  Syria	Loss
2013	Hadi Mutanash	Group stage
			Iraq 0–0  Bahrain	Draw
			Iraq 0–0  Oman	Draw
2019	Srečko Katanec	Group stage
			Iraq 1–0  Lebanon	Win	Ali 57'
			Iraq 2–1  Palestine	Win	Abdul-Raheem 22', Ali 83' (pen.)
			Iraq 0–0  Syria	Draw
			Iraq 2–1  Yemen	Win	Bayesh 26', Ali 31' (pen.)
		Final
			Iraq 0–1  Bahrain	Loss
First match:  Iraq 2–1  Lebanon – 23 May 2000, King Abdullah II Stadium, Amman, Jordan Biggest win:  Iraq 4–0  Kyrgyzstan – 27 May 2000, King Abdullah II Stadium, Amman, Jordan Biggest defeat:  Iraq 0–2  Jordan – 21 June 2004 and  Iraq 1–3  Jordan – 25 June 2004 Best finish: Champions (2002) Worst finish: Group stage (2013) Overall top scorer: Razzaq Farhan (7 goals) Most goals in a single tournament: Razzaq Farhan (5 goals, 2000)

FIFA Arab Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1963	Did not enter									No qualifying tournament
1964	Champions	4	3	1	0	6	2	Squad	No qualifying tournament
1966	Champions	6	5	1	0	20	5	Squad
1985	Champions	4	3	1	0	7	3	Squad	1	0	0	1	2	3
1988	Champions	6	2	4	0	7	2	Squad	Qualified as defending champions
1992 to 2002	Banned due to Gulf War									Banned due to Gulf War
2012	Third place	5	3	1	1	6	4	Squad	No qualifying tournament
2021	Group stage	3	0	2	1	1	4	Squad	Qualified automatically
2025	Quarter-finals	4	2	0	2	4	4	Squad
Total	4 Titles	32	18	10	4	51	24	—	1	0	0	1	2	3

FIFA Arab Cup history
Year	Manager	Round	Score	Result	Goalscorers for Iraq
1964	Adil Basher	Round-robin
			Iraq 1–0  Kuwait	Win	S. Ismail 60'
			Iraq 1–0  Lebanon	Win	Tabra 25'
			Iraq 1–1  Libya	Draw	Atta 70'
			Iraq 3–1  Jordan	Win	Atta 15', 37', Q. Mahmoud 31'
1966	Adil Basher	Group stage
			Iraq 3–1  Kuwait	Win	Yousif 19', Dhiab 28', Atta 78'
			Iraq 2–1  Jordan	Win	Assad 2', Atta 82'
			Iraq 10–1  Bahrain	Win	G. Ismail 6', Dhiab 18', 42', 49', 66', Jameel 25', 55', Dawood 35', Hameed 39', Najim
			Iraq 0–0  Lebanon	Draw
		Semi-finals
			Iraq 3–1  Libya	Win	Q. Mahmoud 12', Balah 22' (pen.), Atta 74'
		Final
			Iraq 2–1  Syria	Win	G. Ismail 65', 81'
1985	Anwar Jassam	Group stage
			Iraq 1–1  Bahrain	Draw	Abid 42'
			Iraq 2–0  Mauritania	Win	S. Mahmoud 42', Abid 60'
		Semi-finals
			Iraq 3–2  Saudi Arabia	Win	Abid 13', 18', Rashid 28'
		Final
			Iraq 1–0  Bahrain	Win	Abid 21'
1988	Jamal Salih	Group stage
			Iraq 1–1  Tunisia	Draw	Radhi 32'
			Iraq 0–0  Lebanon	Draw
	Ammo Baba
			Iraq 2–0  Saudi Arabia	Win	Radhi 13', 35'
			Iraq 0–0  Egypt	Draw
		Semi-finals
			Iraq 3–0  Jordan	Win	Radhi 22', Abed Ali 45', Mohammed 80'
		Final
			Iraq 1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–3 p)  Syria	Draw	Gorgis 34'
2012	Zico	Group stage
			Iraq 1–0  Lebanon	Win	Karim 89'
			Iraq 2–1  Egypt	Win	Karim 49', Abdul-Zahra 75'
			Iraq 1–1  Sudan	Draw	Shaker 5'
		Semi-finals
			Iraq 1–2  Morocco	Loss	Karim 90+6' (pen.)
		Third place match
			Iraq 1–0  Saudi Arabia	Win	Abdul-Zahra 16'
2021	Željko Petrović	Group stage
			Iraq 1–1  Oman	Draw	Abdulkareem 90+8' (pen.)
			Iraq 0–0  Bahrain	Draw
			Iraq 0–3  Qatar	Loss
2025	Graham Arnold	Group stage
			Iraq 2–1  Bahrain	Win	Lutfalla 10' (o.g.), Ali 25'
			Iraq 2–0  Sudan	Win	Ali 81', Attwan 84'
			Iraq 0–2  Algeria	Loss
		Quarter-finals
			Iraq 0–1  Jordan	Loss
First match:  Iraq 1–0  Kuwait – 13 November 1964, Shuwaikh High School Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait Biggest win:  Iraq 10–1  Bahrain – 5 April 1966, Al-Kashafa Stadium, Baghdad, Iraq Biggest defeat:  Iraq 0–3  Qatar – 6 December 2021, Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar Best finish: Champions (1964, 1966, 1985, 1988) Worst finish: Group stage (2021) Overall top scorer: Hisham Atta (6 goals) Most goals in a single tournament: Nouri Dhiab (5 goals, 1966) Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

