Iraq coach Graham Arnold has urged his side to ignore Tuesday’s Saudi Arabia game and put all its concentration on Saturday’s World Cup qualifier against Indonesia in Jeddah. The encounter is in Asia’s fourth stage of qualification, where the winner of the three-team group will book a direct ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Arnold’s comments follow earlier remarks from the Iraqi FA that the match against Saudi Arabia should not distract the team from the more immediate challenge of facing Indonesia. “Right now there is no second game, it’s just Indonesia and getting the result that we will get,” Arnold said.
He reiterated that although Iraq and Indonesia have played each other three times in recent years—with Iraq prevailing in all three—the Indonesian team has since changed since they last met in June 2024. With coach Patrick Kluivert now having a number of overseas-born players, such as captain Jay Idzes and defender Kevin Diks, the team now has a very different appearance from that previously.
Indonesia enters the match needing a win to keep their hopes alive after they lost 3-2 to Saudi Arabia in mid-week. Arnold, who took over from Jesus Casas in May 2025, called qualifiers “very important” and praised his team’s discipline and fitness level. “If I’ve got to give the team a mark out of 10 then we’re a 10 … Discipline … has never been an issue for me, they’ve been great. 100 percent.”.
He also stated that one of the greatest changes since he has been here is the improvement in players’ fitness, with them now appearing “completely different players” from the ones four months ago.
Arnold enters the job with a CV that includes leading Australia to the Round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup, and he stated that experience will stand him in good stead when it comes to managing tricky qualifiers. Iraq are drawn in a group with Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, and all the matches are being contested in centralised hubs—Saudi Arabia is the host country for this group.
Only the group winner gains direct entry into the 2026 World Cup, with the runner-up advancing to intercontinental playoff rounds.
Africa Digital News, New York
