Iraq at the FIFA World Cup
International football delegation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Iraq appeared in the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 1986. They ended up last place in their group with zero points, scoring only one goal.[1] Iraq qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the second time in 2026. Both times they have qualified for a World Cup, Mexico was the host.[2]
FIFA World Cup record
| FIFA World Cup finals record | FIFA World Cup qualification record | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
 1930 to  1950 |
Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | ||||||||||||||
 1954 to  1970 |
Did not enter | Did not enter | ||||||||||||||
 1974 |
Did not qualify | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 6 | |||||||||
 1978 |
Withdrew | Withdrew | ||||||||||||||
 1982 |
Did not qualify | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | |||||||||
| 1986 |
Group stage | 23rd | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | Squad | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 11 | |
 1990 |
Did not qualify | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 5 | |||||||||
 1994 |
13 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 37 | 13 | ||||||||||
 1998 |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 8 | ||||||||||
  2002 |
14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 37 | 15 | ||||||||||
| 2006 |
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 7 | ||||||||||
 2010 |
8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 6 | ||||||||||
| 2014 |
16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 20 | 12 | ||||||||||
 2018 |
16 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 24 | 18 | ||||||||||
 2022 |
18 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 20 | 16 | ||||||||||
 2026 |
Qualified | 21 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 32 | 14 | |||||||||
  2030 |
To be determined | |||||||||||||||
 2034 | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | Best: Group stage | 2/18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | — | 140 | 67 | 37 | 36 | 253 | 133 | |
Iraq at Mexico 1986
Paraguay vs Iraq
This match caused controversy as the referee Edwin Picon-Ackong blew the whistle for half time a few seconds before Iraq striker Ahmed Radhi headed the ball into the goal, meaning that it did not count.[3]
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Iraq vs Belgium
In the 16th minute of the match Belgium took the lead when Enzo Scifo scored with a low shot to the left corner of the net from the right from just inside the penalty area. It was 2-0 in the 21st minute when Nico Claesen scored a penalty low to the left corner of the net. Iraq pulled a goal back in the 59th minute when Ahmed Radhi scored a low shot to the left corner of the net from the right but Belgium went on to win 2-1.
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Iraq vs Mexico
Fernando Quirarte scored the only goal of the game with a shot from a very tight angle on the right that beat the goalkeeper at his near post.
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Iraq at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Group stage
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  France |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 |  Senegal |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 |  Iraq |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Possible knockout stage based on ranking |
| 4 |  Norway |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Record players
There are seven players who have been fielded on all three occasions. Five of them played every single minute, while Rahim Hameed came on as a substitute every single time, replacing fellow record holder Hashim in the last match.
| Rank | Player | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khalil Allawi | 3 |
| Rahim Hameed | 3 | |
| Natiq Hashim | 3 | |
| Ghanim Oraibi | 3 | |
| Ahmed Radhi | 3 | |
| Nadhim Shaker | 3 | |
| Ali Hussein Shihab | 3 | |
Top goalscorers
The only Iraqi goal at the FIFA World Cup was scored by Ahmed Radhi in their match against Belgium.[4][5]