Arabian Gulf Cup record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad
1970 to 1974	Did not enter
1976	Runners-up	7	4	2	1	23	8	Squad
1979	Champions	6	6	0	0	23	1	Squad
1982	Withdrew	5	4	1	0	11	2	Squad
1984	Champions	7	4	2	1	12	5	Squad
1986	Sixth place	6	1	3	2	8	9	Squad
1988	Champions	6	4	2	0	8	1	Squad
1990	Withdrew	3	1	2	0	4	3	Squad
1992 to 2003–04	Banned due to Gulf War
2004	Group stage	3	0	2	1	5	7	Squad
2007	Group stage	3	1	1	1	2	2	Squad
2009	Group stage	3	0	1	2	2	8	Squad
2010	Semi-finals	4	1	3	0	5	4	Squad
2013	Runners-up	5	3	1	1	7	3	Squad
2014	Group stage	3	0	1	2	1	4	Squad
2017–18	Semi-finals	4	2	2	0	6	2	Squad
2019	Semi-finals	4	2	2	0	6	3	Squad
2023	Champions	5	4	1	0	12	3	Squad
2024–25	Group stage	3	1	0	2	2	5	Squad
2026	To be determined
Total	4 Titles	77	39	25	13	137	70	—

Arabian Gulf Cup history
Year	Manager	Round	Score	Result	Goalscorers for Iraq
1976	Danny McLennan	Round-robin
			Iraq 4–0  Oman	Win	Hassan 33', Kadhim 68', 80', Nasser 69' (o.g.)
			Iraq 4–1  Bahrain	Win	Waal 11', Hassan 23', Abdul-Jalil 50', Kadhim 65'
			Iraq 7–1  Saudi Arabia	Win	Waal 3', Abdul-Jalil 6', Hassan 25', Kadhim 45', 60', 68', Subhi 89'
			Iraq 0–0  Qatar	Draw
			Iraq 4–0 UAE	Win	A. H. Mahmoud 11', Kadhim 34' (pen.), Abdul-Jalil 43', Fartous 44'
			Iraq 2–2  Kuwait	Draw	Abdul-Jalil 46', Kadhim 49'
		Championship play-off
			Iraq 2–4  Kuwait	Loss	Subhi 9', 50'
1979	Ammo Baba	Round-robin
			Iraq 4–0  Bahrain	Win	Saeed 48', 88', 90', N. Shaker 64'
			Iraq 2–0  Qatar	Win	Saeed 1', 60' (pen.)
			Iraq 3–1  Kuwait	Win	Hassan 9', Hadi Ahmed 47', Abdul-Sahib 90'
			Iraq 5–0 UAE	Win	Hadi Ahmed 25', Abdul-Sahib 40', Hassan 49', Saeed 66', Khudhair 85'
			Iraq 7–0  Oman	Win	Saeed 30', 32', 40', 86', Hassan 43', 50', Khudhair 52'
			Iraq 2–0  Saudi Arabia	Win	Hassan 24', H. Farhan 36'
1982	Ammo Baba	Round-robin (withdrew)
			Iraq 4–0  Oman	Win	Saeed 24', Dirjal 32', 90', H. Farhan 75'
			Iraq 3–0  Bahrain	Win	Aziz 41', Saeed 84', 88'
			Iraq 1–1  Saudi Arabia	Draw	Saeed 84'
			Iraq 2–1  Qatar	Win	H. Mohammed 20', 29'
			Iraq 1–0 UAE	Win	Saeed 49'
1984	Ammo Baba	Round-robin
			Iraq 2–1  Oman	Win	Saeed 25', 29'
			Iraq 0–0 UAE	Draw
			Iraq 4–0  Saudi Arabia	Win	N. Shaker 25', Saeed 57', 70', 84'
			Iraq 1–0  Bahrain	Win	Hashim 66'
			Iraq 3–1  Kuwait	Win	Saeed 47', 75', Allawi 80'
			Iraq 1–2  Qatar	Loss	Radhi 55'
		Championship play-off
			Iraq 1–1 (a.e.t.) (3–2 p)  Qatar	Draw	Dirjal 102'
1986	Zé Mário	Round-robin
			Iraq 0–0  Bahrain	Draw
			Iraq 2–2 UAE	Draw	Saddam 26', M. Hussein 62'
			Iraq 1–1  Qatar	Draw	Jafar 61'
			Iraq 1–2  Saudi Arabia	Loss	Saddam 75'
			Iraq 1–2  Kuwait	Loss	Jassim 74'
			Iraq 3–2  Oman	Win	Hameed 27', 58', 89'
1988	Ammo Baba	Round-robin
			Iraq 1–1  Oman	Draw	Shihab 50'
			Iraq 1–0  Kuwait	Win	Radhi 39'
			Iraq 0–0 UAE	Draw
			Iraq 3–0  Qatar	Win	Jafar 58', Radhi 80', 81'
			Iraq 2–0  Saudi Arabia	Win	Radhi 59', Gorgis 72'
