Football fans and enthusiasts across the Arab world are eagerly awaiting the fiery encounter between the UAE and Iraq in the Asian playoff for the 2026 World Cup.
All eyes will be on the anticipated match, which will determine which team will qualify for the 2026 World Cup play-off.
The UAE national team had already booked a spot in the fifth round of the Asian World Cup qualifiers. This came after finishing second in Group A of the fourth round, behind Qatar, which qualified directly for the World Cup.
Meanwhile, Iraq finished second in Group B of the same round, behind Saudi Arabia, which qualified directly for the 2026 World Cup.
The UAE vs. Iraq match will be played in a two-legged Asian playoff. The winner will advance to a global playoff to be held in March 2026.
Six teams from different continents will compete in the global play-off for the last two spots to qualify for the World Cup.
The UAE national team had a difficult journey in the third round of qualifying, being drawn into a group that included Iran, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, and North Korea.
On the other hand, the Iraqi national team was placed in a group that included South Korea, Jordan, Oman, Palestine, and Kuwait.
In the fourth round, the UAE team faced Qatar and Oman, but finished second and went into an additional playoff to secure qualification.
Meanwhile, Iraq was placed in Group B of the same round alongside Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. It narrowly missed out on first place after finishing level on points with Saudi Arabia, which qualified directly for the World Cup.
The UAE national team is looking to regain its glory days and return to the World Cup finals after a 35-year absence. Their last appearance was in the 1990 World Cup in Italy, where they lost all three group matches.
In contrast, the Iraqi national team’s situation is not much different from that of its Emirati counterpart. It has only qualified for the World Cup finals once, in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
Dates for the UAE and Iraq matches in the Asian play-off for the 2026 World Cup
The UAE national team is scheduled to host the Lions of Mesopotamia in the first leg on Thursday, November 13. The match will be held at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, at 8:00 PM UAE local time. The match will be at 6:00 PM Cairo time and 7:00 PM Saudi time.
The return leg will be hosted by Iraq on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. The match will be held at Basra International Stadium at 7:00 PM local time in Iraq and Egypt, and 9:00 PM Abu Dhabi time.
