On September 5th, 2024, in the first round of World Cup qualification in Asia, Iraq and Oman will face off. Both teams, having come this far, are eager to start the next stage with a win.
The "Lions of Mesopotamia" have only qualified for the World Cup once—in 1986—where they lost all their matches. They have faced setbacks in other qualifying rounds. On the other hand, their opponent, the "Gulf Samba," made their first appearance in the Asian Cup only in 2004.
Oman participated in the most recent continental tournament but was eliminated in the group stage after losing to Saudi Arabia and drawing with Thailand and Kyrgyzstan. Iraq, meanwhile, had a perfect record in the group stage in Qatar but lost 2-3 to Jordan in the playoffs.
Iraq ended the previous round of World Cup qualification with a series of four victories, achieving a perfect record after the group stage. For Oman, the path was more challenging, as they had to contend with Kyrgyzstan and Malaysia for the two available spots. However, by earning ten points in four matches in 2024, Oman advanced to the final round and even managed to secure first place in their group, though they remain underdogs.
The Venue: Basra International Stadium
The match will take place at the newly renovated Basra International Stadium in Iraq, the second largest city in the Asian country of Iraq, a venue that promises to offer an electrifying atmosphere for players and fans alike. The stadium has a capacity of 65000 spectators and was opened in 2013, with a curtain wall of curved elements.
Iraq: A Team on the Rise
In a clash between two teams at the bottom of the table in the current Group B tournament, Iraq will be looking to repeat their 3-1 away win over Vietnam in their most recent match, when they face Vietnam. That win comes on top of the revelation of their early victory in another friendly, especially considering they are a not-so-powerful team.
Iraq have recorded just one stoppage-time loss in their last four home matches in games played, with one of those wins coming in their most recent home game in the Asian tournament. To string together another win in front of their home fans, Iraq will need to continue to attack up front, as they have accumulated the most goals scored 10 times in the current campaign.
Oman: A Contender with a Strong Defensive Record
For their part, Oman is the only team that has not lost all of its games in recent matches, averaging an impressive 2.5 total goals per game. In fact, they have scored multiple goals in all of their previous appearances this season, including a 3-0 shutout win over Chinese Taipei in their last away game.
We have to go back to early January to locate Oman's most recent away defeat, which came against Arabia in previous tournament action. Despite the generally good results, Oman should find motivation in their 1-2 win when they last visited Iraq in Gulf Cup action in March 2011.
A Look at the Matchup and Predictions
Iraq (possible lineup): Hassan - Yahya, Sulaka, Tahsin, Ali - Al-Amari, Rashid, Amin - Yaseem, Ali, Al-Ani
Oman (possible lineup): Al-Muqaini - Al-Busaidi, Al-Musalami, Al-Khamisi, Al-Shamusi - Al-Alawi, Al-Saadi, Al-Musharrafi, Al-Yahyai, Al-Sabhi - Al-Ghassani
All six of the last head-to-head matches ended in a draw in regular time. The hosts are not weaker and are playing at home. We predict that they will start this stage with a win (odds – 1.73).
The Road Ahead for Both Teams
Iraq will begin its third-round campaign at home before traveling to Kuwait the following week. On Thursday, Oman, hoping to play in their first World Cup ever, will play their first match in the third round of qualifying, which will be hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States in 2026.
Since 2004, Iraq and Oman’s football teams have participated in 16 matches. Iraq won four of them, Oman won four, and eight were drawn.
The Stakes Are High: A Battle for World Cup Glory
Iraq and Oman will battle for three points in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Thursday. The hosts will be looking to build on the 3-1 home win they registered over Vietnam in the last round of the qualifiers in June 2024.
Hussein Ali broke the deadlock in the 12th minute before missing a 19th-minute penalty. Ali Jasim and Aymen Hussein scored either side of Tuan Hai Pham's second-half strike to help their nation claim all three points.
Oman, meanwhile, shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at home to Kyrgyzstan in the last round of the qualifiers. They went ahead through Eldiyar Zarypbekov's 20th-minute goal while Alimardon Shukurev's 57th-minute own goal drew the game level.
The stalemate saw Oman progress to this stage of the qualifiers as Group D winners with 13 points from six games. Iraq finished top of Group F with maximum points to their name.
Both nations have been drawn alongside South Korea, Jordan, Kuwait and Palestine in Group B.
Iraq have won their last four games on the bounce and will be aiming for a fifth successive win as they seek to qualify for their first World Cup since 1986.
Oman are unbeaten in their last six games (three draws). Jaroslav Šilhavý's side's defense has been the backbone of their recent good form, having kept a clean sheet in four games in this run.
The last six head-to-head games have ended in draws and another keenly-contested match could be on the cards.
We are backing the home side to claim a narrow win in addition to a clean sheet.