			Iraq 1–0  Bahrain	Win	L. Hussein 49'
1990	Anwar Jassam	Round-robin (withdrew)
			Iraq 1–0  Bahrain	Win	Jafar 39'
			Iraq 1–1  Kuwait	Draw	L. Hussein 67'
			Iraq 2–2 UAE	Draw	Radhi 25', Qais 88' (pen.)
2004	Adnan Hamad	Group stage
			Iraq 1–3  Oman	Loss	R. Farhan 56'
			Iraq 3–3  Qatar	Draw	R. Farhan 16', Akram 54', Abdul-Amir 90+2'
			Iraq 1–1 UAE	Draw	Munir 90+2' (pen.)
2007	Akram Salman	Group stage
			Iraq 1–0  Qatar	Win	H. M. Mohammed 39'
			Iraq 1–1  Bahrain	Draw	H. M. Mohammed 11'
			Iraq 0–1  Saudi Arabia	Loss
2009	Jorvan Vieira	Group stage
			Iraq 1–3  Bahrain	Loss	Y. Mahmoud 81' (pen.)
			Iraq 0–4  Oman	Loss
			Iraq 1–1  Kuwait	Draw	Abdul-Zahra 66'
2010	Wolfgang Sidka	Group stage
			Iraq 0–0 UAE	Draw
			Iraq 3–2  Bahrain	Win	Abdul-Zahra 24', 57', H. M. Mohammed 90'
			Iraq 0–0  Oman	Draw
		Semi-finals
			Iraq 2–2 (a.e.t.) (4–5 p)  Kuwait	Draw	H. M. Mohammed 6', Abdul-Zahra 14'
2013	Hakeem Shaker	Group stage
			Iraq 2–0  Saudi Arabia	Win	S. Shaker 18', Hawsawi 72' (o.g.)
			Iraq 1–0  Kuwait	Win	Hammadi Ahmed 29'
			Iraq 2–0  Yemen	Win	D. Ismail 16', Hammadi Ahmed 36'
		Semi-finals
			Iraq 1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–2 p)  Bahrain	Draw	Y. Mahmoud 18'
		Final
			Iraq 1–2 (a.e.t.) UAE	Loss	Y. Mahmoud 81'
2014	Hakeem Shaker	Group stage
			Iraq 0–1  Kuwait	Loss
			Iraq 1–1  Oman	Draw	Kasim 14'
			Iraq 0–2 UAE	Loss
2017–18	Basim Qasim	Group stage
			Iraq 1–1  Bahrain	Draw	Abdul-Raheem 89'
			Iraq 2–1  Qatar	Win	Faez 45+1', Husni 65'
			Iraq 3–0  Yemen	Win	Husni 54', Faez 64' (pen.), Kamil 80'
		Semi-finals
			Iraq 0–0 (a.e.t.) (2–4 p) UAE	Draw
2019	Srečko Katanec	Group stage
			Iraq 2–1  Qatar	Win	Qasim 19', 27'
			Iraq 2–0 UAE	Win	Abbas 6', Abdul-Zahra 37'
			Iraq 0–0  Yemen	Draw
		Semi-finals
			Iraq 2–2 (a.e.t.) (3–5 p)  Bahrain	Draw	M. Ali 6', Bayesh 18'
2023	Jesús Casas	Group stage
			Iraq 0–0  Oman	Draw
			Iraq 2–0  Saudi Arabia	Win	Bayesh 30', Rostam 86'
			Iraq 5–0  Yemen	Win	Nadhim 40', Attwan 64', A. Hussein 74' (pen.), 75', H. Ali 88'
		Semi-finals
			Iraq 2–1  Qatar	Win	Bayesh 19', A. Hussein 43'
		Final
			Iraq 3–2 (a.e.t.)  Oman	Win	Bayesh 24', Attwan 116' (pen.), Younis 120+2'
2024–25	Jesús Casas	Group stage
			Iraq 1–0  Yemen	Win	A. Hussein 64'
			Iraq 0–2  Bahrain	Loss
			Iraq 1–3  Saudi Arabia	Loss	M. Ali 64'
First match:  Iraq 4–0  Oman – 27 March 1976, Khalifa Sports City Stadium, Doha, Qatar Biggest win:  Iraq 7–0  Oman – 6 April 1979, Al-Shaab Stadium, Baghdad, Iraq Biggest defeat:  Iraq 0–4  Oman – 7 January 2009, Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat, Oman Best finish: Champions (1979, 1984, 1988, 2023) Worst finish: Group stage (2004, 2007, 2009, 2014, 2024–25), Sixth place (1986) Overall top scorer: Hussein Saeed (22 goals) Most goals in a single tournament: Hussein Saeed (10 goals, 1979) Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

