Robbie Slater suggests his great mate Graham Arnold should one day write a book about his rollercoaster ride with Iraq’s football team.
Arnold, who coached the Socceroos to the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup, is now one win away from becoming the first Australian man to lead a foreign nation on football’s grandest stage.
Iraq will meet the winner of Bolivia and Suriname on April 1 (AEDT) with the victor progressing to the World Cup in June-July.
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Graham Arnold of Iraq speaks to the media in a post match press conference. FIFA via Getty Images
Bolivia and Suriname will first square off in Guadalupe on Friday (AEDT) for the right to play Iraq.
Arnold this week welcomed his players into camp with warm hugs outside the Hilton Monterrey. It had been an ordeal just to get there.
The 62-year-old had urged FIFA to postpone the intercontinental qualifier after the United States and Israel declared war on Iran.
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With Iraqi airspace closed, Arnold’s squad – dominated by players in the domestic league – had been unable to fully gather.
Arnold was left stranded in the United Arab Emirates and embassy closures meant many players and staff were initially unable to obtain entry visas into Mexico.
But Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs helped sort the paperwork and a private jet was arranged to get the team safely out of Iraq.
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“I spoke to him yesterday,” Australian football great Slater said on Stan Sport’s Added Time.
“He’s not allowed to go back to Baghdad – they’ve entered his apartment – but he’s in Mexico. It is great for him but what he’s gone through, seriously… I spoke to him for a while – I’m not going to explain it – but it’s been a tough ride. It’s been tough.”
Iraq have only played at one men’s World Cup – 40 years ago at the 1986 tournament in Mexico.
Graham Arnold at Education City Stadium in Doha, Qatar. NurPhoto via Getty Images
“They’re (Iraq) going to build a statue (of Arnold if they qualify),” Slater quipped.
Arnold won’t be the only Australian manager watching Friday’s results with interest.
Socceroos coach Tony Popovic is waiting to see who Australia will open their World Cup campaign against on June 14 (AEST) in Vancouver.
It will be either Turkiye, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo.
The final six World Cup places are up for grabs over the next week across two playoff tournaments that will complete the 48-team lineup.
Sixteen teams from Europe will compete for four spots, while the new intercontinental tournament in Mexico will determine the other two places.
Stan Sport will show every match of the European qualifiers.
“Turkiye are the clear favourite (in Path C), and that’s why I would not like them to get through. It’s a compliment,” ex-Australia captain Craig Foster said on Added Time.
The Socceroos will also meet co-hosts the United States and Paraguay in Group D.
Mauricio Pochettino shakes hands with Tony Popovic. Getty
While naturally keen to find out which European opponent he will face, Popovic wasn’t losing too much sleep over it.
“Whoever we play, you expect to be a very difficult opponent for the World Cup, as it should be,” Popovic said ahead of Friday night’s friendly against Cameroon in Sydney.
“We’ll learn very soon… it’ll be the same for the opponent. They are not actually preparing for Australia at the moment.
“They’re just trying to qualify and I’m sure they’ll do their preparation once they get through. We’ll be the same. We don’t see that as a hurdle we can’t overcome. We’ll have time to prepare.”
The biggest ever World Cup – up from 32 teams in Qatar in 2022 – is being co-hosted by three nations for the first time – the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Four-time champion Italy is the standout name in the European playoffs as it tries to avoid the ignominy of missing out on a World Cup for a third consecutive time.
Gennaro Gattuso during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier at Nagyerdei Stadion in Debrecen. Getty
“It’s undeniable that there’s nervousness. Only someone without blood running through their veins wouldn’t feel it,” Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso said.
Italy open their Path A campaign against Northern Ireland in Bergamo on Friday (AEDT).
“I don’t think Gattuso has proven himself as a tactician – he certainly hasn’t at club level,” Foster said.
“I’m surprised that he’s the Italian coach, to be honest with you. I’m sure many Italian fans are surprised by that. I would be worried if I was an Italian fan. They’re under incredible pressure.
“He’s fiery, crazy… that’s pure Gattuso. You always get theatre, you always get problems, you always get volatility – when what they really need is just calmness, you know, tactics, structure.
“They would be the first World Cup winner to miss three consecutive World Cups. And you’ve put all of this on the shoulders of Gattuso, that’s unbelievable.”
Gennaro Gattuso during the presentation of the new coach of the Italian national football team. Getty
New Caledonia, Suriname, Kosovo and Albania are all vying to qualify for the World Cup for the first time.
There will be more European teams – 16 – than from any other continent at the World Cup.
Twelve have already booked their places and the final four will advance via the playoffs.
Eight one-off semi-finals are followed by four finals. The winners of the finals secure qualification.
The teams are made up of 12 runners-up from the group qualifying stage and four based on performances in the UEFA Nations League.
The highest-ranked teams host the semi-finals. The hosts of the finals were determined by draw.
Path A: Italy vs Northern Ireland, Wales vs Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Path B: Ukraine vs Sweden, Poland vs Albania.
Path C: Turkey vs Romania, Slovakia vs Kosovo.
Path D: Denmark vs North Macedonia, Czech Republic vs Ireland
Intercontinental playoffs
There is a different format for the intercontinental playoffs, which FIFA simply calls the ‘Playoff Tournament.’ Two teams will advance from a field of six.
The lineup was made up of two teams from CONCACAF (Jamaica, Suriname) and one each from Asia (Iraq), Africa (DR Congo), South America (Bolivia) and Oceania (New Caledonia).
The four lowest-ranked nations play in two semi-finals. The winner advances to a final against one of the two highest-ranked teams.
The winners of those matches qualify for the World Cup. The highest ranked teams were DR Congo and Iraq. Games are being staged in Guadalajara and Monterrey
Path 1: New Caledonia vs. Jamaica (winner plays DR Congo)
Path 2: Bolivia vs. Suriname (winner plays Iraq)
When are the playoffs?
The semi-finals will be played on Friday (AEDT) and the finals next Wednesday (AEDT).
Who has qualified for the 2026 World Cup?
Co-hosts: Canada, Mexico and United States.
AFC: Australia, IR Iran, Japan, Jordan, Korea Republic, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan
CAF: Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia
CONCACAF: Curacao, Haiti, Panama
CONMEBOL: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay
OFC: New Zealand
UEFA: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland
Lionel Messi of Argentina kisses the FIFA World Cup. Getty
When is the 2026 World Cup?
June and July. It kicks off at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City on June 12 (AEST).
The final is on July 20 (AEST) at MetLife Stadium, which will be referred to as New York New Jersey Stadium during the tournament.
The 82,500-capacity arena opened in 2010, replacing Giants Stadium, and serves as the home for the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets.