Iraq's forward Ali Al-Hamadi celebrates scoring his team's first goal against Bolivia at the Monterrey Stadium in Guadalupe, Mexico [Julio Cesar Aguilar/AFP]By Hafsa AdilPublished On 1 Apr 20261 Apr 2026
Iraq have ended a 30-year wait for an appearance at the FIFA World Cup with a 2-1 victory over Bolivia in the second final of the intercontinental playoffs in Mexico, making them the 48th team to qualify for the tournament.
Goals from Ali Al-Hamadi and Aymen Hussein helped the Lions of Mesopotamia edge past the South American nation at the Monterrey Stadium in Guadalupe on Tuesday.
Al-Hamadi’s opener in the 10th minute gave Iraq the perfect start but Moises Paniagua drew the Greens level 28 minutes later in a closely-contested match in one of the cohost nations of the World Cup.
The deadlock was broken shortly after the half-time break when Aymen Hussein scored the match winning goal from close range as he slotted in Marko Farji’s cross in the 53rd minute.
