Iraq vs Oman prediction 23.09.2026 | Arabian Gulf Cup

Iraq managed to qualify for the previous World Cup, which was a massive success, considering they haven't appeared on one since 1986. Even though they once again lost all three games, we have to acknowledge they had a really challenging group with Senegal, France, and Norway. Most football pundits called it the best one in the tournament.

So, despite losing all three games in the World Cup and a 1:12 goal difference, Iraq did not disappoint too much in our opinion. They are definitely among the best teams in the Arabian Gulf Cup competition and should be considered one of the primary candidates for the title.

Coach Graham Arnold made some changes in the squad. Goalkeeper Jalala Hassan, Hussein Ali, and Rebin Sulaka aren't in the squad even though they were an important part of the rotation in the World Cup. 

Oman are one of the teams that have never appeared in the World Cup, but came close in the previous Qualifiers. They reached the 4th stage, and then after losing the last game to UAE, they blew a historic opportunity. 

After the World Cup Qualifiers and a pretty underwhelming FIFA Arab Cup, coach Carlos Queiroz stepped down, and the FA appointed Tarik Sektioui. Sektioui spent most of his coaching career in Morocco and previously coached the Morocco national team. 

Under the new coach, Oman secured a win over Mozambique and a loss to Indonesia. It is too soon to judge whether that was a good call or not, and a game against Iraq should give us a better perspective.