The name Muhannad Ali 'Mimi' emerges as one of the offensive cards relied upon by Iraq's national team coach Graham Arnold before facing Bolivia in the final global playoff qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. This is based on the player's consistent performance with his club Dibba Al Fujairah in the UAE and with the 'Lions of Mesopotamia' in the Asian playoff and the recent Arab Cup in Qatar 2025.

In the current season, Muhannad Ali (25 years old) played 18 matches with Dibba Al Fujairah in the UAE Pro League, during which he scored 6 goals and provided one assist, in addition to one participation in the cup competition where he scored a goal.

Former international Samir Kazem said in statements to the winwin platform: 'The Bolivian team has clear weaknesses in the defensive line that Iraq can exploit. The continuous advancement of the full-backs leaves significant spaces behind them, and they must be exploited in the best way.'

He added: 'The advancement of defenders on the flanks gives them an offensive weapon, but at the same time creates a clear gap. Iraqi flank players can be tasked with hitting the spaces resulting from this advancement, and Bolivia's central defenders do not have sufficient speed, which is an additional weakness.'

Kazem continued: 'The defensive weakness of Bolivia gives Iraq's attackers the opportunity to take advantage of the speed element in penetration and offensive transition. According to the data, I see that Muhannad Ali (Mimi) is the most ready currently to lead the attack line; physical readiness is a decisive factor in such crucial matches.'

He concluded: 'Mimi is the most prepared compared to Ayman Hussein and Ali Al-Hamadi; Ayman has recently returned to participate with Al-Karama after a long absence due to injury, and Al-Hamadi went through similar physical conditions, which now gives the advantage to Muhannad Ali in terms of readiness and continuity.'

Kazem stressed 'the importance of exploiting the opponent's weaknesses correctly, especially through fast play on the flanks and exploiting the spaces behind the defenders, which enhances Iraq's chances of securing the qualifying ticket. The defense line must also focus and avoid mistakes in the anticipated match.'

It is noteworthy that Iraq's attack line also includes Ali Youssef, the Al-Talaba striker, who has returned to the lineup after recovering from an injury that kept him out since the decisive Asian qualifiers, causing him to miss the Asian playoff and the Arab Cup.