Music, fireworks and a few bursts of gunfire echoed in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, in the early hours of this Wednesday (1st), after the national team qualified for the World Cup for the second time in history.
The team secured the last of the 48 places by beating Bolivia 2-1, in Monterrey, Mexico, on Tuesday night (31), putting Iraq back in the World Cup after 40 years since its debut in 1986. The country will play in the tournament hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States in Group I, also made up of France, Senegal and Norway.
Ali Al Hamadi opened the scoring for Iraq in the 10th minute, Bolivia equalized before the break through Moises Paniagua, and Aymen Hussein scored the winning goal in the second half.
The preparation for the match was altered by the outbreak of war in the Middle East at the end of February, when the United States and Israel attacked Iran, subsequently dragging neighboring Iraq into the conflict.
More than 100 people have died in the country since the fighting began.
War was not far from Iraqis’ thoughts on Wednesday, but that didn’t stop fans from filling one of Baghdad’s main shopping streets to cheer on their team at dawn.
“This victory is incredibly valuable for us, despite the war,” Ahmed, 22, told AFP outside a coffee shop in the central Karrada neighborhood.
The streets in the center of the capital were paralyzed as thousands of men climbed into cars and trucks to celebrate, some with tears and waving national flags.
Street tea vendors offered free tea to celebrate the historic milestone.
“Despite the serious economic situation and the war, our national team won,” Ali al Muhandis shouted to AFP. “We are living in a war that has nothing to do with us, because it is between Iran, the United States and Israel,” he added.
The country has been drawn into conflict, with attacks targeting both American interests in Iraq and pro-Iranian armed groups in the country.
The war interrupted a period of relative peace that Iraqis had enjoyed after decades of insecurity and violence.
No social media
The Iraqi team arrived in Mexico last week after a grueling three-day trip, with some players forced to travel part of the journey overland after Iraq closed its airspace due to the war.
After qualifying, Australian coach Graham Arnold said that the Iraqi team will take advantage of the opportunity to surprise the world.
“We need to go to the World Cup with a winning mentality – that’s the only way to achieve something special. Sharing the field with players like [Kylian] Mbappé e [Erling] Haaland is a great honor for our players,” he said.
“Everything that’s happening in the Middle East has made things a little more difficult,” he added.
The coach banned players from accessing social media upon arrival in Mexico to encourage focus on work and prevent the group from being distracted by thinking about conflicts in the Middle East.
Authorities had promised to pay players bonuses if they won and also announced a two-day holiday after the match.
Com Ahmed El Ghannam, from Reuters
