Rene Meulensteen, assistant coach to Graham Arnold in the Iraqi national team, confirmed that the technical staff, led by the Australian coach, succeeded in making three fundamental transformations within the ranks of the Lions of Mesopotamia after about a year of taking on the task.

Meulensteen joined the team after the Iraqi Football Association contracted Arnold with the aim of leading the team towards the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Meulensteen said in media statements: "We went through a difficult and challenging period during the preparation for the World Cup playoff, due to the unstable conditions surrounding the match's scheduling, and a state of uncertainty prevailed in the past phase due to events in the region."

He added: "We held continuous meetings to follow up on developments, while the international federation was keen on fixing the dates of the playoff matches despite the difficulties. We strive to qualify deservedly, and this represents a significant step for Iraqi football."

He explained: "Qualification has an important moral and economic impact on the country's level because football is an integral part of Iraqis' lives, and reaching the World Cup will give the sports community a big boost and open horizons for developing infrastructure. The talents are there and need an advanced organizational and training environment."

Regarding the biggest goal for the technical staff, Meulensteen concluded by saying: "We must continue to develop the national teams' system, especially the age groups, to feed the first team in the future. We have changed three things: organizing the defense, shifting the mentality to a clearer attacking tendency, and making ball possession a dominant feature in the players' performance."

He concluded: "Some ideas may not succeed on the ground, but we are working to instill a positive culture within the group, enhance defensive discipline, and develop the style of play, paving the way to achieve the bigger goal of securing a ticket to the finals, which is the dream of every Iraqi citizen."

Iraq will meet Bolivia next Wednesday morning in the final of the global playoff qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, while the Lions of Mesopotamia continue their preparations in the city of Monterrey.