Iraq fell to a 2-0 defeat against Saudi Arabia in their third Gulf Cup of Nations group stage match. Both goals came in the second half from Abdullah Al Salem and Abdullah Al Hamdan.
Abdullah Al Salem opened the scoring for Saudi Arabia in the 54th minute. Abdullah Al Hamdan doubled the lead in the 69th minute following a key pass from Nasser Al Dawsari. Head coach Graham Arnold made an early change at the start of the second half, introducing Ibrahim Bayesh, and then made a triple substitution shortly after the second goal.
Midfielder Ali Hussein received a yellow card in the 75th minute for a rough challenge. The result leaves Iraq fourth in their World Cup qualifying group with zero points from three matches.
This performance follows a mixed run of form, including a narrow 3-2 win over Kuwait and a 1-1 draw with Oman. The next challenge is an away World Cup qualifier against Tajikistan on January 10, 2027, with Iraq having earned just 3 points from their 4 matches played so far. The upcoming schedule is available on our fixtures page.
The Gulf Cup Federation confirmed the match will kick off at 8:30 PM on Tuesday, 29 September 2026. The federation stated the fixture is the third and final group stage round in Saudi Arabia. This follows Iraq's recent 2-0 loss to Saudi Arabia on 29 September.
Update, 2026-10-01 Manager Graham Arnold has called for FIFA regulations to be invoked after Iraq lost a draw for a semi-final spot. Arnold said, "Our level is higher than Oman's, and if we want fairness we must follow the rules." Oman qualified via the draw after being tied with Iraq on all criteria. Iraq has a poor qualifying record, with zero points from three games.
