Iraq coach Arnold received a hero’s welcome in Sydney after World Cup qualification. world cup 2026 news

Iraq head coach Graham Arnold couldn’t stop smiling and waving to the hundreds of Iraqi football fans gathered at Sydney Airport to welcome the Australian after guiding the Arab team to their first FIFA World Cup in 40 years.

As Arnold, 62, left the airport on Sunday night, jubilant Iraqis sang, danced to the beat of drums and tambourines, waved signs expressing their love for the coach and chanted his name.

Fans waved Iraqi and Australian flags and chanted “Arnie, Arnie, Arnie, Oui, Oui, Oui” while Arnold spoke to local media after returning from Mexico, where his team won the intercontinental playoff final against Bolivia on Tuesday.

The 2–1 victory came at a tumultuous time in Iraq, which was embroiled in the Middle East conflict, leaving many players stranded in different parts of the region and threatening to damage their campaign for the playoff tournament.

However, Iraq overcame a nightmare and strong South American opposition to mark their return to the global showpiece event for the first time since 1986.

The Mesopotamian lions also returned home with a hero’s welcome. Thousands of fans lined the streets of central Baghdad on Saturday and the players celebrated with their compatriots, sitting on top of a double-decker bus.

Arnold was not part of those celebrations but the Iraqi community in Australia made sure the coach did not feel left out.

“Crazy, crazy. I didn’t expect it here in Australia. Obviously in Iraq. But it’s unbelievable,” Arnold told Australian broadcaster SBS while standing in front of fans in the terminal.

“First of all, I want to apologise to everyone in Iraq that I couldn’t go back there to celebrate because of the airspace closure.

“It’s wonderful to see it here. Thank you very much.”

“I am very proud of the players and what they did; it is very important to please many Iraqis and that was the main thing.”

Australian media reports said that local Iraqi football fans learned of Arnold’s return flight from the Iraq Football Association (IFA) and decided to welcome him at the airport.

Fans could be seen chanting “One, one, one, Arnold number one” as the coach looked at the scenes around him.

Arnold, who was previously Australia coach, took charge of the Iraqi team in May and led them to three wins, three draws and two losses in their World Cup qualification campaign.

The results took Iraq to the fifth and final round of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifying competition, where they defeated the United Arab Emirates 3–2 on aggregate in November and secured a place in the FIFA playoff tournament.

Earlier in March, the former Australian international urged FIFA to postpone Iraq’s playoff final or find a way to ensure players reached Mexico well in advance of the match as they grappled with the consequences of the US-Israel war over Iran.

His petition was heard as FIFA arranged a charter flight for the Iraqi team and support staff, who arrived in Mexico just a week before the 31 March final.

After his victory, Arnold praised the Iraqi players who had participated in the match while the war continued.

“Everything that’s going on in the Middle East has made it a bit difficult,” Arnold said after the play-off final.

“I have banned social media since the day we came here,” he said. “I didn’t want them to think about what was going on in the Middle East because they had to focus on the work we had here.”

Arnold said that qualifying for the World Cup was a huge privilege for the players. “Iraq has nothing to lose.”

Iraq will be placed in one of the toughest groups at the World Cup. Their opponents in Group I will be France, Norway and Senegal.

The Middle East team will face Norway in its opening match on June 16 in Boston. Their second match will be against 2018 champions France on June 22 in Philadelphia and their final group game against Senegal will be four days later in Toronto, Canada.