A loss could extend the wait for World Cup qualification by another four years. If they win, they have a chance to advance to one of the final two spots in the expanded 48-team world tournament for 2026.
Iraq and the United Arab Emirates each have one last chance to remain. The road to the 2026 World Cup Two consecutive matches of the 5th Asian qualifying round.
The UAE will host the first leg in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, with the return match taking place in Basra, Iraq, next Tuesday.
The winner will advance to FIFA’s intercontinental playoffs in March, joining five other teams from different federations. Two spots in the World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will be contested.
Iraq coach Graham Arnold said: “Our first goal is to secure Iraq’s qualification for the World Cup. This is the most important achievement for us.”
arnold is australia 2022 World Cup Round of 16 He resigned as Socceroos head coach last September after losing to eventual champions Argentina. The 62-year-old Australian took over as Iraq manager in March and hopes his experience in qualifying will help the team return to the tournament for the first time since their only appearance in 1986.
“It’s a historic opportunity for Iraq to make the playoffs, and we have to seize it,” Arnold said. “We need everyone representing Iraq to give their all.”
In the third round, which ended in June, only the top two finishers qualified automatically, with Iraq and the UAE finishing third in the group. In the fourth round in October, both countries I missed it againThey finished second in the three-team group behind Qatar and Saudi Arabia, who qualified for the World Cup.
Arnold expressed his displeasure with how the previous match had played out, saying Qatar and Saudi Arabia benefited from home advantage and six days of rest between games (twice as much as the other four teams).
“I’ve never seen a format like this in my career,” Arnold said. “When I was in Australia, it was said that the play-offs would be played at a neutral venue. It’s the same situation. Qatar had six days of rest and they got through with their home support.”
Arnold said he hopes the 60,000 fans expected in Basra will make a difference in the return leg of this series.
UAE coach Cosmin Olaroiu shared similar frustrations about the fourth round, but wanted his players to shift their focus ahead of Thursday’s sell-out match, which is expected to draw 36,000 fans at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium.
“We should forget about the Qatar game,” Olaroiu said. “We still have a chance to qualify for the World Cup and we have to take advantage of it. We have to do our best against Iraq and everyone has a role to play.”
Asia will be automatically allocated eight spots for the 2026 World Cup. Japan, South Korea, Australia, Iran, Uzbekistan and Jordan qualified from the third round.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar also joined last month. saudi arabia then win against indonesia They earned the draw they needed to win Group B at home against Iraq.
___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
