Iraq Head Coach: We Still Have a Chance to Qualify

Graham Arnold has urged Iraq to move on quickly after their 3-0 defeat to France at the 2026 World Cup, saying his side still have a route into the next stage.

The Iraq head coach said the team now need to beat Senegal to stay in contention for one of the remaining qualification spots. He pointed out that the third-place teams also have a chance to reach the play-offs, which keeps Iraq’s campaign alive despite back-to-back defeats.

Arnold said he was satisfied with his players’ first-half display, even after Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring. He also described the two-hour half-time delay caused by weather conditions as unusual, adding that little could be done beyond revisiting the first-half footage and preparing the players for the restart.

He reserved particular praise for Mbappé, who scored twice, calling the France forward exceptional and saying his pace is impossible to contain once space opens up behind the defence. Arnold also mentioned Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi in the same conversation, saying the race for the scoring title should be an interesting one.