Officially.. Iraq qualifies for the 2026 World Cup global playoffs
Iraq has qualified for the global playoffs for the 2026 World Cup, at the expense of their counterpart the UAE, after defeating them in the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup.
Iraq won against the UAE with a score of two goals to one, in the match that brought the two teams together at Basra Stadium as part of the second leg of the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup.
The first leg match, held at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in the UAE, ended in a positive draw with a score of one goal for each team between the Iraqi team and their UAE counterpart.
Iraq qualifies for the global playoffs
The Iraqi team succeeded in qualifying for the global playoffs for the 2026 World Cup, in which 6 teams from 5 continental federations participate: one team each from Asia, Africa, South America, and Oceania, and two teams from North America.
Bolivia from South America, New Caledonia from Oceania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo from Africa have qualified for the global playoffs for the 2026 World Cup.
The direct qualifiers from the North American continent participating in the playoffs have not yet been determined.
Date of the global playoffs draw for the 2026 World Cup
The draw for the global playoffs for the 2026 World Cup is scheduled to take place on November 20, 2025, at the headquarters of the International Football Federation (FIFA) in Zurich, Switzerland.
