The Iraqi national team concluded its preparations for the 2026 World Cup finals with a loss to its Venezuelan counterpart with a score of (2-0), in the friendly match that brought together the two teams at dawn on Wednesday at Seat Jake Stadium in the American city of Chicago.
The confrontation came as the last test for the Mesopotamian Lions before the start of their World Cup campaign, but the result revealed many technical observations that the technical staff led by Graham Arnold will seek to address before the confrontations. The Venezuelan team entered the match in a better manner, taking advantage of some defensive errors in the Iraqi ranks, to succeed in opening the scoring in the 17th minute through Cristian Cáceres, who took advantage of confusion inside the penalty area to give his country the advantage early.
The Iraqi team suffered during the first half from difficulty in building attacks and reaching the opponent’s goal, while Venezuela imposed its control over long periods of the match thanks to quick transitions and good spread in the field. In the middle of the field.
At the beginning of the second half, the Al-Rafidain Lions received a new blow after Jesus Ramirez added the second goal for Venezuela in the 46th minute, taking advantage of a through pass that penetrated the Iraqi defense and put them in direct confrontation with the goal.
Coach Graham Arnold tried to adjust the situation through several offensive changes, but the Iraqi team was unable to create enough dangerous opportunities to return the result, while the Venezuelan team continued to manage the match calmly and confidently until the minutes. The last.
Iraq's mission became more complicated in the last quarter-hour, after the referee showed a direct red card to Ali Youssef following a strong intervention on the Venezuelan goalkeeper, so the team completed the match with ten players.
With this result, the Iraqi team ends its series of preparatory matches before the World Cup with a mixed record, after achieving a victory over Andorra with an unanswered goal, then imposing a draw on the European champions, Spain, with a score of (1-1), before suffering a loss to Venezuela in the last rehearsal before the World Cup. The World Cup.
The Mesopotamian Lions are looking forward to turning the page on the friendlies and focusing on the greater merit, as the Iraqi team begins its journey in the 2026 World Cup with a strong confrontation against Norway on June 17, within the ninth group that also includes the teams of France and Senegal, in a group that is considered among the strongest in the tournament.
Despite the loss, the Iraqi team still has an opportunity to show its true character when the official competitions begin, in light of the great ambitions that the fans place on this global participation. The expected.