Over the course of more than two years and 21 matches, went through periods of both hope and concern as they overcame a series of challenges to secure their place at the. In the process, the team endured the longest qualifying campaign of any of the 48 nations set to compete in North America, a journey that, in the eyes of Amir Al Ammari, perfectly captures the character of his team. As he put it: “We always find a way back.”
With the qualifying campaign behind them, the team’s attention turns to the biggest challenge of all – one that Iraq have waited four decades to face again. The Lions of Mesopotamia are gearing up to compete in Group I, opening their campaign against Norway in Boston on 16 June, before facing 2022 runners-up France in Philadelphia on 22 June. They round out the group stage by facing Senegal in Toronto on 26 June.
Al Ammari is expected to play a key role for his nation at the global showpiece, with the 28-year-old midfielder having established himself as a core starter for his team in recent years. As he continues his club career with Polish side Cracovia, he is preparing to face some of the biggest stars of the global game in Canada, Mexico and the United States, but he is showing no signs of intimidation, insisting that football still boils down to a contest between two teams on the pitch.
In an interview with FIFA, Al Ammari reflected on the emotions from Iraq’s tumultuous qualifying campaign, spoke about the message the team hopes to convey to the world and discussed his nation’s ambitions for the tournament in North America.
Amir Al Ammari: It means everything. I’ve been working really hard for many years to achieve this. Of course, when you’re a child sitting in front of the TV, you dream of this, and now I’m here, knowing that I’m going to play in the World Cup. Right now, I can’t believe it. My feelings are all over the place. I just need to let everything sink in and I’ll probably realise things when I get back home.
Yes, of course. I think we started the qualifiers in 2023, and there have been many ups and downs. We had a great second round, going unbeaten. Then when we had a few tough losses, especially the one against Palestine, it felt like it wasn’t going our way. But the Iraqi people are supportive and we always find a way back, and that’s exactly what we did. I believe every match that we played made us stronger.
I could feel the group growing with the new coaching staff and with everybody involved with the team, and the goal was clear: to qualify somehow. I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved as a team, as a group and as brothers. This really does feel like a family.
You go into every match with a lot of pressure because you know so many people are relying on you. After all, you don’t just play for yourself. You play for your team-mates, you play for the coaching staff, you play for every Iraqi in Iraq and every Iraqi overseas. For me, seeing other people’s joy and how happy they are when we win means more than the victory itself. I’m doing what I love the most, and at the same time, I’m making other people happy. That’s why I truly enjoy every time I put on the Iraq shirt.
Everything. Just to go there and see how everything is organised. We’ve been to the Asian Cup in Qatar, so we’ve had a small taste of what the World Cup in Qatar was like, but I think this will be bigger. We’re in a group of big stars who play in strong leagues, so all eyes are on them. For me, that will be another milestone in my career, to go out and compete against the biggest stars in the world.
I think we’re going to show them our mentality and how Iraq always comes back, not just on the pitch but through everything Iraq has been through off the pitch. We will carry that with us to show how much heart and strength an Iraqi player has.
Yes, of course. I think everybody raises their level when they’re playing the best. We’ve gone through that with Japan. They also have world-class players and when we played them in the Asian Cup, everybody just raised their level by a big percentage. So I think it’s all about going out there and enjoying the moment. You should not put too much pressure on yourself, you should just enjoy the moment and be in the moment. At the end of the day, they are also human beings, and it’s 11 against 11. So when we’re stepping out on that pitch against the biggest stars, I will enjoy the moment, but I will also put up a fight.
Absolutely. I think we should go in with the mentality of taking it game by game. We shouldn’t focus on everything that’s happening around us or how big everything is. It’s a game, it’s 90 minutes and as I said before, it’s 11 against 11. So for me, it’s about going in there and taking it game by game, and seeing how far that will take us. But we should be proud just to step out onto that pitch.
Sources: FIFA Official