Prediction: Iraq 1-0 Oman
Tip 1 - Iraq to win
Tip 2 - Both teams to score: No
Tip 3 - Under 2.5 goals
The Story Beyond the Score
Iraq and Oman will kick off their third-round bids in Asian World Cup 2026 Qualifying on Thursday, when they square off in Basra. The two nations both progressed through their second-round groups in dominant fashion, with the hosts boasting a perfect record to book their place in this stage.
Iraq will return to action on Thursday with the aim of strengthening their bid to reach a second-ever World Cup and a first since 1986 in their first third-round outing. After falling short at this stage for the 2022 competition in Qatar, the Usood al-Rafidayn kicked off their latest bid in the second round and dominated Group F, finishing top with a perfect record having opened up with 5-1 and 1-0 victories over Indonesia and Vietnam respectively.
Then following an AFC Asian Cup campaign which ended with a round-of-16 defeat to Jordan, Jesus Casas's team returned to qualifying in March with 1-0 and 5-0 triumphs in a pair of meetings with the Philippines, and they would only strengthen their standing in the final two outings in June, completing doubles over Indonesia and Vietnam.
After beating the former 2-0 on their travels, the Usood al-Rafidayn most recently hosted Vietnam for their final contest with a third-round spot already secured and ended on a high, completing a perfect record with a 3-1 victory in Basra courtesy of goals from Hussein Ali, Ali Jasim and Aymen Hussein.
Now heading back into action having won seven of their last eight competitive outings since mid-January, Iraq will aim to pick up where they left off in World Cup qualifying and kick off their third-round bid with a home victory on Thursday before visiting Kuwait next week.
Their visitors, meanwhile, will also bid to make a fast start in their third-round group after a pleasing start to their latest qualifying bid, as Oman continue their search for a first-ever World Cup group-stage appearance. After progressing to this stage in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup and only missing out on progressing to the final round by a single point, they again cruised through the second round in their latest bid, topping their group with 13 points.
That campaign included a change in management, as Jaroslav Silhavy took over in February following their AFC Asian Cup group exit, and after taking over with Oman sat on three points from two games, he would inspire three victories in his first three games at the helm, as Oman picked up back-to-back 2-0 wins over Malaysia and a 3-0 triumph away at Chinese Taipei.
A final-round meeting with second-placed Kyrgyzstan then followed in June and Silhavy's team kept hold of top spot by finishing with a 1-1 draw in Muscat, having initially fallen behind in the first half before an Erzhan Tokotayev own goal levelled the scores on the hour mark. With plenty of confidence to take from a near-perfect start to life under their new boss, culminating in a first-placed finish in the last round, Oman will now bid to go one better than their last qualifying effort in this year's third round, starting with what would be a crucial away win on Thursday.
Key Players to Watch
Jesus Casas should field a similar Iraq starting XI to their final second-round group outing in June, although Aymen Hussein will hope to come back in and lead the line from the outset after notching up his 27th international goal off the bench in their 3-1 win over Vietnam. Ipswich Town's Ali Al-Hamadi will also fight for an attacking spot, while Mohanad Ali will likely keep his place up top having managed 20 goals of his own for the Usood al-Rafidayn.
Amjad Attwan, whose tally of 77 caps is only second in this Iraq squad to goalkeeper Jalal Hassan's 83, will also compete to come in from the outset after Youssef Amyn, Amir Al-Ammari and Osama Rashid lined up in the centre against Vietnam, while Zaid Tahseen and Rebin Sulaka should continue their partnership in the middle of the defence.
Oman should also line up in a similar way to their last second-round fixture, with Muhsen Al-Ghassani bound to again lead the attack, having notched up 12 goals in his 57 international caps thus far. Issam Al-Sabhi, who has netted 11 goals of his own for his nation, will play a key role in support, likely alongside Salaah Al-Yahyaei and Abdulrahman Al-Mushaifri. Veteran Harib Al-Saadi remains a mainstay in the midfield, having now earned 93 caps for his country, and Arshad Al Alawi should again join him in the centre of their 4-2-3-1 setup, while centre-back Mohammed Al-Musalami leads the squad with 114 caps to his name.
Iraq possible starting lineup:Hassan; H Ali, Tahseen, Sulaka, Younis; Amyn, Al-Ammari, Rashid; Hussein, M Ali, Jasim
Oman possible starting lineup:Al-Mukhaini; Al-Shamousi, Al-Khamisi, Al-Musalami, Al-Busaidi; Al-Saadi, Al Alawi; Al-Sahbi, Al-Yahyaei, Al-Mushaifri; Al-Ghassani
While both sides showed their quality in the second round of World Cup Qualifying, we see Iraq as the stronger of the two nations and back them to get up and running in the new group with a victory on home soil. For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
