The Iraqi national team secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Indonesia in a match held in Jeddah, as part of the second round of Group B in the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

The only goal for Iraq was scored by player Zidan Iqbal in the 76th minute, leading the Lions of Mesopotamia to an important win and earning 3 points to tie with Saudi Arabia, who also defeated Indonesia in the first match, eliminating the latter from the competition.

Iraqi player Zaid Tahseen was sent off in the 99th minute and will miss Iraq’s next match against Saudi Arabia.

Iraq played its first match against Indonesia on Saturday, aiming to qualify for the World Cup for the second time after their first participation in the 1986 Mexico edition, before facing Saudi Arabia next Tuesday in the third and final round of the qualifiers.

Indonesia had lost to Saudi Arabia 3-2 in the previous Wednesday match held at the “Jewel Stadium”.

The fourth round of the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup will be held in a single round-robin format. The draw placed Qatar, UAE, and Oman in Group A, hosted in Doha, while Group B includes Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Indonesia, with matches taking place in Jeddah.

The top team from each group will qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup finals, while the second-placed teams will face off in a playoff in November to determine a spot in the global playoffs.

Thus, the upcoming match between Saudi Arabia and Iraq on Tuesday will decide which team qualifies for the 2026 World Cup finals.