Iraq takes a private plane to Mexico to participate in the World Cup qualifiers

The head of the Iraqi Football Association said that Iraq will travel to Mexico by private plane to participate in the World Cup qualifiers, despite calls from coach Graham Arnold to postpone the match amid the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Iraq is scheduled to face Bolivia or Suriname in Monterrey on March 31, with the winner of the inter-continental decider booking its place in the 2026 World Cup.

Middle East airspace has been closed since February 28 when US-Israeli strikes began and Iran responded by launching missiles and drones at Israel, Gulf states and other neighboring countries.

But in a video statement published by the Iraqi News Agency, Adnan Darjal, president of the Iraqi Football Association, said he had written to FIFA to explain the “difficulty of the journey” and that world football’s governing body had been “cooperative.”

“[Fifa president Gianni] Infantino’s face [Fifa secretary general] Matthias Grafström…to follow up and help overcome all difficulties to facilitate the departure of our national team to Mexico.

He added, “The national team will leave at the end of the week for Mexico via a private plane.”