Iraq national under-23 football team explained

Iraq U-23
Nickname:Usood al-Rafidayn
(Lions of Mesopotamia)
Badge:File:Iraq National Team Badge 2021 v1.svg
Badge Size:170px
Association:IFA
Sub-Confederation:WAFF (West Asia)
Confederation:AFC (Asia)
Coach:vacant
Captain:Muntadher Mohammed
Website:Website
Fifa Trigramme:IRQ
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First Game: 0–0
(Doha, Qatar; 22 September 1995)
Largest Win: 13–0
(Kuwait City, Kuwait; 6 September 2023)
Largest Loss: 5–0
(Amman, Jordan; 10 July 1999)
Regional Name:Summer Olympics
Regional Cup Apps:6
Regional Cup First:1980
Regional Cup Best:Fourth place (2004)
2Ndregional Name:Asian Games
2Ndregional Cup Apps:2
2Ndregional Cup First:2006
2Ndregional Cup Best:Silver medalists (2006)
3Rdregional Name:AFC U-23 Asian Cup
3Rdregional Cup Apps:6
3Rdregional Cup First:2013
3Rdregional Cup Best:Champions (2013)

The Iraq national under-23 football team (also known as Iraq Olympic football team) represents Iraq in international under-23 football, Summer Olympics and at the Asian Games, The team is controlled by the governing body for football in Iraq, the Iraq Football Association (IFA).

Iraq reached fourth place in the 2004 Olympic Games and were champions in the 2013 AFC U-22 Championship and 2023 WAFF U-23 Championship. Other achievements include silver medalist in the 2006 Asian Games and bronze medalist in the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup and the 2014 Asian Games.

History

Summer Olympics

2004 Athens Olympics

After 16 years without participation, Iraq qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics after winning the 2004 Olympic Asian Qualifiers under head coach Adnan Hamad and were scheduled to play against Costa Rica, Morocco and Portugal in the group stages. At the Olympics Iraq started with a shocking 4–2 win against Portugal.[1] That was followed by a 2–0 win against Costa Rica and a 2–1 loss to Morocco.[2] The quarter-finals saw them beat Australia 1–0, and in the semi-final against Paraguay, Iraq lost 3–1. In the bronze medal match, Iraq lost 1–0 to Italy and finished fourth.[3]

2016 Rio Olympics

Iraq qualified for the 2016 Olympics by clinching third place at the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship. The first game saw Iraq play against Denmark, and the score turned out as a 0–0 draw, despite Iraq having 18 shots in the match.[4] The second game was played against the hosts and pre-tournament favourites, Brazil, which also ended up as a 0–0 draw, which was hailed as a great result for Iraq.[5] In the third game, Iraq tied South Africa 1–1, despite having a huge 29 shots in the match.[6] This result, coupled with Denmark's defeat to Brazil, saw Iraq get eliminated at the group stage. Brazil eventually went on to win the tournament.

AFC U-23 Asian Cup

2013 AFC U-22 Championship

Iraq's first major honour on U-23 level was the 2013 AFC U-22 Championship. The tournament started with a 3–1 win against Saudi Arabia. That was followed by a 2–1 win against Uzbekistan and a 1–0 win against China. The quarter-finals saw them beat Japan 1–0, and the semi-final against favourites Korea Republic with another 1–0 win.

The final was against local rivals Saudi Arabia, and Mohannad Abdul-Raheem scored the only goal to win the tournament for Iraq. This victory secured Iraq's first Asian Cup U-23 title.[7] Amjad Kalaf was named the most valuable player of the tournament.[8]

2016 AFC U-23 Championship

The 2016 AFC U-23 Championship final tournament is to be held in Qatar from 12–30 January 2016. Iraq qualified for the tournament by topping the group in the qualification stage in Oman in March 2015.

