Overview
- Iraq’s football federation has submitted an official request to postpone or relocate the intercontinental playoff, with FIFA and the AFC informed and a decision still pending.
- The Iraqi Ministry of Transport says national airspace remains closed for the duration of the war, halting departures needed for the trip to Monterrey.
- Roughly half the squad is in Baghdad, and coach Graham Arnold is unable to depart Dubai because of flight restrictions.
- FIFA proposed moving the team by a roughly 25‑hour overland journey to Turkey for a flight to Mexico, a plan Arnold rejected on safety grounds.
- Players and staff face visa hurdles amid closed embassies, while Mexico’s foreign ministry says visas can be processed through its UAE or European posts and has requested names to expedite.