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 experienced a difficult and challenging period during the preparation for the World Cup playoff, due to the unstable conditions surrounding the match arrangement, and there was a state of uncertainty 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 to fix the dates of the playoff matches despite the difficulties. We strive to reach the finals deservedly, and this represents a big step for Iraqi football."

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

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

He concluded: "Some ideas may not succeed on the ground, but we are working on instilling a positive culture within the group, enhancing defensive discipline, and developing 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 Monterey.