The coach of the national team, Graham Arnold, confirmed on Friday his full awareness of what’s needed to reach the World Cup.

Arnold said:

"I’ve worked very hard recently, mostly off the field rather than on it. I know exactly what we need to qualify for the World Cup. I will not attend the Iraq Cup final because I’ll be in Malaysia for the playoff draw."

He added:

"The domestic league has concluded, and the players will be on break. I’ve asked them to maintain their physical fitness—it’s the most important thing."

He continued:

"We agreed to participate in the King’s Cup in Thailand after Saudi Arabia withdrew. I don’t want to face them in the tournament."

He noted, "The King’s Cup in Thailand is a great opportunity to work closely with the players for 10 days."

He concluded by saying,

"I will not leave Iraq, and I won’t go back after seeing the support I’ve received over the past two months. We’ll organize a short training camp before the Asian playoff qualifiers."