Soccer-Iraq applies to host Asian World Cup qualifying group
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - World Cup - AFC Qualifiers - Group B - Iraq v South Korea - Basra International Stadium, Basra, Iraq - June 5, 2025 Iraq fans inside the stadium during the match REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani/File Photo
(Reuters) - The Iraqi Football Association (IFA) has submitted an official request to host one of the two groups in the fourth round of Asian qualifiers for next year's World Cup in North America.
Iraq will finish third or fourth in Group B in the third round, with 12 points ahead of their final match against Jordan in Amman on Tuesday.
"We had sent a letter to International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) calling for the highest levels of transparency and fairness in the process of selecting the host country or countries for the fourth round of the Asian qualifiers," IFA said in a statement on Facebook.
The IFA has said it is fully prepared to assume all organisational, security and financial obligations associated with hosting matches, with support from the Iraqi government and state institutions.
In the fourth round of qualifying, the six teams who finished third and fourth in the third-stage groups will be divided into two groups.
The top team in each group will qualify directly for the World Cup finals and the two teams finishing second will compete in a playoff to decide who will represent Asia in an international playoff.
(Reporting by Ahmed El Khashab, editing by Ed Osmond)
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