Iraq seeks World Cup playoff delay after rejecting FIFA’s 25-hour road trip plan

Graham Arnold, the Australian coach of Iraq's national football team, has urged FIFA to postpone his side's inter-confederation World Cup playoff against either Bolivia or Suriname, scheduled for March 31 in Monterrey, Mexico, warning that the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States has left the majority of his squad stranded in Iraq with no way to fly out.The Guardian+1

A Nation's Dream in Limbo

Iraqi airspace has been closed since late February following large-scale U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian military targets and subsequent Iranian retaliation across the region. The closure is not expected to be lifted until April 1 — one day after the scheduled playoff match. Close to 60 percent of Arnold's first-choice squad is drawn from the domestic Iraqi league, and those players, along with key backroom staff including interpreter and former Sydney FC winger Ali Abbas, remain unable to leave the country.safeairspace.net+2

Arnold himself is stranded in Dubai, unable to reach his players in Baghdad. A pre-match camp planned for Houston has already been postponed due to visa and travel uncertainty.espn+1

"Please help us with this game because right now we are struggling to get our players out of the country of Iraq," Arnold told AAP from the UAE. He proposed that FIFA allow the Bolivia-Suriname semifinal, set for March 26, to proceed as planned, then reschedule Iraq's final to a date closer to the World Cup in the United States. "The winner of that game stays on and the loser goes home," he said.espn

FIFA's Road Trip Proposal Rejected

According to The Guardian, Iraq has formally requested the postponement after rejecting a FIFA suggestion that the squad undertake a 25-hour road journey from Baghdad to Istanbul — a route that has been subject to Iranian drone attacks since the start of the conflict. Arnold reportedly told the Iraqi Football Association he would not allow his players to travel overland under those conditions.The Guardian

What's at Stake

The playoff winner will claim the final spot in Group I at the 2026 World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. Victory would secure Iraq's first World Cup appearance since 1986.straitstimes+2

"It wouldn't be our best team and we need our best team available for the country's biggest game in 40 years," Arnold said, dismissing the possibility of fielding a squad drawn only from players based outside Iraq. Iraqi Football Association president Adnan Dirjal is "working round the clock" to find a solution, Arnold added, calling on FIFA to act quickly. FIFA had not responded publicly to the request as of Sunday.espn+1