World Cup 2026: Iraq's long-awaited return sparks pride at home and abroad

World Cup 2026: Iraq's long-awaited return sparks pride at home and abroad Submitted by Azhar Al-Rubaie on Tue, 06/16/2026 - 16:25 A decade after their last appearance, Iraq's national team returns to football's biggest stage, drawing support from fans at home and across the diaspora Iraq's Ali al-Hamadi dribbles the ball past Bolivia's defender Efrain Morales during their World Cup qualifier final playoff at the BBVA Stadium in Guadalupe, Nuevo Leon state, Mexico, on 31 March 2026 (AFP/Julio Cesar Aguilar) Off For Iraqis , football is so much more than what happens on the pitch. It's one of the few arenas where people from different religious sects, ethnic backgrounds and regions come together in a country long marked by conflict and division. The sport's unifying power was on display in 2007, when Iraq won the Asian Cup amid some of the country's bloodiest years of violence.