Iraq advanced from the group stage, beating Yemen 2–0, Uzbekistan 3–2, and a 1–1 tie with South Korea. In the quarterfinals, Iraq beat UAE 3–1 in extra time to progress to the semifinals. Iraq lost 2–1 to Japan.

In the third place match, Iraq came back from behind to beat Qatar 2–1 to qualify for 2016 Olympics.[9]

2018 AFC U-23 Championship

Iraq qualified for the 3rd tournament by topping the group in the qualification stage in Saudi Arabia in July 2017.

In the final tournament, with the defending champion Japan not bringing their strongest squad and South Korea fielded a relatively inexperienced squad, Iraq had many chances to repeat 2013 success. In the group stage, they finished at the top of the group after beating Malaysia 4–1 and Jordan 1–0, with a 0–0 draw against Saudi Arabia. Iraq advanced into the quarter-final as the first seed of group C and was scheduled to face off against Vietnam, which was widely regarded to be Iraq's easiest ever opponent in this stage, boosting the enthusiasm among Iraqis. However, thing didn't go as planned, which an unexpected 3–3 draw after extra time meant that the result would be settled via a penalty shoot-out, in which Vietnam emerged victorious with the score of 5–3, thus eliminating Iraq from the tournament in the shock of its supporters.[10]

2020 AFC U-23 Championship

Iraq qualified for the tournament by topping the group in the qualification stage in Iran in March 2019.

In the final tournament held in Thailand, Iraq was grouped in group A together with host Thailand, a resurgence Australia and the unknown Bahrain. For the first time, Iraq did not make it out of the group stage, drawing all three games.[11]

2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup

Iraq were drawn with Jordan, Australia and Kuwait.

Iraq pulled back the equaliser through Wakaa Ramadan to draw with Jordan 1-1 in the opening matchday, before drawing again to a 10-man Australia side through a Hasan Abdulkareem volley cancelling out a scorpion kick goal scored by Alou Kuol. Needing a win to qualify for the quarter-finals, Iraq came back from a goal down to beat Kuwait 3-1 thanks to goals scored by Muntadher Mohammed, Moammel Abdulridha and Mohammed Al-Baqer.

Iraq qualified out of Group B as runner-up, only behind Australia, so they were drawn against the winner of Group A, hosts Uzbekistan. The game went to extra time and later, penalties. Merchas Doski and Ahmed Naeem converted their penalties while Uzbekistan's second penalty was saved by Hassan Ahmed. However, Wakaa Rammdan hit the post, Moammel Abdulridha had his tame penalty saved and Hasan Abdulkareem blazed his penalty over the bar, while Uzbekistan converted their last three penalties to win 3-2 on penalties and advance to the semi-finals.[12]

2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup

Iraq were drawn into a group alongside Thailand, Tajikistan, and Saudi Arabia.

In the first match, Thailand emerged victorious with a stunning 2-0 win over Iraq. Iraq defeated Tajikistan and Saudi Arabia, securing their place as group winners. Iraq faced Vietnam in the quarterfinals, and in a fiercely contested match, booking their ticket to the semifinals. However, Iraq succumbed to a 2-0 defeat against Japan in the semifinals.

In the playoff for third place, Iraq faced Indonesia in a showdown for bronze. Iraq emerged victorious, securing a 2-1 win and clinched third place in the tournament. This also earned them a spot in the 2024 Olympics.[13] On the individual front, Ali Jasim finished as the top scorer of the tournament with four goals and two assists.[14]

Recent results and fixtures

See main article: Iraq national under-23 football team results.

Legend

2024

Coaching staff

PositionName
Head coach Radhi Shenaishil
Assistant coach Nazar Ashraf
Goalkeeping coach Saleh Hameed
Fitness coach Ismail Salim
Team analyst Abdul-Amir Naji
Team manager Abdul-Jabbar Hashim
Media coordinator Maher Hassan

Players

Current squad

The following 22 players were named in the final squad for the 2024 Olympics.
Caps and goals correct as of 30 July 2024 after game against Morocco
Match details of the following matches are not known, thus excluded: Oman (2023), UAE, Japan, Egypt (2024).

