Iraq looks to win its second continental title in 2023 AFC Asian Cup
Players of the Iraqi national team celebrating the AFC Asian Cup win in 2007. Photo: X, formerly Twitter
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi national team is attempting to capture a second continental victory in its history at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, which will be hosted by Qatar.
The squad’s first victory came in 2007, when it defeated Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the final match.
The 2023 AFC Asian Cup will take place in Qatar, with dates set for January 12–February 10.
Iraq hopes to succeed in this edition of the championship but must first overcome the teams from Group Four, which are Vietnam, Indonesia, and Japan, which has been the titleholder four times.
The team ranked 63rd in the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) classification in December 2023, while the best rank attained by the ‘Lions of Mesopotamia’ was 39th in October 2004.
This will be the tenth time that the Iraqi national team has participated in the Asian Cup. It participated in the championship for the first time in 1972 and hasn’t missed the finals since 1996.
The team’s most noteworthy accomplishment was taking home the championship in 2007.
The Iraqi national team will play their opening match of the competition on January 15 against Indonesia. On January 19 and January 24, they will play Japan and Vietnam, respectively.