‘We are fighters’: Iraq aim to shock rivals at 2026 World Cup

Twenty hours on a bus, a charter plane out of the Middle East, and a one-off game carrying the expectations of 48 million people: Iraq’s journey to the 2026 World Cup was not for the faint-hearted.

The Lions of Mesopotamia were the final country to secure their spot at this summer’s tournament, after a gruelling qualification campaign that saw them play 21 matches over the space of more than two...