* Overage player.

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up within 12 monthsPRE Part of the preliminary squad
INJ Player injured
CLB Player refused by club or unable to attend due to club commitments
IRQ Player moved up to the first team
OVR Player overaged and ineligible to represent this age group
WD Player withdrew for non-injury related reasons

Previous squads

Bold indicates winning squads

Olympic Games
AFC U-23 Asian Cup
Asian Games
WAFF U-23 Championship

Overage players

Football at the Summer Olympics, the Asian Games and the Islamic Solidarity Games have required that under-23 players enter the competitions, but they have allowed three overage players to be included in one squad. These three players are called the "wild cards".

Summer Olympics

TournamentPlayer 1Player 2Player 3
Haidar Abdul-Jabar (DF)Abdul-Wahab Abu Al-Hail (MF)Razzaq Farhan (FW)
Ahmed Ibrahim (DF)Saad Abdul-Amir (MF)Hammadi Ahmed (FW)
Saad Natiq (DF)Ibrahim Bayesh (MF)Aymen Hussein (FW)

Islamic Solidarity Games

Manager history

[15] [16]

No.ManagerYearCompetition(s)
1 William Asprey[17] 1989–1990Stafford Challenge Cup champion
2 Anwar Jassam1995–1996
3 Nazar Ashraf1999
Najeh Humoud2001
4 Bernd Stange2002–2003
5 Adnan Hamad2003–20042004 Summer Olympics fourth place
2003 Abha Championship champion
6 Yahya Alwan2006–20072006 Asian Games silver medal
Nadhim Shaker2011
7 Radhi Shenaishil2011–2012
8 Hakeem Shaker2012
Hadi Mutanash20132013 Islamic Solidarity Games group stage
9 Hakeem Shaker20142013 AFC U-22 Championship champion
2014 Asian Games bronze medal
10 Yahya Alwan2015
11 Abdul-Ghani Shahad2015–20202016 AFC U-23 Championship third place
2016 Summer Olympics group stage
2018 AFC U-23 Championship quarter-finals
2020 AFC U-23 Championship group stage
12 Miroslav Soukup2021–20222021 WAFF U-23 Championship semi-finals
2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup quarter-finals
13 Radhi Shenaishil2023–present2023 WAFF U-23 Championship champion
2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup third place
Ehsan Turki20242024 WAFF U-23 Championship sixth place
Total

Competitive record

Overview
Event1st place2nd place3rd place4th place
Summer Olympics0001
1020
Total1021

Summer Olympics

See main article: Iraq at the Olympics.

Summer Olympics recordQualification record
YearResultPositionSquad
19001988See Iraq national football teamSee Iraq national football team
Did not enter Did not enter
Did not qualify9432148
4121710
2004 Fourth place4th630398Squad105141712
Did not qualify12651218
832377
2016Group stage12th303011Squad107212711
Did not qualify 6240114
2024Group stage10th 310237Squad96123010
To be determined To be determined
2032
TotalFourth place3/91243513166834201413470
Summer Olympics history
YearRoundScoreResultGoalscorers for Iraq
19001988
See Iraq national football team
2004Group stage
4–2 WinE. Mohammed, H. Mohammed
Mahmoud, Sadir
2–0 WinH. Mohammed, M. Karim
1–2 LossSadir
Quarter-finals
1–0 WinE. Mohammed
Semi-finals
1–3 Loss Farhan
Bronze medal
0–1 Loss
2016Group stage
0–0 Draw
0–0 Draw
1–1 Draw Abdul-Amir
2024Group stage
2–1 Win A. Hussein, A. Jasim
1–3 LossA. Hussein
0–3 Loss