West Asian Games record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1997 to 2002	Did not enter
2005	Gold medalists	4	3	1	0	13	3
Total	1 Title	4	3	1	0	13	3

West Asian Games history
Year	Manager	Round	Score	Result	Goalscorers for Iraq
2005	Akram Salman	Group stage
			Iraq 4–0  Palestine	Win	Farhan 4', H. M. Mohammed 56', L. Salah 73', A. Salah 86'
			Iraq 5–1  Saudi Arabia	Win	Abdul-Amir 8', E. Mohammed 19', Akram 30', Mahmoud 51', 78'
		Semi-finals
			Iraq 2–0  Saudi Arabia	Win	L. Salah 33', Farhan 85'
		Final
			Iraq 2–2 (a.e.t.) (4–3 p)  Syria	Draw	Farhan 45', Mahmoud 78'
First match:  Iraq 4–0  Palestine – 1 December 2005, Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar Biggest win:  Iraq 4–0  Palestine – 1 December 2005 and  Iraq 5–1  Saudi Arabia – 5 December 2005 Biggest defeat: None Best finish: Gold medalists (2005) Worst finish: Gold medalists (2005) Overall top scorer: Razzaq Farhan and Younis Mahmoud (3 goals) Most goals in a single tournament: 3 goals — Razzaq Farhan (2005), Younis Mahmoud (2005) Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

