Boston was awash in red, white and black as tens of thousands of Iraqi fans arrived from around the world to mark a historic return. Late Tuesday into Wednesday, Iraq is set to play in the World Cup for the first time since 1986, a moment carrying meaning far beyond football for a country of 46 million people. The article describes the occasion as a statement of resilience and hope after decades of war, terror and violence.
Iraq last appeared at the tournament when football in the country was ruled by the harsh era of Uday Hussein, Saddam Hussein’s son, who reportedly used torture against players who failed. Now the team is led by Australian coach Graham Arnold, who guided Iraq through a dramatic intercontinental playoff route, including a win over Bolivia, and believes his side can shock the world despite being clear underdogs in Group 9.
One of the tournament’s most compelling figures is striker Ayman Hussein, known as Abu Tovar, or "the man of the axe." Born in 1996 in Al-Safra to a farming family, he lost his father in an al-Qaeda ambush in 2008 and, at age 12, had to identify the body in hospital. In 2012 he signed for Duhok for about $900 a month, and in 2014 his older brother was abducted by ISIS and never seen again, while the family home was bombed and destroyed.
Despite that trauma, Hussein became a decisive national-team scorer. He netted the winner against Qatar in 2016 to send Iraq to the Rio Olympics, scored three goals as Iraq won the Gulf Cup in 2023, and struck in a 2024 victory over Indonesia that secured a place at the Paris Olympics. With 33 international goals, Arnold is relying on him to trouble Norway’s defense at Gillette Stadium, where Iraq also hopes to prove a pre-tournament friendly draw with Spain was no fluke. The coach is expected to lean on 35-year-old goalkeeper Jalal Hassan as well, while the squad blends home-based players with Europe-based talents such as Ali Al-Hamadi, Zidan Iqbal and Marco Faraji.