AFC U-23 Asian Cup

AFC U-23 Asian Cup recordQualification record
YearResultPositionSquadGPWDLGFGA
Champions1st660092Squad5320123
Third place3rd6411127Squad4310154
Quarter-finals6th422084Squad3300121
Group stage10th303044Squad321070
Quarter-finals6th413075Squad220070
Third place3rd640298Squad3210212
To be determined To be determined
TotalChampions6/629179349302015507410
AFC U-23 Asian Cup history
YearRoundScoreResultGoalscorers for Iraq
2013Group stage
3–1 Win Ismail, M. Hussein
2–1 Win M. Hussein, Nadhim
1–0 Win M. Hussein
Quarterfinals
1–0 Win Kalaf
Semifinals
1–0 Win Nadhim
Final
1–0 Win Abdul-Raheem
2016Group stage
2–0 Win Faez, Husni
3–2 Win Attwan, Kamil, Tariq
1–1 Draw Walid
Quarterfinals
3–1 Win Husni, Abdul-Raheem, Walid
Semifinals
1–2 Loss S. Natiq
3rd Place
2–1 Win Abdul-Raheem, A. Hussein
|-!colspan="5"||-|rowspan=6|2018|rowspan=4|Group stage|- bgcolor=#ddffdd|align="left"| 4–1 ||Win|| Jaffal, Attwan, Mhawi, H. Ali |- bgcolor=#ffffdd|align="left"| 0–0 ||Draw|||- bgcolor=#ddffdd|align="left"| 1–0 ||Win|| Resan |- |rowspan=2|Quarterfinals|- bgcolor=#ffffdd|align="left"| 3–3 (pen 3-5) ||Draw|| A. Hussein, Mhawi |-!colspan="5"||-|rowspan=4|2020|rowspan=4|Group stage|- bgcolor=#ffffdd|align="left"| 1–1 ||Draw|| Nassif |- bgcolor=#ffffdd|align="left"| 2–2 ||Draw|| Al-Ammari, Nassif |- bgcolor=#ffffdd|align="left"| 1–1 ||Draw|| Nassif |-!colspan="5"||-|rowspan=6|2022|rowspan=4|Group stage|- bgcolor=#ffffdd|align="left"| 1–1 ||Draw|| Ramadhan |- bgcolor=#ffffdd|align="left"| 1–1 ||Draw|| Abdulkareem |- bgcolor=#ddffdd|align="left"| 3–1 ||Win|| M. Mohammed, Abdulridha, Al-Baqer |- |rowspan=2|Quarterfinals|- bgcolor=#ffffdd|align="left"| 2–2 (pen 2-3) ||Draw|| Ramadhan, Ghaleb |-!colspan="5"||-|rowspan=10|2024|rowspan=4|Group stage|- bgcolor=#ffdddd|align="left"| 0–2 ||Loss|||- bgcolor=#ddffdd|align="left"| 4–2 ||Win|| M. Mohammed, A. Jasim, Khalid, K. Saad |- bgcolor=#ddffdd|align="left"| 2–1 ||Win|| A. Jasim, Saadoon |- |rowspan=2|Quarterfinals|- bgcolor=#ddffdd|align="left"| 1–0 ||Win|| A. Jasim |- |rowspan=2|Semifinals|- bgcolor=#ffdddd|align="left"| 0–2 ||Loss|||- |rowspan=2|3rd Place|- bgcolor=#cc9966|align="left"| 2–1 ||Win|| Tahseen, A. Jasim |}

Asian Games

See main article: Football at the Asian Games.

