Australian Graham Arnold, coach of the Iraqi national team, confirmed that facing Hong Kong in the King's Cup in Thailand will be an important opportunity to continue preparations for the Asian playoff matches qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, emphasizing that wearing the national team jersey does not mean friendly matches.

Arnold said: "The King's Cup will be a good opportunity to work on ball possession, because in playoff matches we must be good when we have the ball."

He added: "I do not believe in friendly matches; when you wear the national team jersey, you have to go for victory only, and that’s what I expect from the Iraqi players."

Regarding the lack of time without playing friendly matches, Arnold said: "There are no friendly matches before the Asian playoffs due to the commitment of Iraqi clubs to external tournaments."

He noted: "There is no Iraqi player with a permanent contract with the national team; all 23 players must deserve to be in the national team."

On calling up player Ammar Mohsen, he said: "Ammar Mohsen has been added to the team to compensate for the absence of Bashar Resan, who is injured, and Mohsen is a good player who has performed wonderfully in Sweden."

It is worth mentioning that the Iraqi national team will face its Hong Kong counterpart tomorrow, Thursday, at the start of its participation in the friendly King's Cup in Thailand.