Arab Games record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad
1953	Did not enter
1957	Group stage	3	1	1	1	8	8	Squad
1961	Did not enter
1965	Group stage	4	1	2	1	7	2	Squad
1976	Did not enter
1985	Gold medalists	4	4	0	0	7	1	Squad
1992 to 1997	Banned due to Gulf War
1999	Silver medalists	7	4	1	2	17	9	Squad
2007	Did not enter
2011	Group stage	2	0	1	1	0	3	Squad
2023 to present	See Iraq national under-23 football team
Total	1 Title	20	10	5	5	39	23	—

Arab Games history
Year	Manager	Round	Score	Result	Goalscorers for Iraq
1957	Ismail Mohammed	Group stage
			Iraq 3–3  Morocco	Draw	Baba 48', Eshaya 50', Salman 63'
			Iraq 2–4  Tunisia	Loss	Abbas 52' (pen.), David 80'
			Iraq 3–1  Libya	Win	Abdul-Majid 25', Baba 31', Eshaya 71'
1965	Shawqi Aboud	Group stage
			Iraq 6–0 Aden	Win	Baba 9', 48', Hameed 32', 77', Atta 78', 80'
			Iraq 0–0  Lebanon	Draw
			Iraq 1–1  Palestine	Draw	Dawood 54'
			Iraq 0–1  United Arab Republic	Loss
1985	Anwar Jassam	Group stage
			Iraq 2–0  Libya	Win	Radhi , Abid
			Iraq 2–0  Syria	Win	S. Mahmoud 60', Allawi 88'
		Semi-finals
			Iraq 2–1  Saudi Arabia	Win	Radhi 60', 78'
		Final
			Iraq 1–0  Morocco	Win	Gorgis 8'
1999	Najeh Humoud	First round
			Iraq 2–0  Bahrain	Win	Fawzi 5', H. Mahmoud 35'
			Iraq 0–2  Libya	Loss
		Second group stage
			Iraq 3–0  Oman	Win	Fawzi 4', 54' (pen.), Farhan 42'
			Iraq 1–2  Jordan	Loss	Mohammed 87'
			Iraq 4–0  Lebanon	Win	Mohammed 7', 54', Rahim 59', Abu Al-Hail 88'
		Semi-finals
			Iraq 3–1  Libya	Win	Jafar 3', Fawzi 18', Hamad 32'
		Final
			Iraq 4–4 (a.e.t.) (1–3 p)  Jordan	Draw	Fawzi 73', 75' (pen.), H. Mahmoud 78', Farhan 87'
2011	Zico	Group stage
			Iraq 0–3  Bahrain	Loss
			Iraq 0–0  Qatar	Draw
2023–present
	See Iraq national under-23 football team
First match:  Iraq 3–3  Morocco – 19 October 1957, Beirut, Lebanon Biggest win:  Iraq 6–0 Aden – 4 September 1965, Cairo, United Arab Republic Biggest defeat:  Iraq 0–3  Bahrain – 13 December 2011, Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar Best finish: Gold medalists (1985) Worst finish: Group stage (1957, 1965, 2011) Overall top scorer: Hussam Fawzi (6 goals) Most goals in a single tournament: Hussam Fawzi (6 goals, 1999) Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

