Iraq

Iraq, known as the Lions of Mesopotamia, are 2007 AFC Asian Cup champions whose remarkable tournament victory against the backdrop of a nation at war stands as one of football's most emotionally resonant stories, and they return to the World Cup stage in 2026 for the first time in 40 years.

Iraq's football association was established in 1948, and the national team made its FIFA debut in 1957. A first golden generation emerged in the 1980s, delivering back-to-back Gulf Cup titles in 1984 and 1988, and the country made its sole World Cup appearance to date at Mexico 1986. Progress was then severely set back during the 1990s when the squad operated under the brutal oversight of Uday Hussein, a period that left lasting trauma on the programme.

The defining chapter came at the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, held across four Southeast Asian nations. Playing matches away from home amid ongoing conflict in Iraq, the team unified a fractured country by beating Saudi Arabia 1–0 in the final to claim their first and only continental title — a moment of extraordinary national significance. The victory qualified them for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.

The following decade and a half brought inconsistency, but Iraq secured a return to the World Cup by defeating Bolivia 2–1 in an inter-confederation playoff to qualify for 2026 — ending a 40-year absence. The 2023 Gulf Cup title also demonstrated renewed regional strength, and Hussein Saeed's all-time record of 78 international goals remains a benchmark for generations of Iraqi strikers.