The Iraq national football team starts its FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign against Norway, in a match that will take place at one o'clock on Wednesday morning. The International Football Federation, FIFA, approved the request of the Iraq national football team, regarding its flag which includes the phrase Allah Akbar, just hours before the expected match against Norway. The Iraq national football team starts its journey in the FIFA World Cup 2026, with a match against Norway, at one o'clock on Wednesday morning. The Iraqi Football Association requested from FIFA to raise its flag on the ground, just like what happened with the Saudi team in the Uruguay match, which was approved by the International Federation. FIFA had kept the Saudi flag raised during the pre-match ceremony against Uruguay, out of respect for the country's traditions which state that the flag bearing the Shahada should not be touched. Before the national anthems were played in the match, the flags of the two teams were raised on the stadium ground as part of the usual protocol for the World Cup, but, unlike previous matches where the flags were lowered during the flag-raising ceremony, the flag of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia remained raised. Many fans of the Iraq national football team are wondering why FIFA approved their request to raise their flag, and the answer goes back to FIFA's respect for the host country's traditions. It is worth noting that the Iraq national football team is considered one of the best in the region, and tops the ranking of teams in the FIFA World Cup 2026. The match between the Iraq national football team and Norway is expected to be a strong and exciting one, as both teams top the group ranking.