The stock of Iraqi striker Mohanad Ali 'Mimi' continues to rise with coach Graham Arnold ahead of the two decisive matches against the UAE, in the final round of the Asian playoff for the 2026 World Cup.

The Iraqi national team will play the home and away matches on the 13th and 18th of this month, as it seeks to represent Asia in the global playoff scheduled in Mexico.

The coaching staff is particularly focused on assessing the players' readiness, especially in the attack line, which is a crucial factor against the UAE.

Mimi is considered the most ready player at the moment, having participated in seven matches in the UAE Pro League, during which he managed to score four goals, making him the first choice for coach Arnold compared to his teammates Ayman Hussein and Ali Al-Hamadi.

Mimi has extensive experience in the UAE stadiums, both in terms of weather and the defensive playing style of the opposing attack, which gives him an advantage over the other strikers in the team.

The Australian coach focuses on maximizing Mimi's capabilities in the attack line, in order to determine the playing style and distribute attacking tasks to ensure greater effectiveness against the UAE national team's defense.

This comes amid the outstanding performance the player is showing with his club Dibba Al-Fujairah compared to his recent participation with the national team in the matches against Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.

Mimi outperforms his teammates in the national team in terms of scoring rate in recent matches, which enhances his chances of starting on Thursday and confirms the great confidence of the Iraqi national team coach in leading the front line.