Key absences in Iraq squad for Basra friendly tournament

As part of its ongoing preparations and to outline its new strategy following the AFC Asian Cup 2027 postponement.

Iraq's head coach Graham Arnold has revealed the official squad for the Lions of Mesopotamia ahead of the Basra Four-Nation Friendly Tournament, which is set to take place in Al-Fayha from November 10 to 17.

This friendly tournament comes as one of the highlights of the Iraqi national team's preparation program, which also includes another friendly match against the Philippines as part of the early preparations for the upcoming continental competitions. The draw has placed Iraq in Group D alongside Australia, Tajikistan, and Singapore.

The Australian coach has called up 29 players to represent the nation in the Basra tournament. The names are distributed by positions as follows: in goal, Ahmed Basal from Al Zawraa, Mohammed Saleh from Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Kamil Saadi from Duhok, and Hussein Hasan from Erbil.

In defence, Adam Rasheed from Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Karar Nabeel from Al-Kahrbaa, Akam Hashem from Duhok, Josef Al-Imam from Duhok, Merchas Doski from Viktoria Plzeň, Ahmed Yahya from Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Ibrahim Bayesh from Erbil, and in midfield, Siaband Akid from Duhok, Zaid Ismail from Al-Talaba, Zidane Iqbal from Dundee United, Aimar Sher from Sarpsborg, Haydeer Abdulkareem from Al-Nasr, Yusuf Al-Nasrawi from Red, Mohammed Qassim from Al-Zawraa, Amoori Faisal from Al-Kahrbaa, Peter Korkis from Cleopatra FC, Muntadhar Al-Majid from Hammarby, Marco Faraj from Heerenveen, Hiran Ahmed from Al-Zawraa, and Hussein Ali Al-Saadi from Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya.

The attacking line features Aymen Hussein from Pakhtakor, Saif Rasheed from Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Younes Hamoud from Duhok, and Ahmed Aiad from Al-Kahrbaa.

The squad sees the inclusion of notable names and the return of key players aiming to secure their place in the starting lineup. The return of star player Montathar Al-Majed stands out, alongside the call-up of Al-Karma defender Karar Amer, Duhok player Siaband Akid, Egyptian professional from Cleopatra FC Peter Korkis, Al-Zawraa player Hiran Ahmed, and the young standout defender from Al-Shorta Adam Rasheed, in addition to the promising talent from Al-Karma, Amoori Faisal.

On the other hand, various circumstances have led to the absence of a group of key players from the Basra squad, including Jalal Hassan, the Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya goalkeeper, Zaid Tahseen, the Pakhtakor defender, Ahmed Qasem from Nashville SC, Karar Nabeel from Al-Student, Hussein Hasan from Al Zawraa, Mustafa Saadoon from Duhok, Hussein Ali from the Polish club Bogon, and Ali Al-Hamadi, the Sheffield forward.

The Iraqi Football Association's administrative body is set to hold an official and decisive meeting with coach Graham Arnold following the conclusion of the four-team tournament. The preliminary dates of 18 and 19 of this month have been set to discuss all technical files, evaluate the previous phase, and outline the features of the upcoming period.