Saudi Arabia and Iraq renew rivalry in 2026 World Cup qualifier playoffs
In October, Qatar will host Group A, which also contains the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
Saudi Arabia welcomes Iraq and Indonesia into Group B.
The winner of each round-robin group will take Asia's last two remaining automatic spots at next summer's tournament, to be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The teams that finish second will then meet, with the winner progressing to inter-confederation playoffs, which are scheduled for March 2026.
Six teams from Asia secured qualification last month: Japan, Iran, South Korea, and Australia have all participated numerous times, while Jordan and Uzbekistan will make their first appearance.
Historically, Iraq and Saudi Arabia have met 37 times across different competitions. Iraq leads the head-to-head with 17 victories, while Saudi Arabia has won 11 matches, and nine encounters ended in draws.
Throughout these meetings, Saudi Arabia has scored 34 goals against Iraq but conceded 56, underscoring Iraq's offensive dominance in this longstanding rivalry.
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