Soccer-Arnold confident his experience can help make Iraq's World Cup dream come true
(Reuters) -Iraq coach Graham Arnold is confident he can lead the country to a first World Cup in 40 years after his team were drawn to face Saudi Arabia and Indonesia in the next phase of Asian qualifying for the 2026 tournament in North America.
The three teams will play each other in Jeddah in October, with the winner of the group advancing directly to the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Former Australia boss Arnold, who replaced Jesus Casas in May, will be attempting to steer Iraq to the World Cup for the second time after they made their debut at Mexico 1986.
"I have extensive experience working against both the Saudi and Indonesian national teams. I know their strengths, but I also know their weaknesses," Arnold said.
"But we are Iraq, an extremely proud nation with a higher FIFA ranking than both Saudi and Indonesia and we need to prove that."
Arnold's finest coaching achievement to date came at the 2022 World Cup when he led Australia to the last 16, with the Socceroos eliminated by eventual champions Argentina.
He resigned as Australia coach in September last year following a 0-0 draw with Indonesia in Jakarta.
The 61-year-old last faced Saudi Arabia in March 2022, when his Australia team lost 1-0 in World Cup qualifier at the same King Abdullah Sports City Stadium where his Iraq team will face the Green Falcons on Oct. 14.
"Having the belief in the players as I do, when we reach the crucial playoff matches in October, they will be in peak form, both physically and mentally ready to win," he said.
"I firmly believe this is our time and we will fight with everything we have to make the dream of millions of Iraqis come true."
The group runners-up will progress to a playoff for a berth in a series of intercontinental match-ups in March.
Australia overcame a poor start under Arnold to book their spot at the expanded 48-team World Cup with Tony Popovic in charge.
Regional heavyweights Japan, South Korea and Iran also secured berths in North America, along with first-time qualifiers Uzbekistan and Jordan.
(Reporting by Michael Church, Editing by Peter Rutherford)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Roundup: China bags two diving golds, Li Bingjie adds swimming silver at Singapore Worlds
SINGAPORE, July 27 (Xinhua) -- China clinched two gold medals in the mixed synchronized 10-meter platform and the men's one-meter springboard events, while Li Bingjie claimed silver in the women's 400-meter freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships here on Sunday. Paired up just a little more than a month, Zhu Yongxin and 15-year-old Xie Peiling finished atop the podium with 298.86 points in their championship debut, edging DPR Korea duo Choe Wi Hyon and Jo Jin Mi by a razor-thin margin of 0.06 points. Neutral athletes Aleksandr Bondar and Anna Konanykhina claimed bronze. "This wasn't an easy win; it was a tough battle, and in the end, we won by just a tiny margin," said Zhu. "Looking back, I felt a bit nervous about how close it was. But ultimately, I'm really glad we managed to secure the victory." In the men's one-meter springboard final, China's Zheng Jiuyuan delivered a consistent and composed performance to take gold with 443.70 points, fending off Mexico's Osmar Olvera Ibarra. China's Yan Siyu earned the bronze. China's first medal in the swimming pool came courtesy of Li, winning silver in the women's 400-meter freestyle. Canada's Summer McIntosh claimed gold in three minutes 56.26 seconds, American legend Katie Ledecky took bronze in 3:58.49. Li, 23, clocked 3:58.21, breaking her own Asian record and finishing ahead of Ledecky for the first time in a major international competition. "I was really surprised - I didn't expect to beat her (Ledecky)," Li said. "Even though she may not be in peak form right now, this victory means a lot to me - it's truly significant." The youngest swimmer of the tournament, China's 12-year-old Yu Zidi qualified seventh overall for the women's 200-meter individual medley final with a time of two minutes 10.22 seconds. "I'm really happy. I made the final in my first world championships," Yu said after the race. "That's pretty exciting. I'll keep working hard in the future. I hope this competition helps me break through and really show my true level." Qin Haiyang topped the men's 100-meter breaststroke semifinals in 58.24 seconds to advance to Monday's final. Team Australia dominated the 4x100m freestyle relays, claiming gold in both men's and women's events, with their men's quartet setting a new championship record. Earlier in the day, 30-year-old James Lichtenstein produced a clutch final-round performance to capture gold in the men's 27-meter high diving, earning the United States' first gold in Singapore.
New Straits Times
7 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Herry's magic couldn't break jinx
KUALA LUMPUR: Though the "Magician" Herry IP was at courtside, he couldn't end men's doubles Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik's Super 1000 jinx. In the end, it was the Indonesian coach's former disciples, Fajar Alfian-Shohibul Fikri, who made off with the China Open title in Changzhou today. World No. 2 Aaron-Wooi Yik were a pale shadow of themselves as their China Open dream shattered into a 1,000 pieces. World No. 210 Fajar-Shohibul, a scratch pair, smashed their way to a one-sided 21-15, 21-14 win in just 35 minutes. Though Herry had led Aaron-Wooi Yik to three titles this year, he couldn't do much today, as his former players, Fajar and Shohibul — who were partnering each other for only the second time — outplay Aaron-Wooi Yik with their dynamic teamwork. Fajar-Shohibul took home US$148,000 (RM624,757) while Aaron-Wooi Yik had to settle for US$70,000. Aaron-Wooi Yik have now lost all six Super 1000 finals they contested since 2019. Fajar-Shohibul celebrated wildly, as the win marked Indonesia's first World Tour men's doubles title of the year. "We couldn't handle their speed and their quality shots. A scratch pair is always tricky and we need a bit more time to analyse their game," said Aaron. Wooi Yik said: "We did struggle against them and we were surprised with their array of shots. "We tried to come back into the match, but today they played very well. They controlled the front court effectively."
The Sun
8 hours ago
- The Sun
Indonesian scratch pair stuns Aaron-Wooi Yik in China Open final
INDONESIAN scratch pair Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Shohibul Fikri pulled off a stunning victory against Malaysia's Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in the 2025 China Open men's doubles final. The newly formed duo, paired just last week, dominated the match with a 21-15, 21-14 win in just 35 minutes at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium. The world number two Malaysian pair struggled to counter the Indonesians' precision and control, particularly in windy conditions on Court One. Wooi Yik admitted their rivals outperformed them in shot placement and front-court exchanges. 'They controlled the shuttle very well, especially in the first three shots, which was crucial. Their style is similar to ours, but they executed better today,' he said in a BWF recording. Aaron echoed his partner's sentiments, acknowledging the Indonesians' exceptional form. 'Their shot quality was outstanding. As a scratch pair, we needed more time to adapt to their gameplay. Their run this week was god-like—they even beat the world number one,' he said. Despite the loss, Aaron-Wooi Yik remain focused on their next challenge—the 2025 BWF World Championships in Paris. Wooi Yik emphasized staying composed under pressure. 'We believe in our gameplay and training. There's still a month to prepare, and we'll take it match by match,' he said. The Malaysians have won three titles this season but fell short of adding the China Open to their tally. Meanwhile, the Indonesian pair's rapid rise signals a new threat in men's doubles badminton. – Bernama