Asian Games record
YearResultPositionSquad
19511998See Iraq national football team
Banned due to Gulf War
2006 Runners-up2nd9612173Squad
Did not enter
2014 Third place3rd7601184Squad
Withdrew
Did not enter
TotalRunners-up2/5161213357
Asian Games history
YearRoundScoreResultGoalscorers for Iraq
19511998
See Iraq national football team
2006Round 1
6–0 Win K. Jassim, Abid Ali, Karim,
Mansour, Rehema
2–0 WinKarim, Mahmoud
0–0 Draw
Round 2
0–1 Loss
2–0 WinRehema, Abdul-Zahra
4–0 WinRehema, Mahmoud, Karim
Quarterfinals
2–1 WinK. Jassim, Mansour
Semifinals
1–0 WinS. Saeed
Final
0–1 Loss
2014Group stage
4–0 WinResan, Mahmoud, Chand, Bahjat
3–1 WinTariq, Adnan
3–0 WinTariq, M. Hussein
Round of 16
4–2 WinTariq, Shaker, Adnan, Nadhim
Quarterfinals
3–0 WinMahmoud, Al-Shamekh
Semifinals
0–1 Loss
3rd Place
1–0 Win Mahmoud

WAFF U-23 Championship

WAFF U-23 Championship record
YearResultPositionSquad
did not enter
Semifinals3rd421153Squad
did not enter
Champions1st422073Squad
Sixth place6th301236Squad
TotalBest: Champions3/5114431512
WAFF U-23 Championship history
YearRoundScoreResultGoalscorers for Iraq
2021Group stage
1–0 Win Abdulkareem
2–0 Win Zamel, Abdulameer
2–2 Draw Iqbal, Sartip
Semifinals
0–1 Loss
2023Group stage
2–2 Draw B. Hassan, Abdullah
3–0 Win B. Hassan, Abdullah, Almosawe
Semifinals
1–0 Win Al-Rawahi
Final
1–1 (pen 5-4) Draw Abdullah
2024Group stage
1–2 Loss H. Jaafar
Classification semifinals
1–1 (pen 4-3) Draw Sadiq
Fifth place play-off
1–3 Loss Bani Hani

Islamic Solidarity Games

Islamic Solidarity Games record
YearResultPositionSquad
did not enter
cancelled
Group stage7th302145Squad
did not enter
TotalGroup stage1/4301245
Islamic Solidarity Games history
YearRoundScoreResultGoalscorers for Iraq
2013Group stage
2–3 Loss Kalaf, L. Salah
0–0 Draw
2–2 Draw Walid, Kalaf

Exhibition Tournaments

Exhibition Tournaments
TournamentResult
Champions5410181
Champions6420147
2012 Matchworld CupSixth place310234
2022 Dubai CupSeventh place311133
2023 Doha CupFifth place320141
Exhibition Tournaments history
YearRoundScoreResultGoalscorers for Iraq
1990 Stafford CupGroup stage
1–1 HASCDraw Kadhim
Win H. Ali, H. Hadi, Makki, K. Muhsin
2–0 Indian Telephone Industries SCWin
Semifinals
8–0 MGM SCWin
Final
2–0 Mahindra United FCWin Kadhim, Jeayer
2003 Abha Championship[18] Group stage
1–0 Win Mnajed
Win Mnajed, Mahmoud, Sadir
1–1 Fajr Sepasi ShirazDraw Q. Munir
2–2 Draw Mahmoud, N. Akram
Semifinals
0–0 Draw
Final
1–0 Win Mahmoud
2012 Matchworld Cup[19] Group stage
1–0 Neuchâtel XamaxWin W. Salim
Loss Abdul-Raheem
Fifth place play-off
1–2 RostovLoss Abdul-Raheem
2022 Dubai Cup[20] Round 1
0–0 Draw
Round 2
1–2 Loss Ghalib
Round 3
2–1 Win Aoraha, Ramadhan
2023 Doha Cup[21] Round 1
3–0 Win Almosawe, Maknzi, D. Younis
Round 2
0–1 Loss
Round 3
1–0 Win H. Abdullah

Honours

Intercontinental

Fourth place: 2004

Continental

Winners: 2013

Third place: 2016, 2024

Runners-up: 2006

Third place: 2014

Regional

Winners: 2023

Exhibition Tournaments

Winners: 1990

Winners: 2003

Head-to-head record

As of 24 July 2024 after match against .

