Iraqi players celebrating their team’s first goal against Indonesia in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup held in Qatar. Photo: Karim Jaafar/AFP
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi football team arrived in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, on Sunday to prepare for their match against the home side in the double qualifiers, which will determine who advances to the 2026 World Cup and 2027 Asian Cup.
The Iraqi national team will play the Indonesian squad at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on Thursday at noon Baghdad time.
Following a 5-0 victory against the Philippines in late March in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers in front of almost 10,000 spectators at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in the capital city of Manila, the Iraqi team appears nearly certain of advancing to the next stage after becoming the group’s leader with 12 points.
In mid-January, Iraq secured a 3-1 victory against Indonesia in a highly competitive match during the 2023 AFC Asian Cup’s Group D, earning all three points.
The match will be the third between the two teams since Iraq achieved a 2-0 victory over Indonesia in Asia Cup qualifying in November 2013.
The Iraqi football team recorded a 5-1 win over Indonesia last November in their first match in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
In their eight previous encounters, Indonesia suffered defeats in seven matches and has yet to secure a victory against Iraq.
The sole draw between Iraq and Indonesia occurred in a World Cup qualifying match in March 1973, where the game ended in a 1-1 deadlock.
The Iraqi national team’s first victory of the AFC Asian Cup took place in 2007, when it defeated Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the final match.
This is the tenth time that the Iraqi national team has participated in the Asian Cup. It participated in the championship for the first time in 1972 and hasn’t missed the finals since 1996.
The team’s most noteworthy accomplishment was taking home the championship in 2007.
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