Iraq and the World Cup qualification
Iraq have reached the third round of qualification for the 2022 World Cup. That is after they finished second in Group C in the second round of the Asian section of the qualification competition.
They have also qualified for the 2023 Asian Cup into the bargain.
Drawn in a group that also contained the old enemy Iran, as well as Bahrain, Hong Kong and Cambodia, the Iraqi National Team seemed to be in control of their destiny for much of the time, despite dropping points in both games with Bahrain. However, they lost top spot after suffering a narrow defeat to Iran in the last group game a week ago which was played on neutral soil in Bahrain, and had to content themselves with a second placed finish.
That was despite the team playing in the new Iraq Football Jersey with its revolutionary design which evokes memories of ancient Assyrian culture, and which is already proving extremely popular among fans.
That was still enough for them to progress, as they were the third ranked runners-up, behind China and Oman, but ahead of Vietnam and Lebanon.
Those five will join the seven group winners - Syria, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Japan, the UAE, and South Korea, as well as Iran in the next phase of the competition, which will begin in early September.
(Qatar also won their group, but they will not be taking any further part in the qualifying competition because, as hosts next year, they have already qualified for the 2022 World Cup).
The twelve teams will be divided into two groups of six teams, with the top two teams in each group automatically qualifying for Qatar 2022.
The two teams that finish third in their groups will proceed to the fourth round, which will consist of a one-off play-off with the winner of that match advancing to another play-off, this time against a team from another football federation.
Iraq fans should not raise their hopes too high of making the World Cup finals for only the second time in their history. That previous occasion was back in 1986, when they travelled to Mexico, and were drawn in a group with Mexico, Paraguay, and Belgium, eventually returning home without a single point and having scored just one goal, against the Belgians.
That is because there are three of the powerhouses of Asian football in the next round in South Korea, Japan, and Australia, all of whom are World Cup final regulars, and they will be heavily tipped to make it through again this time.
Saudi Arabia are also a force to be reckoned with, having appeared in Moscow three years ago, whilst Iran and the UAE will fancy their win chances.
