Ayman Hussein's Position on Participating Against Senegal

The position of the Lions of Mesopotamia striker Ayman Hussein on playing against Senegal in the third and decisive round of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico has become the talk of the Iraqi street after he left the field during the match against France under the supervision of coach Graham Arnold.

As the match reached the 26th minute, the Australian coach preferred to withdraw Ayman and replace him with Ali Al-Hamadi, after the striker showed signs of muscle fatigue. Television images showed him suffering from a strain, while the medical team awaits the results of tests to determine the exact extent of the injury.

After the match ended, Ayman Hussein made statements in which he said: 'I am proud of the performance that the Iraqi players presented against France. It's true the result wasn't what we dreamed of, but we have to remember that we faced a team that won the 2018 World Cup and reached the final of the 2022 edition.'

He continued: 'Our Iraqi fans were amazing and came from everywhere to support us. We apologize for not making them happy with the result, but we promise to do our utmost to make it up to them in the Senegal match. We have confidence in ourselves and look forward to presenting a match worthy of Iraq's name on Friday.'

He confirmed: 'The loss is not borne by any one individual, we are one team and we all share the responsibility. We try to correct mistakes match by match. The focus now is on how to snatch the three points against Senegal, and the work begins today to correct all the details.'

Regarding the nature of his injury, Ayman explained: 'I felt a muscle strain during the first half, and coach Graham Arnold noticed the situation and spoke to me, confirming that leaving was the best option to avoid worsening the problem. Personally, I feel okay and will be present in the Senegal match.'

Ayman Hussein, 30 years old, has a golden opportunity in the Senegal match. An opportunity to become Iraq's all-time top scorer in the World Cup finals, as he is currently tied with the late Iraqi football legend Ahmed Radhi with one goal each. A record that stood for four decades before it was matched by the 'Lions of Mesopotamia' in this edition.