Arnold nears final squad selection for Saudi Arabia Gulf 27

Iraq's head coach Graham Arnold is nearing the final touches on his squad for the Gulf Cup "Gulf 27" set to take place in Saudi Arabia, starting on September 23.

Arnold aims to make limited changes to the squad that participated in the FIFA World Cup 2026, by giving opportunities to several new names after his continuous observation of matches in the Iraqi Premier League.

Iraq are in Group A alongside Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Kuwait.

The 'Lions of Mesopotamia' will begin their campaign in the tournament against the Oman national team on the 23rd of this month at 5:30 PM at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium.

In goal, Arnold has initially settled on the trio of Ahmed Qasem, Mohammed Saleh, and Ali Kazem, after confirming the absence of goalkeeper Kamal Saadi due to an injury he sustained with his team Duhok, which will keep him out for the duration of the tournament.

In central defense, Akam Hashim, Zaid Tahseen, Josef Al-Imam, and Maytham Jabbar are expected to be relied upon, with continued monitoring of Al Zawraa defender Masis Artin, who may get the chance at the expense of one of the proposed names.

In the right-back position, Hussein Ali, Mohammed Dalawer, and Dario Namo are prominent names. The latter two have not received enough opportunities previously, as Dalawer has not been called up before, while Namo only participated in the friendly against Andorra before the FIFA World Cup.

At left-back, Merchas Doski is the established choice, while Ahmed Yahya of Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya is likely to take on a bigger role after missing the FIFA World Cup due to injury, making Gulf Cup 27 a compensatory opportunity for him.

In the pivot position, the coach leans towards the duo Zaid Ismail and Amir Al-Ammari.

In playmaking, Zidane Iqbal, Aimar Sher, Haydeer Abdulkareem, and Josef Al-Imam are prominent names, with the possibility of a new name entering the mix after the ongoing evaluation among several players.

On the wing positions, Ibrahim Bayesh and Ahmed Qasem are close to being available, alongside Marco Faraj and Ali Jasim.

Hussein Ali and Mohammed Qassim are being assessed after their impressive performances with Al Zawraa this season.

In the attacking line, Arnold has confirmed the call-up of Aymen Hussein, Ali Al-Hamadi, and the impressive Saif Rashid from Al Talaba. The fourth spot remains between Duhok's Hamoud and Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya's experienced striker Mohammed Jawad for the Arab Cup.

Iraq will be without striker Mohanad Ali "Mimi" due to an injury sustained while playing for Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya in recent rounds of the league, which has forced the coaching staff to reassess their options in the attacking line.