In Iraq’s preparations to face Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, not to mention Sadio Mane and Michael Olise, it would have been easy to get hung up on individuals. Head coach Graham Arnold has naturally been emphasising the collective, the shuttling backline, which is basically the only way to face a task that otherwise would be overwhelmingly daunting.
The surprise Asian qualifiers arguably have the tallest task at the entire World Cup 2026. They are considered the team that everyone else will beat in what would usually be known as the group of death.
