Overview
- Iraq’s football association has formally requested a delay from FIFA for the March 31 inter‑confederation playoff in Mexico, and no decision has been announced.
- Iraqi airspace remains closed after late‑February strikes, preventing many domestic‑based players and staff from leaving and leaving coach Graham Arnold stuck in the United Arab Emirates.
- Embassy closures have stalled visa processing, and a planned training camp in Houston was canceled due to travel and documentation hurdles.
- Arnold proposed that Bolivia and Suriname play on March 26 as scheduled in Monterrey, with Iraq to face the winner in the United States a week before the World Cup.
- Reports indicate FIFA suggested a 25‑hour road journey to Turkey that Iraq rejected, while a FIFA executive said the World Cup will proceed and expressed hope Iran still takes part.