For Iraqis around the world, it was a moment 40 years in the making.

In Iraq’s opening match of the 2026 World Cup, Aymen Hussein rose to meet a cross from Amir Al-Ammari and headed the ball into the net against Norway. Iraq ultimately lost the match 4–1, but for Iraqis watching around the world, that goal mattered.

It mattered because of who scored it — and because of what Hussein’s story represents for so many Iraqi families shaped by decades of conflict. Born in Hawija, in Kirkuk governorate, Hussein grew up amid violence, displacement, and family tragedy. His father was killed by Al Qaeda. His brother was later abducted by ISIS and remains missing. His family home was destroyed. Football became a refuge — and eventually, a path to carry Iraq back onto the world stage.

And it mattered because of what the goal represented: Iraq’s first World Cup goal in 40 years, and only the second in the country’s history, joining Ahmed Radhi’s legendary strike against Belgium in Mexico in 1986, the last time Iraq appeared in the tournament. Forty years later, in another moment overshadowed by war, Iraq is back on the world stage.

That is worth celebrating.

Iraq’s second match, against France on June 22, was a much tougher night. France won 3–0 in a game delayed for more than two hours by severe weather in Philadelphia. Iraq struggled against one of the tournament’s strongest teams, and costly mistakes helped France pull away. Aymen Hussein also left the match early, likely due to injury, adding to the disappointment after a much more encouraging opening performance against Norway.

Still, Iraq’s story in this World Cup is not finished. When the national team face Senegal on June 26, it will have a chance to make history again — as the Lions of Mesopotamia seek Iraq’s first-ever win in a World Cup match.

Whatever happens on the field, Iraq’s return to the World Cup remains meaningful. The national team brings people together across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region — from Baghdad to Erbil, from Sinjar and the Ninewa Plains to the Southern Marshes, from Ramadi and Fallujah to Sulaymaniyah, and throughout the diaspora.

That story is reflected across the team, including in players like Ali Al-Hamadi, the Iraq striker whose family fled Saddam Hussein’s regime when he was a baby and found safety in the United Kingdom. Raised in Liverpool, Al-Hamadi went on to help Iraq qualify for its first World Cup in 40 years. His journey reflects something larger about Iraq itself: a country whose people have endured displacement and war, but whose ties to home, identity, and one another remain powerful.

That unity matters, especially now.

Iraq’s return to the World Cup is unfolding as the country absorbs the consequences of a U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. The war has placed enormous pressure on Iraq’s economy, sovereignty, energy system, and political stability. It has disrupted oil exports, strained public finances, tested Baghdad’s relations with regional partners, and underscored the danger posed by armed groups operating outside full state control.

As we discussed in our 5-page backgrounder, Who Has Sovereignty?, and our Special Iraq Briefing on Day 105 of the war, Iraq’s vulnerability is not only the result of this latest crisis. It reflects deeper structural challenges: a fragmented political system, competing centers of power, militia influence, and the repeated use of Iraqi territory as an arena for regional confrontation.

Here at EPIC, we believe Iraqis deserve peace, sovereignty, and the chance to build a future not constantly disrupted by wars they did not choose. We also believe moments of unity, pride, and joy are worth honoring — especially when they remind the world that Iraq is more than crisis, conflict, and headlines.

And yes — we are cheering for Iraq.

Iraq’s remaining group-stage match:

Iraq vs. Senegal
Friday, June 26 — 3:00 PM EDT
Toronto Stadium

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