The new Australian coach of the Iraqi national team, Graham Arnold, expressed his great happiness at taking on the task of leading the "Lions of Mesopotamia," confirming his high confidence in the players' abilities and his ambition to build a future project that brings Iraqi football back to the continental and international forefront, during his first statement after the official announcement of his appointment as head coach of the team.

He said: "I thank everyone for their presence, and I would like to express my deep gratitude to the Iraqi Football Association for granting me this great opportunity. I am very happy to be here and proud to lead a historic team like Iraq, and I look forward to working diligently to achieve the desired goals."

He added: "I fully believe that the Iraqi national team has a strong group of players and has a great history that should be a source of pride and motivation for everyone. There are high potentials that we can build on in the upcoming phase."

He continued: "I don't want to talk too much about the past, as my vision is focused solely on the future. Let's forget what has passed and start working from today with a new vision and positive energy that reflects the aspirations of the Iraqi people."

He concluded: "I know we have tough matches ahead against South Korea and Jordan, but I firmly believe that we are capable of delivering great performances and achieving positive results, and we will work from today on the mental and physical preparation for those matches."

He added: "I am extremely excited about this experience, and I will do my utmost to lead Iraq to the podiums of glory once again. We must believe in ourselves and fight together for the badge, because the passion and fan support here is incredible."