Walid Abdullah
On Tuesday, at 9:45 pm, all eyes will turn to King Abdullah International Stadium in Jeddah, where it will host a fiery summit that brings together the Saudi and Iraqi teams in the third round of the fourth round of qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, within the second group competitions.
The two teams go into the confrontation and they share the top spot in the standings with 3 points each, after they were able to achieve victory over the Indonesian team in the first and second rounds of the qualifiers, putting each party on the cusp of qualification.
The match acquires special importance because it cannot be divided into two, as victory is the only option for “Al-Akhdar” and “Lions of Mesopotamia” in order to secure a direct ticket to the World Cup, while the second-place team will have to play a playoff match against the runner-up of Group A to determine who qualifies for the global playoff.
The Jeddah battle is a real test of the strength of the two teams, and an opportunity to prove their worth on the Asian scene in the race to reach the 2026 World Cup.
It is noteworthy that the Saudi national team has previously qualified for the World Cup 6 times, while Iraq previously participated once in the 1986 World Cup.
