The director of media for the Iraqi Football Federation, Mohammed Khalaf, stated in a statement followed by the News Video Agency that the national team coach, Australian Graham Arnold, will arrive in Baghdad in the coming days to start preparations for the four-nation tournament scheduled to be held in the Basra Governorate from November 9 to 17. The tournament will feature the national teams of Lebanon, Iran, and Palestine, noting that the Iraqi team will play two matches according to a direct knockout system.
He added that the federation, in coordination with the coach, has prepared a training program that includes a training camp in Qatar for six days, including a friendly match against the Vietnam national team, before heading to Saudi Arabia to participate in the continental tournament.
He explained that the selection of the teams that Iraq will face during the preparation period was made in coordination with the coach, aiming to engage with teams whose playing styles are similar to those of the national teams Iraq will face in the continental championship.