Minor tournaments
Tournament	Round	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1966 Tripoli Fair Tournament	Runners-up	4	2	0	2	5	3
1967 Tripoli Fair Tournament	Champions	3	2	1	0	7	3
1969 Friendship Cup	Fifth place	4	0	0	4	2	7
1972 Palestine Cup	Runners-up	5	3	1	1	10	5
1973 Palestine Cup	Fourth place	6	2	3	1	5	3
1975 Palestine Cup	Runners-up	4	2	1	1	10	2
1977 Merdeka Tournament	Runners-up	7	3	3	1	11	2
1978 Merdeka Tournament	Runners-up	8	5	1	2	12	6
1981 Merdeka Tournament	Champions	6	4	1	1	16	4
1984 Merlion Cup	Champions	5	4	1	0	10	3
1985 President's Cup	Fourth place	8	3	2	3	19	12
1988 President's Cup	Quarter-finals	4	3	0	1	8	4
1989 Peace and Friendship Cup	Champions	5	2	2	1	9	5
1992 Jordan Tournament	Runners-up	5	4	0	1	20	2
1995 Nehru Cup	Champions	5	3	2	0	8	3
1995 Merdeka Tournament	Champions	4	3	1	0	7	3
1997 Nehru Cup	Champions	6	5	1	0	14	3
1999 Friendship Tournament	Champions	3	1	2	0	6	3
2000 Four Nations Tournament	Runners-up	2	1	0	1	3	4
2003 LG Cup	Runners-up	2	1	0	1	3	5
2003 Prime Minister's Cup	Runners-up	3	1	1	1	4	4
2009 UAE Cup	Champions	2	2	0	0	2	0
2011 Fuchs Tournament	Fourth place	2	0	1	1	1	3
2018 IFC	Third place	2	0	1	1	3	4
2018 Superclásico Championship	Fourth place	2	0	1	1	1	5
2019 IFC	Champions	2	2	0	0	4	2
2022 Jordan Tournament	Third place	2	1	1	0	2	1
2023 King's Cup	Champions	2	0	2	0	4	4
2023 Jordan Tournament	Third place	2	0	2	0	2	2
2025 King's Cup	Champions	2	2	0	0	3	1

The list below shows the Iraq national football team's all-time international record against opposing nations at a senior level.^[132][133]

Key

As of 17 June 2026 after match against Norway

• Draws include Penalty shoot-outs
• Countries that are in italics are now defunct

