Urgent Warning for Iraqi Players Before Friendly Match Against Spain

Iraqi national team players received an urgent warning before their anticipated friendly match against Spain in the city of La Coruña, as part of the ongoing training camp in preparation for the 2026 World Cup finals to be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The match represents the last stop for the Lions of Mesopotamia in Europe before traveling to Chicago, USA, to continue preparations and undertake the final friendly trials.

Iraq's camp started in Girona on May 23, during which the team played only one friendly match against Andorra, ending with Iraq's victory by a single goal scored by Ali Youssef in the 20th minute, giving the team a morale boost before the more challenging encounter against La Roja.

Former Iraqi national team player Safwan Abdul Ghani warned of the difficulty of the match on multiple levels. He pointed out in a statement that the encounter will not only be a technical test but also a physical one, especially given the poor condition of the Riazor Stadium pitch where the match will be held.

Abdul Ghani urged Iraqi players to exercise caution while playing on this pitch as it may expose them to injuries, hoping that the Spanish federation would intervene to repair the stadium considering that the current situation could also harm Spanish players themselves.

Abdul Ghani spoke about the upcoming phase for the national team, emphasizing the need to start a real renewal process within the lineup starting from the 2026 World Cup and beyond.

He saw that introducing young elements has become necessary to ensure the continuity of the Lions of Mesopotamia and the development of their level in the long term, especially since several players have surpassed the age of thirty and are still key players in the team.

He focused on some names he believes deserve a bigger opportunity, notably Erbil goalkeeper Kamil Saadi, who deserves to be present and continue with the national team during this period.

He also praised Peter Korkis, considering him one of the standout stars of the Iraqi league this season, possessing technical capabilities that qualify him to add value to the team if given enough playing time.

As for Dario Namo and Youssef Nasrawi, he said that excluding them at the moment is a natural decision due to their lack of sufficient minutes to prove themselves, but he stressed that the national team could benefit from them in the future given their good capabilities.

He was surprised by the non-inclusion of Hassan Abdul Karim in the friendly match against Andorra and then his exclusion from the final list, considering that this raises more than one question mark.

Abdul Ghani concluded his remarks by saying that the rest of the players who were left out of the list had chances similar to the currently existing names, but he held the technical staff fully responsible for their choices.

He confirmed that the next phase requires giving more space to the youth to build a team capable of competing strongly in the coming years, especially since Iraq aspires to improve its results in the Asian Cup, Arab Cup, Gulf Cup, and all the tournaments it will participate in.