Guéla Doué scored a goal and set up the winning strike as Ivory Coast surprised France while Iraq held Spain to a draw in pre-World Cup friendlies.

Meet Ahmed Qasem. The Nashville SC winger is ready to represent Iraq, his mother's home nation, at the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer. Ahmed Qasem is ready to represent @IraqNT_EN at the @fifaworldcup!

Iraq return to the World Cup for the first time since making their debut 40 years ago, having taken a lengthy route to the finals under a ​coach who is no stranger to the tournament.

Iraq earned a hard-fought victory over Bolivia in the intercontinental playoff final to earn the 48th and final spot in the 2026 World Cup.

Spain could only draw their penultimate pre-World Cup friendly, as they could not find a winner in a disjointed second half.

Iraq vs Norway will face off in Group I in a bid to secure a win that brings them closer to the next stage. The European side are favorites, but they can’t afford to underestimate one of the tournament’s underdogs.

Squad, line-ups and fixture schedule for the Iraq team in USA · Canada · Mexico

Spain begins its pre-tournament preparations for the 2026 World Cup by facing Iraq on Thursday, but it will be without star forward Lamine Yamal for the friendly in A Coruña. La Roja enters the tournament as defending European champions and is among the favorites for the title,