IRAQ

In the dying minutes of the victory over Bolivia that sent Iraq to their first World Cup in 40 years, Akam Hashem turned to his defensive partner, Zaid Tahseen, and said, "Brother Zaid, do you know, we're going to be legends of Iraq." With the Iraqi defence under pressure, his teammate could only respond with a desperate cry to continue defending. Seconds later the final whistle blew. After his first start for Iraq, against Palestine in 2025, Hashem was selected to take a routine doping test – when he finally came out to the car park, he discovered the team bus had already left without him! Born in Erbil, he started his career at local club Peshmerga (meaning “those who face death”), a lower-division side representing the Kurdish region's internal security forces, where he played alongside his elder brother Rekar. He later moved to the city's top club, Erbil, in 2020 and has made a name for himself in the Iraqi League, moving to Baghdad to first play for Al-Shorta and now Al-Zawraa.

Before Iqbal made his debut, a journalist was told by Dick Advocaat’s assistant that the Dutchman thought from the young players, only Iqbal, then of Manchester United, was ready for the first team. It perfectly sums up the footballer. With a name like Zidane, he has always had a lot to live up to, coming up through the ranks at United from the age of eight to make his first-team debut at Old Trafford in a Champions League match in 2021. Born in Manchester, the son of a Pakistani father and an Iraqi mother from the city of Samawah, Iqbal became the youngest player to represent Iraq in a World Cup qualifier aged 18, when he came on as a late substitute in a 1-0 defeat to Iran under Advocaat's successor, Zeljko Petrovic. He is finally settling into the team, with 22 appearances and two goals at the time of writing, including the winner against Indonesia during the play-offs in Jeddah. “It was crazy when I scored, everybody's screaming, but I'm not lying, I heard my mum scream."

One of the brightest talents in Asia, Jassim can light up a game with a moment of magic, but something he has not done lately. From early on, though, his raw talent was apparent, making his debut for Al-Karkh at 14. Then his father passed, leaving Jassim and older brother Abbas – also a footballer – as the family's main providers. An unpolished gem, under the guidance of Luay Salah at Al-Kahrabaa, he thrived. At 19, he led Iraq to the 2023 Under-20 World Cup finals, and was then called into the senior national side, later scoring the winning goal to qualify Iraq for the 2024 Olympics. On the same day Jassim scored the winner in Iraq’s opening game against Ukraine at the Olympics, he signed for Como. “We think Jassim can flourish with us,” said Cesc Fàbregas. However, after arriving late to pre-season from the Olympics, he played just eight minutes in Serie A and - frustrated and wanting to play - he went out on loan to Almere City in the Eredivisie in 2024-25 and then Saudi Pro League club Al-Najma.

The moment this cultured Hannover-born left-back with roots to Zakho came into the team, everyone knew he would become a key player. Merchas, meaning "brave knight" in Kurdish, was first selected by Olympic coach Miroslav Soukup. After appearing at the 2022 Asian Under-23 Cup in Tashkent while without a club, he had a trial at Czech Cup winners FC Slovacko through Soukup’s contacts. After just six days, he earned a contract and played in Europe for the first time. Just three years earlier, he had been an amateur in Germany's fifth tier and working as a bricklayer. With a growing reputation, Doski later signed for Viktoria Plzen and played in the Europa League. With Iraq, he slotted in as if he had played there for years, achieving one of his lifelong dreams. ”The road to get here hasn't been easy. But a World Cup – that's every child's dream. Every boy who played on the streets, like I did, saw the great players at a World Cup.”