Arnold Opens the Andorra File and Three New Faces Under the Microscope

Iraq national team coach Graham Arnold has entered the stage of serious field work in the Spanish camp of Girona, after putting the friendly match against Andorra scheduled for next Friday on the analysis table. This is the first real test for the Lions of Mesopotamia before heading to the United States to participate in the 2026 World Cup finals.

The camp started last Saturday and its training intensity is gradually increasing, as the technical staff aims to raise physical and technical readiness before two friendly matches: the first against Andorra, and the second against Spain on June 4th, before traveling to Chicago, USA.

Arnold is treating each match individually, but he has given the Andorra match special priority as it comes after the arrival of most of the professional players. The goal of the match is not the result as much as it is to assess the readiness of the new names and give them the opportunity to appear in a competitive atmosphere before the final list is decided.

The Australian coach has placed three players under direct observation during this match: Ahmed Qasim from Nashville SC, Youssef Al-Nasrawi from Red Bull Salzburg, and Dario Namo from Dundee United. The idea is to give them enough playing minutes to evaluate their capabilities away from the training atmosphere.

The atmosphere inside the Girona camp is described as positive, with an open competition among the players to impress Arnold. The camp represents the last stop before announcing the final World Cup list, which is scheduled to be released on June 1st, making every training session and every playing minute a crucial test.

On the sidelines of the camp, the team delegation is moving to complete the administrative procedures for entering the United States. Ali Jassim, Dario Namo, Merchas Doski, and Rebin Solaka have headed to Madrid to receive their visas from the American embassy, ensuring they do not delay joining the team when moving to Chicago.

At the same time, several new professionals have arrived at the camp, most notably Hussein Ali and Amir Al-Amari from the Polish league, along with Youssef Al-Nasrawi from Austria and Frans Botrous from Indonesia, increasing the number of present players and bringing the team closer to its final form.

The Spain camp represents the last opportunity for Arnold to evaluate the players on the field, and for the players to prove they deserve to be in the World Cup squad. The Andorra match will be the first test, but it may be enough to tip the scales for some names and change the features of the final list that Iraq will rely on in its return to the World Cup after a long absence.