The following table shows Iraq under-23 team's all-time international record.[15]

Key
Iraq under-23 team head-to-head records
Againstwidth=30width=30width=30width=30width=30width=30width=35width=35width=35width=35Confederation
2017 2017 1 1 0 0 8 0 +8 % AFC
2016 2016 2 1 0 1 3 4 −1 % CAF
2004 2022 7 1 5 1 3 4 −1 % AFC
2002 2021 7 4 2 1 13 6 +7 % AFC
2016 2016 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 % CONMEBOL
1996 2015 5 3 0 2 4 7 −3 % AFC
2004 2004 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 % CONCACAF
2016 2016 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 % UEFA
2023 2023 1 1 0 0 3 1 +2 % CONCACAF
2023 2023 1 1 0 0 6 0 +6 % AFC
2024 2024 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 % CAF
2007 2012 3 2 1 0 6 2 +4 % AFC
2006 2024 2 2 0 0 8 1 +7 % AFC
2011 2023 8 4 2 2 11 5 +6 % AFC
2004 2004 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1 % UEFA
2023 2023 1 0 0 1 0 4 −4 % CAF
1996 2024 6 2 1 3 6 7 −1 % AFC
1995 2023 11 7 3 1 19 12 +7 % AFC
2004 2023 5 3 1 1 10 6 +4 % AFC
2007 2021 5 4 1 0 21 6 +15 % AFC
2023 2023 1 1 0 0 13 0 +13 % AFC
1999 2018 3 2 1 0 9 2 +7 % AFC
2015 2021 2 2 0 0 11 1 +10 % AFC
2003 2023 3 2 0 1 3 2 +1 % CAF
2014 2014 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4 % AFC
2003 2016 8 4 2 2 12 7 +5 % AFC
1996 2023 9 5 2 2 13 7 +6 % AFC
2021 2021 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 % AFC
2004 2004 1 0 0 1 1 3 −2 % CONMEBOL
2004 2004 1 1 0 0 4 2 +2 % UEFA
1995 2019 6 3 1 2 7 6 +1 % AFC
1996 2024 17 9 4 4 26 14 +12 % AFC
2003 2003 1 0 1 0 2 2 0 % CAF
2006 2006 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 % AFC
2016 2016 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 % CAF
1996 2023 7 2 2 3 7 8 –1 % AFC
2023 2023 2 1 1 0 5 3 +2 % CAF
2003 2017 7 3 4 0 11 3 +8 % AFC
2014 2024 2 2 0 0 8 4 +4 % AFC
2007 2024 7 3 3 1 7 6 +1 % AFC
2024 2024 1 1 0 0 3 2 +1 % CAF
2013 2013 1 0 0 1 2 3 –1 % UEFA
2012 2019 2 2 0 0 6 0 +6 % AFC
1996 2024 9 5 2 2 16 7 +9 % AFC
2024 2024 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 % UEFA
2023 2023 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 % CONCACAF
2006 2022 6 4 1 1 11 9 +2 % AFC
1999 2024 8 4 4 0 14 5 +9 % AFC
2016 2023 3 3 0 0 10 0 +10 % AFC
49 Countries 1995 2024 184 101 48 35 337 167 +170 % FIFA
Last match updated was against   on 24 July 2024.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Iraq Surprises Portugal in 4-2 Olympic Victory. 13 August 2004. latimes.com. Grahame L. Jones. 9 May 2024. 9 May 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240509113203/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-aug-13-sp-iraqsoccer13-story.html.
  2. Web site: Iraq cruise into the last eight. 16 August 2004. theguardian.com. Alastair Himmer. 9 May 2024. 9 May 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240509113816/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2004/aug/16/athensolympics2004.olympicgames12.
  3. Web site: Italy claim Olympic medal. 27 August 2004. uefa.com. UEFA. 9 May 2024. 9 May 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240509114521/https://www.uefa.com/under21/news/0257-0de672ed59d5-148fcf8daa62-1000--italy-claim-olympic-medal/.
  4. Web site: Iraq, Denmark share spoils. 4 August 2016. fifa.com. FIFA. 9 May 2024. 9 May 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240509112229/https://inside.fifa.com/en/news/iraq-denmark-share-spoils-2819507.
  5. Web site: Hosts frustrated by impenetrable Iraq. 8 August 2016. fifa.com. FIFA. 9 May 2024. 9 May 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240509111503/https://inside.fifa.com/news/hosts-frustrated-by-impenetrable-iraq-2820304.
