PREVIEW-Soccer-Arnold undaunted as Iraq face tough assignment on World Cup return

Iraq return to the World Cup for the first time ​since making their debut 40 years ago, having ​taken a lengthy route to the finals ‌under a ​coach who is no stranger to the tournament. Graham Arnold navigated the Lions of Mesopotamia through the latter stages of a 21-match qualifying campaign that ended with victory over ‌Bolivia in the intercontinental playoffs.

Iraq return to the World Cup for the first time ​since making their debut 40 years ago, having ​taken a lengthy route to the finals ‌under a ​coach who is no stranger to the tournament.

Graham Arnold navigated the Lions of Mesopotamia through the latter stages of a 21-match qualifying campaign that ended with victory over ‌Bolivia in the intercontinental playoffs. The Australian, who replaced Jesus Casas at the helm in May last year, instantly assumed national hero status when he led Iraq to the finals despite the disruption caused to his team's preparations by the conflict in the Gulf.

Arnold ‌is well versed in dealing with the challenges of the playoffs before excelling at the helm of an underdog ‌nation, having done both while in charge of his homeland in 2022. His Socceroos qualified for Qatar through the back door before going on to reach the knockout rounds, an achievement that saw him rated by L'Equipe as the tournament's best-performing coach.

The 62-year-old has delivered on the nation's long-held promise – Iraq ⁠reached the ​Olympic Games semi-finals in 2004 ⁠and won the Asian Cup in 2007 – but successive generations have fallen short of Iraq's World Cup dream. The country lost all three of their matches ⁠in their previous World Cup appearance in Mexico in 1986 and face the daunting prospect of Group I clashes against France, Norway and ​Senegal.

"For me it's a group of excitement because a lot of the players have never played against a ⁠player of the calibre of (Kylian) Mbappe or (Erling) Haaland or (Sadio) Mane, so being on the park with them is a privilege," Arnold said of the draw. "But, at ⁠the ​same time, it's 11 human beings against 11 and we go out there and as long as you go out there not scared to play, that you’re excited to play, then let's shock the world."

Talismanic striker Aymen Hussein scored ⁠the goal that qualified Iraq for the finals and the 30-year-old leads the line for a side trying to find ⁠the balance on and off ⁠the pitch between locally-born players and those raised overseas. Zidane Iqbal, currently in the Netherlands with Utrecht, provides attacking thrust in a squad that features players contracted to clubs in a diverse ‌range of leagues, ‌including Scotland, Poland, Uzbekistan, the United States and Thailand.