In brief
- Sydney-born coach Graham Arnold has steered the Iraqi national football team to FIFA World Cup qualification.
- Iraq’s football body has requested Arnold receive national citizenship in celebration of the team’s success.
Iraq’s football federation has informed former Australian coach Graham Arnold that they are pursuing citizenship for him, following his historic achievement of guiding the national team to their first FIFA World Cup appearance in four decades.
After coaching Australia’s squad at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Arnold took the reins of Iraq’s national team in May of the previous year, with a clear objective to secure their qualification for the World Cup.
The team achieved this milestone by clinching a 2-1 victory over Bolivia in April, securing their spot in the upcoming tournament in the United States, marking Iraq’s return to the World Cup since 1986.
In a heartfelt video shared on social media, Adnan Dirjal, the president of the Iraqi Football Association, expressed his gratitude towards Arnold for his invaluable contributions and extended his wishes for “continued success and prosperity” in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, now just under a month away.
“A year has swiftly passed, and as we embark on the second year, we stand immensely proud of your achievements,” stated Dirjal.
“Truly, and thank God, you achieved the dream for millions of Iraqis, for more than 46 million Iraqis — you and all the heroic young men who delivered an honourable performance despite all the challenges and circumstances over forty years.”
The official then tells Arnold about the citizenship request, as the Australian appears surprised.
“And as we promised you after qualifying for the World Cup, we will make a request through the respected prime minister, who was and still is the biggest supporter in achieving this accomplishment and all our work in the federation during the past four years.
“I told you that we would request Iraqi citizenship for you, and we have sent a request to the prime minister regarding that.”
In a separate video, Arnold speaks to the country’s prime minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, accompanied by Dirjal and a translator.
“I always believed we would win,” Arnold says.
“And the Iraqi mentality was the main point, that we would win. The fighting mentality of the players. And that’s what we need to take to the World Cup,” he continues.
“Thank you so much for your support.”
In a third video, Arnold is shown shaking hands with al-Sudani and tells him: “Now we will shock the world.”
SBS News has contacted the Iraqi embassy for comment.
Arnold was met with wild scenes as he arrived back in Australia after securing Iraq’s World Cup spot, as hundreds of Iraqi Australians cheered him and celebrated the win.
Many described the Australian as a “hero”.
A former Socceroo, Arnold later turned to coaching, and took the head Socceroos role in 2018 after that year’s FIFA World Cup in Russia.
He led the team until 2024, when he was replaced by Tony Popovic.
Iraq’s World Cup campaign was complicated by the war in the Middle East, with travel for the team becoming a logistical nightmare.
Attention now turns to the World Cup being hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, where Iraq will face France, Senegal and Norway in the group stage from 12 June.
— This story was produced in collaboration with SBS Arabic.
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