In June, Iraq, the opponent of Hong Myung-bo's team, appointed Graham Arnold, the former coach of the Australian national team, as its new head coach.
The Iraq Football Association officially announced on the 10th (Korean time) that "Arnold has been appointed as the successor to head coach Jesus Casas."
It added, "Arnold has over 20 years of coaching experience. He set the record for the longest-serving coach in history while leading the Australian national team from 2018 until last year."
Arnold will make his debut as the head coach of Iraq on June 6 in Basra, Iraq, where he will face South Korea in the 9th match of Group B of the AFC third qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Iraq currently holds third place in the group with 3 wins, 3 draws, and 2 losses (12 points), following South Korea (16 points) and Jordan (13 points).
After drawing 2-2 with Kuwait in March and losing 1-2 to the "weakest team" Palestine, the Iraq Football Association dismissed coach Casas and has been searching for a successor.
Arnold's name was previously brought up as a candidate for the head coach of the South Korean national team before Hong Myung-bo was appointed.
He led the Australian national team from 2018 to 2024, achieving a place in the round of 16 of the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
However, he stepped down in September last year after leading Australia in the third qualifying round for the World Cup in North and Central America with a record of 1 draw and 1 loss in 2 matches. At that time, Australia lost to Bahrain 0-1 and drew 0-0 with Indonesia, finishing with just 1 point in 2 matches.
[OSEN]