  6. Web site: Draw ends Olympic dream for Iraq and South Africa. 11 August 2016. fifa.com. FIFA. 9 May 2024. 9 May 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240509111924/https://inside.fifa.com/news/draw-ends-olympic-dream-for-iraq-and-south-africa-2821240.
  7. Web site: Iraq crowned AFC U-22 champions. 26 January 2014. the-afc.com. The Asian Football Confederation. 9 May 2024. 9 May 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240509095446/https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/news/iraq_crowned_afc_u-22_champions_.html.
  8. Web site: AFC U23 Asian Cup: Most Valuable Players. 6 April 2024. the-afc.com. The Asian Football Confederation. 9 May 2024. 9 May 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240509101235/https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/afcu23_most_valuable_players_.html.
  9. Web site: Iraq clinch Asia's final Rio spot. 29 January 2016. fifa.com. FIFA. 9 May 2024. 9 May 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240509103023/https://inside.fifa.com/en/news/iraq-clinch-asia-s-final-rio-spot-2757413.
  10. Web site: Vietnam hold nerve in penalty shootout to reach last four. 20 January 2018. the-afc.com. The Asian Football Confederation. 9 May 2024. 9 May 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240509104259/https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/news/vietnam_hold_nerve_in_penalty_shootout_to_reach_last_four%C2%A0.html.
  11. Web site: العراق يغادر السباق على أولمبياد طوكيو. ar. 14 January 2020. kooora.com. 9 May 2024. 9 May 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240509105742/https://www.kooora.com/?n=885896.
  12. Web site: Uzbekistan edge Iraq on penalties to seal last four berth. 11 June 2022. the-afc.com. The Asian Football Confederation. 9 May 2024. 9 May 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240509110629/https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/uzbekistan_edge_iraq_on_penalties_to_seal_last_four_berth.html.
  13. Web site: AFC U23 Asian Cup: Iraq claims bronze medal to obtain final Olympic quota of the tournament. 2 May 2024. olympics.com. Sam Peene. 9 May 2024. 9 May 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240509093941/https://olympics.com/en/news/afc-u23-asian-cup-iraq-claims-bronze-and-obtains-olympic-quota.
  14. Web site: Iraq's Jasim takes Yili Top Scorer award. 3 May 2024. the-afc.com. The Asian Football Confederation. 9 May 2024. 9 May 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240509093143/https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/iraqs_jasim_takes_yili_top_scorer_award.html.
  15. Web site: مباريات المنتخب الاولمبي (تحت 23 سنة). niiiis.com. ارشيف الكرة العراقية. 8 May 2024. 8 May 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240508145617/https://www.niiiis.com/allolympic.html.
  16. Web site: Iraq U23 - Team profile . globalsportsarchive.com . 10 May 2024 . en.
  17. Book: Matthews. Tony. The Legends of Stoke City. 18 December 2008. Breedon Books. Derby, United Kingdom. 978-1-85983-653-8. 14–5.
  18. Web site: International Friendship Tournament (Abha, Saudi Arabia). rsssf.org. Hassanin Mubarak. 8 May 2024. 6 May 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240506091231/https://www.rsssf.org/tablesa/abha-invit-tourn.html#03.
  19. Web site: Dubai Match World Cup 2012. rsssf.org. Javier García & Andrea Veronese. 8 May 2024. 4 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230404121233/https://www.rsssf.org/tablesd/dubaimwc2012.html.
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