War: Iraq wants World Cup play-Off match postponed

The head coach of the Iraqi national football team, Graham Arnold, has asked FIFA to postpone Iraq’s upcoming FIFA World Cup play-off match.

The game is scheduled for March 31 in Monterrey, where Iraq is expected to play either Bolivia or Suriname.

Arnold said the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran is making travel very difficult for the Iraqi team.

Since late February, Iraq has closed its airspace. Because of this, many players and team staff cannot travel easily to join the national team.

Arnold said it is important for Iraq to have its full squad available because the match is very important. If Iraq wins, it could qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986. He explained that relying only on players who live outside Iraq would make the match much harder to win.

Iraq earned their play-off spot after defeating the United Arab Emirates in an earlier match.

Arnold and the Iraqi football federation are now asking FIFA to delay the match so the team can prepare properly and gather all their players. Iraqi fans are hopeful the team will still have a chance to qualify for the World Cup.