The Iraqi national team has officially secured qualification to the Asian and global playoffs after its precious victory over Indonesia with a score of one goal to none, granting itself two opportunities to reach the 2026 World Cup scheduled in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The first opportunity for the Lions of Mesopotamia lies in direct qualification to the World Cup if they win against the Saudi national team in the final round of the Asian playoffs, while a draw or loss would mean playing two home-and-away matches against either Qatar or the UAE in the regional playoffs.

If the Iraqi national team surpasses that round, they will face a decisive playoff match against one of the teams from South America, marking a final step towards reaching the World Cup for the second time in its history after the achievement in 1986.

The final playoff will include six teams, comprising the Asian representative (the second from the groups), two teams from North America, one from Africa, Bolivia from South America, in addition to a team from Oceania.

The matchups will be distributed according to the FIFA ranking, where the Asian representative with the lowest ranking will face a North American team, with the winner of that match meeting the qualifier from Africa or South America based on the ranking, and ultimately the victor will qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals.