Graham Arnold Sets His Weapons Before Facing Norway

The Iraqi national team concludes the friendly preparation phase and officially begins its final preparations before entering the 2026 World Cup 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 stop was against Venezuela last 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. Two contrasting results left clear lessons for the coaching staff led by Graham Arnold before starting the serious work.

According to information, the Iraqi delegation will move within hours from Chicago to Virginia to settle in the team's residence and start training sessions preceding the Norway match. 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 Venezuela friendly from some minds and recharge mental energy. The Australian coach is now focusing more on the psychological aspect than the technical, 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 Norway match file and began analyzing all the Scandinavian team's friendlies before the World Cup. The goal is to draw a complete map of the strengths and weaknesses within Haaland and his teammates' lineup, then build the most suitable plan and formation to face them. Within the coaching staff, there is a conviction 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 drills, and a precise dietary system will be implemented to ensure the players' readiness before traveling to Foxborough. The plan is comprehensive and covers the entire technical aspect, but the coach's priority now is the moral aspect. Opening matches always carry special difficulty and surprises, and the team most mentally prepared is the one that snatches the three points in such encounters.

The loss to Venezuela closed the trial file, and now the real tournament file begins. Arnold realizes that facing Norway will not tolerate the positional 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 unite its ranks, as June 17 will be the day of truth against Haaland and Sørloth at Gillette Stadium.