New changes have occurred in the travel plan of Australian Graham Arnold, coach of the Iraqi national team, which was intended to follow Iraqi professionals in the Gulf. He was scheduled to travel to the UAE and Saudi Arabia to assess the physical and psychological condition of the players before the crucial entitlement in the global playoff qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

The Lions of Mesopotamia team is preparing to enter a training camp in Houston, USA, starting from March 15, before heading to Monterrey, Mexico, to face the winner of the Bolivia vs. Suriname match, in a decisive match to determine Iraq's fate on the path to the World Cup.

Sources indicated that Arnold will travel to the UAE today to follow Iraqi professionals there, primarily Mohannad Ali (Mimi) who is with Dibba Al Fujairah, and Ibrahim Bayesh who recently joined Al Dhafra. The Australian coach aims to closely observe the players' levels and follow their training with their clubs, after some missed recent matches due to injuries, especially Bayesh who did not participate in the last Arab Cup.

Arnold plans to attend the Al Dhafra vs. Ittihad Kalba match next Thursday to watch Ibrahim Bayesh directly, while he will watch the Dibba Al Fujairah vs. Al Nasr match on Friday to check on Mimi's condition after his recent injury. Although medical reports indicate that the injury is not worrisome, Arnold prefers to see the players himself before making any decisions regarding the final lineup.

Sources confirmed that the Australian coach will return to Baghdad early next week after a change in his plan, as he will not head to Saudi Arabia as was planned, and thus will not have the opportunity to follow players Ali Jassim and Haidar Abdul Karim in their recent club matches.

Arnold chose to travel to the UAE during this period due to the Iraqi Stars League being on a ten-day break after the first stage of the competition ended. He will assign his assistants to follow the Al-Shorta vs. Al-Zawraa match at the International People's Stadium next Thursday, which was postponed from the first round due to the teams' commitments in Asian tournaments.

It is expected that Graham Arnold will announce the Iraqi national team list for the global playoff match at the beginning of March, in preparation for the training camp in the United States, before moving to Mexico to play the crucial match in Monterrey, which will determine the Lions of Mesopotamia's position in qualifying for the World Cup.