Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
The UAE national team face a defining test of their 2026 FIFA World Cup ambitions tonight when they walk into a packed Basra International Stadium – the “Palm Trunk” – for a decisive second leg against Iraq in the Asian play-off. After Thursday’s 1-1 draw in Abu Dhabi, the tie is finely balanced, and the mission is brutally simple: win in Basra, or watch months of preparation end in heartbreak.
Ali Al Hamadi’s early strike in the first leg had handed Iraq the advantage, before Luan Pereira’s quick reply kept the UAE firmly in the hunt. But with no away-goals rule in place, any draw will push the contest to extra time and potentially penalties. At stake is a single berth in the intercontinental play-off tournament – a final gateway through which six nations will battle for two World Cup slots.
For the UAE, who last graced the World Cup stage in Italy in 1990, the opportunity could not be more precious. Twenty-eight nations have already secured their spots in next year’s expanded finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada. To join them, the UAE must first navigate Basra, then survive the mini-tournament featuring the Asian representative, Congo (CAF), Bolivia (CONMEBOL), New Caledonia (OFC), and two sides from CONCACAF.
The atmosphere tonight will be relentless. More than 60,000 spectators are expected inside the 65,000-capacity stadium, including 5,000 travelling Emirati supporters.
In a bid to lift the team, the UAE Football Association arranged eight charter flights to ferry fans to Basra – a gesture warmly acknowledged by Iraqi officials, with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani assuring safe and welcoming access for Emiratis, just as the UAE had the rolled out the red carpet in the first leg.
Cosmin Olaroiu’s squad arrived in Basra on Sunday after completing an intense training block at Zayed Sports City. Their final session at the match venue on Monday evening offered the Romanian coach one more chance to refine details ahead of what he described privately as a “difficult” match – one that will demand resilience, clarity and courage in equal measure.
Olaroiu made only one adjustment to the squad, calling up Al Nasr defender Gustavo Alex for added depth at the back soon after the game on Thursday. Fabio Lima and Majed Hassan remain central to the team’s plans, while the UAE will look again to Pereira’s dynamism in the final third.
Iraq, meanwhile, suffered a setback with the loss of star forward Al Hamadi, injured in the first leg, prompting Australian coach Graham Arnold to summon Ammar Mohsen.
Both nations share a burning desire to return to the World Cup after long absences – Iraq last played on the global stage in 1986. But only one can keep the dream alive tonight.
