Calls for World Cup playoff to be postponed due to ongoing Middle East conflict

Martin Macdonald

• 9 Mar 2026 13:01 CDT
• 3 min read

News

Iraq head coach Graham Arnold believes the nation's upcoming World Cup intercontinental playoff fixture should be postponed due to the ongoing conflict between the United States and Israel and Iran in the Middle East.

Last week, the USA and Israel began bombing Iran including the capital, Tehran. Iran retaliated by targeting strategic bases around the Middle East, including in Dubai.

The escalating war has led to major travel disruption in the region and there are concerns that Iraq won't be able to travel to Monterrey in Mexico for their World Cup playoff later this month, in which they will face either Bolivia or Suriname.

Iraq are looking to qualify for their first World Cup since 1986 but, with Iraqi airspace closed since 28 February, they are facing the prospect at the moment of heading to Monterrey only with players who are based abroad.

"It wouldn't be our best team and we need our best team for the country's biggest game in 40 years," Arnold, an Australian, said.

"The Iraqi people are so passionate about the game that it is insane. The fact that they haven't qualified for 40 years is probably the main reason I took this job.

"But at this stage with the airport being shut down we are working hard to try and find another alternative."

In the second round of Asia qualifying for the World Cup, Iraq topped their group ahead of Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines, while in the third round they finished third in Group B behind South Korea and Jordan, who earned automatic qualification to the tournament.

It was a fifth-round 3-2 victory against the United Arab Emirates that earned them a place in the intercontinental World Cup playoff.

"If Fifa was to delay the game it gives us time to prepare properly," Arnold continued.

"Let Bolivia play Suriname this month and then a week before the World Cup, we play the winner in the US. The winner of that game stays on and the loser goes home.

"Our federation's president Adnan Dirjal is working round the clock trying to plan and prepare to make everyone in Iraq's dream come true so we need this decision made quickly."

Iran's participation not certain

United States President Donald Trump has shrugged off concerns that Iran won't be involved in the upcoming 2026 World Cup.

The next edition of the World Cup will take place across the United States, Canada and Mexico and Iran are scheduled to play at least three matches of the tournament. They will play against New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles and Egypt in Seattle.

However, those fixtures are now in major doubt as Iran finds itself in a conflict with the USA and Israel.

"With what happened... and with that attack by the United States, it is unlikely that we can look forward to the World Cup, but the sports chiefs are the ones who must decide on that," Iran football federation president Mehdi Taj told Iranian television.

FIFA have not made a decision yet but general secretary Mattias Grafstrom said "our focus is to have a safe World Cup with everybody participating".

Trump, for his part, isn't concerning himself with Iran's participation. When asked about it, he told Politico: “I really don’t care [if Iran participate]. I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes.”

Should Iran not participate, there is the possibility that they could be replaced by Iraq.

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