Iraqi coach Thaer Jasam confirmed that experience will be the decisive factor in the Iraqi national team's efforts to qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals, scheduled to be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, through the anticipated global playoff.

The Iraqi team is preparing to face the winner of the match between Bolivia and Suriname, as part of the global playoff qualifying for the World Cup, which will take place in Mexico at the beginning of April. This is a crucial match that does not allow for half measures.

Jasam told winwin in exclusive statements that the Iraqi team urgently needs more than one friendly match before the playoff, emphasizing that the nature of this encounter is completely different from tournaments that rely on a group stage system. He added that coach Graham Arnold must treat the match as a "one-off battle," where there is no room for compensation or correcting mistakes later.

Jasam explained that holding more than one friendly match before the playoff will enable the technical staff to diagnose errors more accurately, evaluate as many players as possible, as well as assess their physical levels and their ability to endure a high-paced combative match that requires doubled focus and effort to bring the Iraqi team back to the World Cup after an absence of more than forty years since participating in Mexico 1986.

The Iraqi coach stressed the necessity of caution in selecting the player roster, pointing out that Arnold will likely lean towards experienced players, as they are better able to handle the pressures of crucial matches. He added that experienced players have the ability to decide the match from half-chances due to their tactical maturity and high technical skills, which makes the main lineup almost clear given the difficulty of the challenge.

In a related context, Jasam pointed to the importance of all players being ready, especially the Dutch Utrecht star Zidan Iqbal, expressing hope that the player will quickly resolve his future and return to regular participation in matches to raise his physical and moral fitness before the global playoff, confirming that the player's current situation does not serve the team at this sensitive stage.

Jasam also praised the step taken by player Marco Faraj in joining the Italian Venezia team during the current winter transfer period, considering that playing in a league that relies on physical strength and high readiness will contribute to further developing his level over the coming years, despite the tough competition he faced at the beginning of his journey there.

Iraqi national team coach Graham Arnold is expected to arrive in Baghdad soon to continue his preparatory program and put the finishing touches on the preparations of the "Lions of Mesopotamia," in readiness to play one of the most important matches in the history of Iraqi football.