Iraq has formally requested a postponement of their World Cup intercontinental playoff after rejecting a Fifa proposal requiring a 25-hour road journey to Turkey before flying to Mexico. The match, against Bolivia or Suriname, is scheduled for 31 March in Monterrey.
The Iraqi Transport Ministry informed the football association that the country’s airspace will remain closed for the duration of the war, leaving half the squad stranded in Baghdad and head coach Graham Arnold stuck in Dubai. Fifa suggested players travel by road from Baghdad to Istanbul through northern Iraq, an area under attack from Iranian drones since the conflict began.
Arnold has told the Iraqi FA he will not permit the team to travel by road while the conflict continues. Additionally, several players and backroom staff have yet to receive visas for Mexico or the United States, where a training camp in Houston was planned.
The Iraqi FA is lobbying Fifa for a swift decision on a postponement, seeking certainty amid the crisis. Iraq have already secured a place in one of the two finals of the six-team intercontinental playoffs. As the next highest-ranked Asian team, Iraq are also seen as a potential replacement for Iran should their neighbours withdraw from the World Cup due to the war.
