"Iran is missing, so give us that ticket!" Iraqi coach calls on FIFA to 'go to World Cup finals'... "The succession of preliminary results is fair."

*This content was translated by AI.

As Iran's absence from the 2026 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup becomes official, FIFA is agonizing over the direction of a "direct ticket to Asia" that has lost its owner.

Iran's sports minister said, "It is impossible to participate under any circumstances," and Graham Arnold, who leads the Iraqi national soccer team, presented a clear "succession scenario."

According to the British 'Guardian' on the 10th (Korea Standard Time), Arnold urged FIFA to make a fair decision. He says it is common sense for Iran to go to the next team with the best performance in the final Asian qualifying round.

In an interview with the Australian Associated Press (AAP), Arnold said, "It is the fairest scenario for Iraq, which is currently set to have an intercontinental playoff, to succeed Iran's direct rights and for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which lost to Iraq, to take over the playoff position."

His proposal is based on a substantial performance record for the Asian qualifiers. Iraq beat UAE to qualify for the intercontinental playoff in the fifth qualifying round for the Asian region of the World Cup. In fact, it ranks the highest among the teams that did not get the right to go straight to the finals.

If Iraq fills Iran's vacancy and goes straight to Group G (Belgium, New Zealand, Egypt), it is logically reasonable for the UAE, which competed with Iraq until the last stage, to get a playoff opportunity in the next place.

In particular, this administrative decision is considered a practical alternative to solving Iraq's 40-year long-cherished dream, especially in a desperate situation where the movement of the national team is limited, such as the closure of Iraqi airspace due to the current situation in the Middle East.

However, there are still variables in FIFA's choice, which holds the final decision. According to FIFA World Cup regulations, if a participating association withdraws from the finals, FIFA can decide on an alternative team at its own discretion. There is no compulsory provision that must be supplemented in order of grades.

Therefore, some speculations are pouring out, such as the possibility of China's selection considering its box office success or the UAE's priority based on the simple FIFA rankings.

However, soccer experts say that giving a chance to a team that has proven its skills through the qualifying process is the way to protect the authority and sports spirit of the World Cup.

Soccer fans around the world are paying attention to whether Arnold's appeal will become a reality at the emergency committee to be convened by FIFA after Iran's withdrawal from the World Cup.

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*This content was translated by AI.