Graham Arnold, the coach of the Iraqi national team, made an official request to the Iraqi fans before the match against the UAE in the second leg of the Asian playoff qualifying for the intercontinental playoff, which in turn qualifies for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The Iraqi team will host its UAE counterpart tomorrow evening, Tuesday, at the Basra International Stadium, in a decisive match expected to witness the presence of 65,000 spectators, which will give the Lions of Mesopotamia a significant moral boost on their path to qualifying for the intercontinental playoff.

In the press conference held before the match, Arnold said: 'We will play a big match tomorrow, and playing on our home ground and among our fans gives us an advantage. I need the fans to be the 12th player on the field.'

He added: 'The players performed well in the first leg, and I knew the last 30 minutes would be tough, but I liked what the team presented, and I asked them to repeat the same performance for a full 90 minutes this time because tomorrow's match is decisive and cannot be split, and we must settle it ourselves.'

The Australian coach continued: 'We conducted two preparatory training sessions, and the match depends on mental presence and mentality. I asked the players to forget everything around them and focus only on the match. As for the fans, I expect them to play a decisive role in distracting the opponent's focus and increasing our motivation.'

Arnold concluded: 'We reviewed all the positive and negative mistakes in the first leg and worked on correcting them. We did an excellent job in preparations in Saudi Arabia. I know well that qualifying for the World Cup can change the face of the country, and Iraqis deserve it in any way, whether in regular time or through penalty kicks, if we are forced to do so.'