Adnan Darjal, President of the Iraqi Football Association, revealed the features of the upcoming phase for the national team following the historic achievement of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. He confirmed that the association has drafted a new four-year contract for Australian coach Graham Arnold, in recognition of his role in leading the 'Lions of Mesopotamia' to the World Cup for the second time in their history after a 40-year absence.

Darjal explained in a special statement that the Iraqi association contracted Graham Arnold in May 2025, succeeding Spaniard Jesus Casas. In a short period, the Australian coach managed to bring about a qualitative shift in the team's performance, culminating in securing a ticket to the World Cup, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The President of the Association said: 'We affirm our full support for Graham Arnold to remain in his position for the next four years. The new contract is ready on our side, and we see the necessity of investing the achievement of qualifying for the World Cup to build a strong team and establish the foundations for developing Iraqi football in the upcoming phase.'

Darjal added that the finalization of the renewal file is officially linked to the executive office elections of the association scheduled for May 23rd: 'At the moment, I cannot finalize the file definitively, but from my personal point of view, I see the importance of keeping Arnold and granting him all the powers to prepare the team, as he possesses the technical and personal qualifications sufficient to lead the project.'

Darjal stressed that qualifying for the World Cup after four decades should be a starting point, not a destination, calling for the current momentum to be utilized to address the challenges facing the football system in Iraq. He continued: 'The phase of waiting to qualify for the World Cup ended after 40 years, and now it is necessary to invest this achievement to correct the course and address existing problems, and work according to new programs and strategies to advance the reality of Iraqi football in cooperation with the government, as Iraq must look forward.'

He revealed that the association discussed several files related to the development of the game with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani, most notably infrastructure and providing modern facilities for clubs, in addition to supporting national teams in all their categories. He confirmed: 'The Iraqi association has a very big task ahead in the coming years, and strategic plans must be set from now.'

Regarding the upcoming association elections, Darjal expressed confidence in the general assembly's ability to choose the most suitable lineup to lead Iraqi football in the sensitive upcoming phase. He said: 'I trust the general assembly's ability to choose the best to lead the association. The project we are working on is a national project adopted by the state and government, not a personal project, so it must continue regardless of names and titles.'

He concluded his speech by emphasizing that the association faced many challenges in recent years, most notably financial pressures, but succeeded in laying important foundations for developing the game: 'We are optimistic about continuing the work and achieving more progress because Iraqi football deserves to be in an advanced position. What has been achieved in recent years is a source of pride for all of us.'