In the aftermath of the painful loss suffered by the Iraqi national team against South Korea with a score of two goals to none, in the ninth round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, the President of the Iraqi Football Federation, Adnan Darjal, sent a lengthy message to the Iraqi fans, confirming that work has begun immediately to correct the course and return through the Asian playoff gate.

Darjal stated in his statement:

"On my own behalf and on behalf of my colleagues in the Executive Office of the Football Federation, we express our deep regret for not achieving direct qualification, but we promise you that we will make every possible effort to qualify for the World Cup through the playoff. Our project is still ongoing, and qualifying for the World Cup is our primary goal, and we will fight to achieve it next October."

The federation president emphasized that the recent loss, despite its harshness, will be a strong motivation to continue, pointing out that football is not without moments of pain, but giving up is not an option, calling on the Iraqi fans not to lose faith in the national team and the coaching staff, and to continue their support.

Darjal added:

"We started working from this morning, and we will dedicate all our energies to serve this great goal. We want to make 45 million Iraqis happy and raise Iraq's name high. I would like to express my gratitude to Prime Minister Muhammad Shia' Al-Sudani for his great support, and we promise him that we will not disappoint him in the next two matches."

It is worth mentioning that Iraq's loss to South Korea left them with 12 points in third place in Group B, limiting their chances to compete in the Asian playoff in hopes of returning to the race for a spot in the 2026 World Cup in America, Canada, and Mexico.