Iraq Achieves Three Gains from Friendly Match with Spain

The Iraqi national team succeeded in securing a notable result against Spain, after concluding the friendly match at Riazor Stadium with a 1-1 draw. The encounter was part of the final preparations for both sides before the start of the 2026 World Cup, hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The Matador was the first to score through Barcelona star Ferran Torres in the 16th minute, as he slipped through the Iraqi defense and placed the ball in goalkeeper Ahmed Basil's net. The Iraqi response was swift, as in the 27th minute, Mirhas Doski launched a powerful shot that shook goalkeeper Juan Garcia's net and restored balance to the match.

This result raised the confidence level within the Lions of Mesopotamia's camp to its highest. Drawing against a team ranked among the world's elite is no ordinary achievement, even considering that Spain played with a depleted lineup missing about 10 key players, including Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams.

The Iraqi team succeeded in containing Spain's continuous pressure and disrupted La Roja's plans by scoring the equalizer, then showed a clear ability to match them during many periods of the match. The performance confirmed that the Lions of Mesopotamia are capable of competing with the big teams when they play in their usual style, calmly and organized, away from intimidation, which is exactly what Graham Arnold aims to instill in his players' minds before the World Cup.

A match of this caliber had not been played by Iraq for a long time. Matches against top-tier teams usually require significant administrative and financial efforts, which are sometimes available and sometimes not, but this time the federation succeeded in securing a real test.

The interaction with Spain provided the players with practical experience in dealing with the high European pace and long possession. The draw with the reigning European champions will give the group additional motivation to present their best when facing Norway and France in the group stage and will spare them the shock of technical differences as they have already tasted the level of global competition.

The match also has another benefit related to the FIFA ranking. Spain is ranked second in the world, narrowly behind top-ranked Argentina, and the draw result against them grants Iraq important points. Consequently, the Lions of Mesopotamia jumped one spot to rank 56th globally, ahead of teams like Romania, Slovenia, and the Republic of Ireland. The goal now is to continue this ascent during the World Cup matches.

Thus, the team closes the Spanish camp chapter with positive results, a win against Andorra, and a historic draw with Spain. The next step is directly towards the United States, as the team delegation departs on Friday to Chicago for the final friendly against Venezuela on June 9.