ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Iraqi national team on Tuesday played its first match in the World Cup since 1986, ending a 40-year absence from the prestigious tournament with a 4–1 loss to Norway in the group stages.

Iraq was the 48th and last team to qualify to the tournament in early April, after besting Bolivia in a 2-1 nail-biter victory. The team subsequently was drawn into arguably the most difficult group in the tournament, which includes Kylian Mbappe’s France, Erling Haaland’s Norway, as well as Senegal.

Iraq’s first fixture was Norway, a world class team featuring names such as Manchester City’s Haaland, Premier League Champion Martin Odegaard, as well as Atletico Madrid’s Alexander Sorloth.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is jointly hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico. It is the first time the tournament features a new 48-team format, up from the previous 32 teams that have historically competed for the title.

Despite putting up an admirable performance, registering 11 shots compared to Norway's 12, the Iraqi team ended up losing to the Norwegian national team, who have also ended a 28-year hiatus from the tournament with their qualification to the 2026 World Cup.

Norway took the lead with an Erling Haaland goal in the 29th minute. Though a header from striker Ayman Hussein leveled the game for Iraq minutes after, the Norwegians' attacking prowess proved decisive, resulting in three more goals before the fulltime whistle. 

Iraq is set to play France, one of the heavy favorites to win the tournament, in Philadelphia on Monday, before playing Senegal in Canada on June 26. 

Despite what Monday’s scoresheet suggests, the Iraqi national team put up a memorable team performance, barring a select few individual blunders, inspiring hope for its next two fixtures.