Khaberni - The Iraq national team left the 2026 World Cup competition from the group stage, with Graham Arnold, coach of "Lions of Mesopotamia", keen on delivering clear messages.
The coach stated in the press conference after the 0-5 loss to Senegal, which marked Iraq's end in the World Cup, that he deliberately gave all players a chance to participate, allowing every individual on the roster the experience of representing Iraq in the World Cup.
He added: "I wanted to give everyone a chance to participate so they could say they represented Iraq at the World Cup, so I take responsibility for this."
He pointed out that the real difference was evident against major teams due to the level of local competition, explaining that the strength of the national team is directly linked to the strength of the domestic league.
He continued: "The reality is that your national team is as strong as your local league, and if the league isn’t strong enough, when you face this kind of opponents, you get punished."
He explained that many of the Iraqi players had never before competed against opponents of this caliber, saying that some of them had only seen such players on television screens, hence the matches represented a new and difficult experience for them.
Despite the early exit, the coach emphasized that the team achieved the main goal he aimed for when he took over the task, which was to lead Iraq to the World Cup for the first time in four decades.
He said: "When I took over, my goal was to qualify for the World Cup, and the miracle happened and we qualified. It was an enjoyable journey, and although the results were not good, participating in the World Cup was an important experience."
He concluded his remarks by underlining that the players are required to learn from the lessons they gained from the tournament, considering that experiencing global levels will help them develop their professionalism and understand the requirements necessary to compete against the best national teams in the world in the future.
