Iraq Begins Countdown to Face Norway in the World Cup

The Iraqi national team concludes the friendly preparation phase and officially begins its final preparations before entering the World Cup 2026 in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, specifically before the opening match against Norway next Wednesday morning at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. The match will be the first real test for the Lions of Mesopotamia after a 40-year absence from the World Cup.

The last friendly match was against Venezuela on Wednesday morning, ending in a 2-0 loss, after the team delivered an honorable performance and drew 1-1 with Spain in La Coruña a few days earlier. These contrasting results left clear lessons for the coaching staff led by Graham Arnold before they start serious work.

According to information, the Iraqi delegation will move within hours from Chicago to the state of Virginia to settle in the team's accommodation and begin the training sessions that precede the match against Norway. The local time for the match in Baghdad and Mecca will be early Wednesday morning.

Arnold decided to give the players a one-day break away from the stadium atmosphere. The goal is clear: to relieve the pressure and tension left by the friendly against Venezuela from some players' minds and to recharge their mental energy. The Australian coach is now focusing more on the psychological aspect than the technical one, as he wants to regain the fighting spirit and confidence the team showed against Spain, which sent positive signals to the fans about the team's capabilities when fully focused.

The coach immediately opened the file on facing Norway and began analyzing all the Scandinavian team's friendlies before the World Cup. The aim is to draw a complete map of the strengths and weaknesses within Haaland and his teammates' lineup, then build the best plan and lineup to face them. Within the coaching staff, there is a belief that Iraq can create a surprise in the opening match if the players adhere to the instructions and enter with maximum focus.

The training sessions in Virginia will witness a noticeable increase in intensity and pace. Arnold will raise the level of physical and technical sessions, and a precise diet will be applied to ensure the players' readiness before traveling to Foxborough. The plan is comprehensive and covers the technical aspect entirely, but the coach's priority now is the morale aspect. Opening matches always carry special difficulty and surprises, and the team most psychologically prepared is the one that snatches the three points in such encounters.

The loss to Venezuela closed the file on experiments, and now the real championship file begins. Arnold realizes that facing Norway will not tolerate the positioning errors that appeared in the last friendly, and that regaining the character of the Spain match is the key to achieving a positive result. Iraq has one week to close the defensive wounds and unify its ranks, as June 17 will be the day of truth against Haaland and Sorloth at Gillette Stadium.