Iraq’s national men’s soccer team last appeared in a World Cup in 1986. That’s four decades of watching from the sidelines — and Tuesday night, June 16, 2026, the drought ends.
Dearborn reacts
In Dearborn, Michigan, where a large Iraqi diaspora has built one of the most concentrated Arab-American communities in the country, fans have been waiting a long time for this moment. The city has become a focal point for Iraqis and Iraqi-Americans who follow the national team closely, and Tuesday’s match gave them something they hadn’t had in a generation: their country back on the world stage.
NPR reported on the scene in Dearborn ahead of the match, capturing the anticipation among supporters who grew up hearing about the last World Cup appearance but never saw one themselves.
Forty years is a long stretch by any measure. Iraq qualified for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico but hasn’t been back since. The team’s return in 2026 – with matches now underway – closes a gap that spans multiple generations of fans.
Whether Iraq advances past the group stage hasn’t been determined yet.
Reported by NPR. Read the original report.
