Iraqi coach is cautious when in the same group as Vietnam
In the second qualifying round, Iraq was in Group F with Vietnam, the Philippines and the team that won the Indonesia - Brunei match in the first qualifying round. Coach Casas does not appreciate any opponent in the table, and is wary of all three.
"Iraq's group is even, because the teams are eager to advance to the next round," he said after learning the results of the draw. "Nothing is easy in football, and Iraq will focus on each match, with the goal of going to the 2026 World Cup."
Casas was the assistant coach of the Spain team from 2018 to 2022, before moving to lead Iraq. He helped the team win five, draw one of the last eight, win rate 63%. Iraq's goal is not only to qualify for the second qualifying round, but also to qualify for the third round and qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Iraq is rated at the top of the table when it is ranked 70th on the FIFA rankings. Vietnam ranked 95th, the Philippines 135th, Indonesia 150th, and Brunei 190th. Iraq has only attended the World Cup once, but lost all three group stage matches in Mexico in 1986.
This is not the first time Iraq has fallen into a group with three Southeast Asian teams in the second qualifying round. In the 2018 period, Iraq was in the same group as Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and Taiwan. However, Indonesia was banned from competing and did not participate in the qualifying round at that time. In the end, Iraq and Thailand went hand in hand, while Vietnam and Taiwan were eliminated.
Indonesia and Brunei will meet in two matches in October 2023, to determine their place in Group F. Vietnam will play the first match of the second qualifying round against the host Philippines on November 16, then return home to Iraq in five days. . In the next turn, Vietnam will be a guest on the field of Indonesia or Brunei in March 2024. If winning the first three matches, teachers and students Philippe Troussier will have a great chance to continue.
The second qualifying round consists of 36 teams, divided into nine groups of four teams each. The top two teams in each group will advance to the third qualifying round. The third qualifying round will determine six places in the World Cup, with two remaining in the fourth qualifying round. Finally, the one remaining representative will fight for tickets with a team in another continent, to find 8.5 places for Asia at the 2026 World Cup.
Iraq, Vietnam and Indonesia are also in the same group of 2024 Asian Cup, along with Japan. These teams will meet once in a round-robin in January 2024.
