Overview
- Iraqi federation president Adnan Dirjal said the national team will fly by private plane to Monterrey to contest the intercontinental playoff.
- The match is scheduled for March 31 in Monterrey, with Iraq to face the winner of Suriname vs Bolivia.
- Iraqi airspace remains closed until at least April 1 because of regional strikes, complicating travel and prompting coordination with FIFA and the Asian confederation.
- Coach Graham Arnold had asked FIFA to postpone the game after players and staff were stranded, but the federation has secured early releases from clubs to assemble the squad.
- Talk of Iran withdrawing from the World Cup remains unconfirmed, with Dirjal calling it rhetoric after Iran’s sports minister raised doubts and the U.S. president warned about Iran’s safety in the host country.