Ex-Socceroos coach Graham Arnold ‘proud’ of his Iraq team following win over Jordan

Graham Arnold is confident he can lead Iraq to 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification after tasting his first win as coach of the Lions of Mesopotamia.

Former Socceroos boss Graham Arnold has secured his first win as Iraq coach with a 1-0 away victory over Jordan in Amman.

While Wednesday morning’s success wasn’t enough for Iraq to secure FIFA World Cup qualification, Arnold’s men will have another chance to book a berth in next year’s tournament in the USA, Mexico and Canada when they compete in the fourth round of AFC qualifiers in October.

“I’m proud of the team,” Arnold said after the win, which came less than a week after Iraq suffered a 2-0 home loss to South Korea in his first game in charge of the Lions of Mesopotamia.

“It was a crazy week, but it ended well. We rested four players to avoid suspension and will now focus on the (fourth round).

“My message to Iraqi fans – believe in us, we will reach the 2026 World Cup.”

The final Group B table after tonight's victory - onto the Fourth Round we go in October! 🦁🇮🇶#AsianQualifiers#RoadTo2026pic.twitter.com/2qSY6F566W

— Iraq National Team (@IraqNT_EN) June 10, 2025

The fourth round of qualifiers features the nations that finished third and fourth in the three third-round groups.

Joining Iraq will be the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Indonesia.

The six nations will be split into two groups of three, with the top team from each group to advance to the World Cup.

The teams that finished second in each group will play each other for the AFC’s spot in the six-nation inter-confederation playoffs, from which two teams will secure World Cup qualification.

Originally published as Ex-Socceroos coach Graham Arnold ‘proud’ of his Iraq team following win over Jordan