Iraq national football team head-to-head records
Team	Confederation	First	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
Afghanistan	AFC	1975	2	2	0	0	7	1	+6
Algeria	CAF	1973	8	3	4	1	8	4	+4
Andorra	UEFA	2026	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1
Argentina	CONMEBOL	2018	1	0	0	1	0	4	−4
Australia	AFC	1973	11	2	2	7	8	14	−6
Azerbaijan	UEFA	2009	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1
Bahrain	AFC	1966	43	21	16	6	73	35	+38
Belgium	UEFA	1986	1	0	0	1	1	2	−1
Bolivia	CONMEBOL	2018	2	1	1	0	2	1	+1
Botswana	CAF	2012	1	0	1	0	1	1	0
Brazil	CONMEBOL	2012	1	0	0	1	0	6	−6
Cambodia	AFC	2019	2	2	0	0	8	1	+7
Cameroon	CAF	1984	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1
Canada	CONCACAF	1984	2	1	1	0	7	2	+5
Chile	CONMEBOL	2013	1	0	0	1	0	6	−6
China	AFC	1974	21	11	3	7	27	22	+5
Chinese Taipei	AFC	2004	4	4	0	0	17	3	+14
Colombia	CONMEBOL	2023	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1
Congo	CAF	1992	1	1	0	0	3	0	+3
Costa Rica	CONCACAF	1980	1	1	0	0	3	0	+3
Cyprus	UEFA	2005	1	0	0	1	1	2	−1
Denmark	UEFA	1986	2	1	0	1	2	2	0
DR Congo	CAF	2015	2	2	0	0	3	1	+2
East Germany	UEFA	1967	9	1	6	2	7	15	−8
Ecuador	CONMEBOL	2022	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
Egypt	CAF	1965	13	2	5	6	7	13	−6
Estonia	UEFA	1999	1	0	1	0	1	1	0
Ethiopia	CAF	1992	1	1	0	0	13	0	+13
Finland	UEFA	1979	3	2	1	0	3	0	+3
France	UEFA	2026	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Guatemala	CONCACAF	1988	1	1	0	0	3	0	+3
Guinea	CAF	1989	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1
Hong Kong	AFC	2019	3	3	0	0	5	1	+4
India	AFC	1974	7	4	3	0	13	4	+9
Indonesia	AFC	1968	13	10	2	1	31	8	+23
Iran	AFC	1962	31	6	7	18	21	43	−22
Italy	UEFA	1988	1	0	0	1	0	2	−2
Japan	AFC	1978	14	4	3	7	12	20	−8
Jordan	AFC	1964	57	31	14	12	91	54	+37
Kazakhstan	UEFA	1997	4	0	2	2	4	7	−3
Kenya	CAF	2003	2	2	0	0	4	1	+2
Kyrgyzstan	AFC	1999	2	2	0	0	9	1	+8
Kuwait	AFC	1964	43	18	13	12	56	46	+10
Liberia	CAF	2013	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1
Lebanon	AFC	1959	27	16	9	2	51	11	+40
Libya	CAF	1957	15	10	3	2	25	9	+16
Macau	AFC	2001	2	2	0	0	13	0	+13
Malaysia	AFC	1974	8	5	3	0	14	3	+11
Mauritania	CAF	1985	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2
Mexico	CONCACAF	1986	2	0	0	2	0	5	−5
Moldova	UEFA	1992	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1
Morocco	CAF	1957	10	2	5	3	10	9	+1
Myanmar	AFC	1977	4	4	0	0	13	1	+12
North Korea	AFC	1971	11	6	1	4	11	9	+2
Norway	UEFA	2026	1	0	0	1	1	4	−3
Nepal	AFC	1982	4	4	0	0	22	5	+17
New Zealand	OFC	1973	3	2	1	0	6	0	+6
Oman	AFC	1976	31	15	10	6	51	25	+26
Pakistan	AFC	1969	9	7	1	1	40	6	+34
Paraguay	CONMEBOL	1986	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1
Palestine	AFC	1965	19	14	4	1	40	9	+31
Peru	CONMEBOL	2014	1	0	0	1	0	2	−2
Philippines	AFC	2024	2	2	0	0	6	0	+6
Poland	UEFA	1970	5	1	2	2	3	7	−4
Qatar	AFC	1975	41	17	10	14	51	45	+6
Romania	UEFA	1986	2	0	2	0	1	1	0
Russia	UEFA	2023	1	0	0	1	0	2	−2
Saudi Arabia	AFC	1975	44	18	12	14	63	43	+20
Senegal	CAF	2026	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sierra Leone	CAF	2012	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1
Singapore	AFC	1978	6	5	0	1	20	5	+15
South Africa	CAF	2009	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
South Korea	AFC	1972	26	2	12	12	17	34	−17
South Yemen	AFC	1965	6	5	0	1	18	4	+14
Spain	UEFA	2009	2	0	1	1	1	2	−1
Sri Lanka	CAF	1971	1	1	0	0	5	0	+5
Sudan	CAF	1967	3	1	2	0	5	3	0
Syria	AFC	1966	34	18	11	5	47	25	+22
Tajikistan	AFC	1997	3	2	1	0	7	2	+5
Thailand	AFC	1968	22	13	6	3	55	23	+32
Trinidad and Tobago	CONCACAF	2004	1	0	0	1	0	2	−2
Tunisia	CAF	1957	10	2	3	5	10	14	−4
Turkey	UEFA	1959	3	0	1	2	3	10	−7
Turkmenistan	AFC	1999	2	2	0	0	6	2	+4
Uganda	CAF	1977	3	1	2	0	3	2	+1
United Arab Emirates	AFC	1973	38	14	16	8	55	36	+19
Uruguay	CONMEBOL	2003	1	0	0	1	2	5	−3
Uzbekistan	AFC	2000	11	3	3	5	8	10	−2
Venezuela	CONMEBOL	2026	1	0	0	1	0	2	−2
Vietnam	AFC	2007	7	6	1	0	14	6	+8
Yemen	AFC	1993	15	12	3	0	36	7	+29
Yugoslavia	UEFA	1980	2	0	1	1	3	5	−2
Zambia	CAF	1988	2	1	1	0	5	3	+2
Total			765	357	214	194	1,198	726	+472

