The President of the Iraqi Football Association, Adnan Dirjal, ignited the enthusiasm of Iraqi fans after confirming that the dream of reaching the 2026 World Cup has become an unwavering goal following the qualification of the Lions of Mesopotamia to the global playoff, after a valuable 2-1 victory over the UAE.

Dirjal stated that the Iraqi national team has passed one of the most complex stages in its journey to the World Cup, pointing out that the match against the UAE was one of the toughest tests recently, especially after the UAE team took the lead and was close to snatching the qualification ticket, before the Iraqi players came back to overturn the result in the dying moments.

The president of the federation explained that the Asian playoff was full of twists and excitement, both in the matches against the UAE, whose team he described as playing modern football and having players capable of turning half-chances into goals.

He emphasized that the recent victory carries great moral value ahead of entering a more difficult test at the global level.

Dirjal stressed that Iraq will enter the March playoff with high confidence and clear ambition, saying that they will face this stage with courage and responsibility because they represent the entire Asian continent, and their goal is to reach the World Cup.