It is expected that Australian Graham Arnold, head coach of the Iraqi national football team, will announce on Thursday the squad for 'Lions of the Euphrates'. The team will face the United Arab Emirates in the Asian playoff (fifth round) for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification. The return match will be in Basra on the 13th and 18th of this month. Informed sources mentioned that the list will be without players Ibrahim Bayesh, Youssef Al-Amin, and Ahmed Yahya due to recent injuries. The list will also not include Bashar Rasim, Sherko Karim, and Osama Rashid after Arnold decided to drop them for various reasons.