Last update was on 19 November 2025.
Source:^[134]

  Best Ranking     Worst Ranking     Best Mover     Worst Mover  

Iraq's FIFA World Ranking
Rank	Year	Games Played	Best		Worst
			Rank	Move	Rank	Move
58	2025	14	57	1	59	3
56	2024	18	55	4	59	1
63	2023	14	63	5	70	2
68	2022	11	68	2	74	0
75	2021	17	68	1	75	3
69	2020	2	69	1	70	0
70	2019	22	70	8	80	2
88	2018	12	82	2	91	5
79	2017	14	79	17	122	3
119	2016	12	87	15	128	15
89	2015	16	82	20	114	11
103	2014	11	81	15	115	23
110	2013	19	89	3	110	6
92	2012	20	70	6	97	17
78	2011	20	78	16	109	13
100	2010	15	80	13	107	24
88	2009	13	77	9	100	17
72	2008	12	58	15	77	18
68	2007	20	64	16	84	5
83	2006	14	52	5	92	36
54	2005	10	44	20	74	11
44	2004	21	39	3	45	6
43	2003	12	43	23	75	13
53	2002	10	50	9	72	3
72	2001	18	69	16	85	4
79	2000	11	78	9	89	8
78	1999	13	78	16	108	5
94	1998	1	70	7	101	13
68	1997	9	68	13	98	2
98	1996	7	98	31	139	15
110	1995	3	76	26	110	28
88	1994	0	61	4	88	8
65	1993	15	57	25	66	5

This is a list of honours for the senior Iraq national team

• AFC Asian Cup
  • Champions (1): 2007
• Asian Games
  • Gold medal (1): 1982

• WAFF Championship
  • Champions (1): 2002
  • Runners-up (3): 2007, 2012, 2019
  • Third place (1): 2000
• Arab Cup
  • Champions (4): 1964, 1966, 1985, 1988 (record)
  • Third place (1): 2012
• Arabian Gulf Cup
  • Champions (4): 1979, 1984, 1988, 2023
  • Runners-up (2): 1976, 2013
• West Asian Games
  • Gold medal (1): 2005 (joint record)
• Arab Games
  • Gold medal (1): 1985
  • Silver medal (1): 1999

• Merdeka Tournament
  • Winners: 1981, 1995
  • Runners-up: 1977, 1978
• Nehru Cup
  • Winners: 1995, 1997
• King's Cup
  • Winners: 2023, 2025
• Tripoli Fair Tournament
  • Winners: 1967
  • Runners-up: 1966
• International Friendship Championship
  • Winners: 2019
  • Third place: 2018
• Merlion Cup
  • Winners: 1984
• Peace and Friendship Cup
  • Winners: 1989
• UAE Four Nations Friendship Tournament
  • Winners: 1999
• UAE International Cup
  • Winners: 2009
• Palestine Cup
  • Runners-up: 1972, 1975
• Jordan International Tournament
  • Runners-up: 1992
  • Third place: 2022, 2023
• Four Nations Tournament
  • Runners-up: 2000
• LG Cup
  • Runners-up: 2003
• Bahrain Prime Minister's Cup
  • Runners-up: 2003

• World Soccer Team of the Year: 2007
• AFC National Team of the Year: 2003, 2007

Competition				Total
AFC Asian Cup	1	0	0	1
Asian Games	1	0	0	1
WAFF Championship	1	3	1	5
Arab Cup	4	0	1	5
Arabian Gulf Cup	4	2	0	6
West Asian Games	1	0	0	1
Arab Games	1	1	0	2
Total	13	6	2	21

• Iraq national under-23 football team
• Iraq national under-20 football team
• Iraq national under-17 football team

• Iraq at FIFA
• Iraq at AFC