
Arnold eager to steer Iraq to 2026 FIFA World Cup
Asked whether Iraq can make the cut for the 2026 tournament which will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the U.S., the Australian told the federation's website: "That's my goal.
'That's what I want to do. I haven't come here to not be successful, and everyone in this room has to believe that. We can do it.
Iraq's only appearance at the tournament was in 1986, when they were eliminated after the group phase.
Arnold replaced Spaniard Jesus Casas whose contract was terminated by the local soccer governing body in the wake of a 2-1 loss to Palestine in March.
That result left the Iraqis in third place in the standings in Group B, four points adrift of leaders South Korea and one behind Jordan with two games left.
The top two nations in each of Asia's three qualifying groups advance automatically for the World Cup while the teams in third and fourth progress to another round of preliminaries.
'What is important is we all believe we can win the next two games, that is my first objective for Iraq,' he said.
Arnold's first game in charge will be against South Korea in Basra on June 5. They then face Jordan in Amman five days later.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
13 hours ago
- Straits Times
Messi leads Argentina's revamped squad for Venezuela and Ecuador qualifiers
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Aug 16, 2025; Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA; Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi (10) reacts against Los Angeles Galaxy during the second half at Chase Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images/File Photo BUENOS AIRES - Argentina's national team unveiled a revamped 31-man squad on Monday, led by Lionel Messi, for the South American qualifiers against Venezuela and Ecuador for the 2026 World Cup. Alongside captain Messi, the squad features several young Argentine talents, including Manchester City striker Claudio Echeverri, Porto midfielder Alan Varela, and recent Real Madrid signing Franco Mastantuono. Coach Lionel Scaloni also called up striker Jose Manuel Lopez from Brazilian club Palmeiras for the first time. Argentina will play Venezuela at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires on September 4, before traveling to Guayaquil to play Ecuador five days later. Having already qualified for the World Cup, the "Albiceleste" lead the qualifiers with 35 points, 10 points ahead of Ecuador in second place and Brazil in third. Argentina squad: Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez, Walter Benitez and Geronimo Rulli Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Jobs, infrastructure and homes at the core of Singapore's resilience: Economists Business New online tools by SkillsFuture Singapore help companies plan and curate staff training Life Chinese EV brand Nio to be launched in Singapore in first quarter of 2026 Asia 2 firefighters die in building fire at Osaka's Dotonbori tourist district Singapore Driver hurt after car turns turtle in Upper Thomson accident Sport National tennis player Shaheed Alam serves up charity event to benefit migrant workers Life New Blackpink album scheduled for November, YG Entertainment confirms Singapore Jail for driver of 11-tonne garbage truck that ran over cyclist in Woodlands Defenders: Cristian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, Nahuel Molina, Gonzalo Montiel, Leonardo Balerdi, Juan Foyth, Nicolas Tagliafico, Marcos Acuna, Julio Soler and Facundo Medina Midfielders: Alexis Mac Allister, Exequiel Palacios, Alan Varela, Leandro Paredes, Thiago Almada, Nicolas Paz, Rodrigo De Paul, Giovani Lo Celso, and Valentin Carboni Forwards: Claudio Echeverri, Franco Mastantuono, Giuliano Simeone, Angel Correa, Julián Alvarez, Nicolas Gonzalez, Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martinez and Jose Manuel Lopez REUTERS


Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
ST Full-time Report: Ex-Spurs assistant coach in S'pore for Lions job talks
Welcome to the latest edition of ST Full-time Report, where the best sports content from The Straits Times is delivered to your inbox every Monday evening. Subscribe here for the weekly updates. Dear ST reader, Former Tottenham Hotspur assistant coach Nick Montgomery and ex-Iraq coach Jesus Casas are believed to be the front runners to helm the Singapore national football team. Both met local football's top brass in Singapore last week. Meanwhile, national bowler New Hui Fen joined elite company as she became the first Singaporean to be crowned the Professional Women's Bowling Association (PWBA) Tour Player of the Year. In other news, the oldest female swimmer at the World Aquatics Masters Championships in Singapore – 96-year-old Taiwanese Tang Cheng-yao – shares how swimming keeps her healthy and whether she intends to keep competing. For the latest news on Singapore sports, check out ST Sport.

Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Wallabies expecting Cape Town backlash after Ellis Park euphoria
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SYDNEY - The Wallabies are bracing for a violent backlash from the Springboks in the second Rugby Championship test in Cape Town on Saturday after their stunning upset of the Springboks at Ellis Park. Australia's recovery from an early 22-0 deficit to post a first win since 1963 at the crucible of South African rugby on Sunday left many back home just as incredulous as the fans of the back-to-back world champions. Wallabies lock Will Skelton, however, said the 38-22 victory would mean only one thing when the teams clashed again at Newlands in the second round of the Rugby Championship. "They're going to try and punch you in the face this week," he told reporters from South Africa. "So we're going to have to be ready, have a good week of preparation again and really fight until the end." Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has been very clear throughout his rebuilding project over the last year that consistency of performance is the acid test of progress. That Saturday's victory backed up a win in the third test of the lost series against the British & Irish Lions was a huge positive, but the players know a humiliating reverse on Saturday would be an equally significant step backwards. Skelton said the Lions series, where Australia played well only in parts of the first two tests before producing an 80-minute performance in the third, had established a bedrock of resilience in the squad. "It's definitely been building throughout the Lions series," Skelton added. "We didn't have the best start against the Lions in the first test as well. "At 22-0 (behind on Saturday), we stuck to the game plan. We stuck to the processes. We stuck in there and we fought to come back to where we got the game." The euphoria of the Ellis Park victory came less than two years after the nadir of the game Down Under, Australia's first ever exit in the pool stage of a World Cup. While some declared the performance in Johannesburg as the best by a Wallabies team outside a World Cup, former Australia lock Justin Harrison was more circumspect. "Comparisons with previous eras is impossible," he told Reuters at the weekend. "But this is the best win since the nightmare of the 2023 World Cup, the best result for this group." Other local media sceptics of the progress being made under Schmidt, including Wallabies great David Campese, were hastily backtracking on Monday. "I am eating humble pie," the 1991 World Cup winner told the Sydney Morning Herald, having said last week that Schmidt's team selection showed the New Zealander had "no idea about rugby". REUTERS