Iraq Falls to Venezuela by Two Goals in Friendly Match

The Iraqi national team concluded its series of friendly matches before the 2026 World Cup with a loss by two goals to none against Venezuela, in the match held at SeatGeek Stadium in Chicago early Wednesday morning.

The result was not what the fans of the Lions of Mesopotamia had hoped for, but it served as a final warning bell before the anticipated match against Norway on June 17, marking the start of Group 9's journey.

From the first minutes, the Iraqi backline appeared far from the required organization as the positioning was confused and communication between the defenders and the goalkeeper was absent, which the Venezuelan team quickly exploited.

In the 17th minute, Christian Caceres managed to open the scoring after a direct mistake by goalkeeper Jalal Hassan and poor coverage by the central defenders. The ball was not difficult, but clear confusion in exiting and judgment made the net shake early, putting the team under pressure.

After the goal, Venezuela clearly controlled the course of play. The Vinotinto imposed their style with quick passes and direct transitions, threatening Iraq's goal on more than one occasion with crosses and one-on-ones that the attackers oddly missed.

The Lions of Mesopotamia did not show the character they displayed against Spain, and the offensive initiative was absent until the first half ended with a goal to none.

Graham Arnold tried to adjust the situation at the start of the second half with substitutions that rearranged the midfield and attack, but the improvement was very limited and did not change the team's image.

The shock came very early, as in the 46th minute, right at the start of the second half, Iraq conceded the second goal by Jesus Ramirez after a through pass that cut through the entire Iraqi defense. The goal again revealed the problem of defensive depth and the lack of marking in the forbidden zone.

The rest of the minutes continued in the same rhythm. Venezuela managed the match with experience and maintained their lead, while Iraq failed to realistically threaten the goal.

Matters became more complicated when Canadian referee Philip Dujic showed a direct red card to Ali Youssef after a strong tackle on the Venezuelan goalkeeper immediately after his substitution. The sending off ended any attempt at a comeback and left the team playing with ten men in the last quarter-hour.

With this loss, Iraq closes its preparation file with three different results. It started with an important win over Andorra by a goal to none, then delivered a heroic performance and drew with Spain 1-1.

On June 17, Iraq will enter the World Cup facing Norway at Gillette Stadium. A match that will determine the entire journey's features, as any stumble in it will complicate the mission to qualify from a group that also includes France and Senegal.