Iraq vs Bolivia Tips & Prediction - Iraq to qualify for World Cup

Iraq and Bolivia both started their World Cup qualifying campaigns all the way back in 2023 - and now, almost three years later, they arrive at the final hurdle, with a ticket to the final showpiece up for grabs.

Iraq, under the tutelage of Aussie manager Graham Arnold, are aiming to qualify for the World Cup for just the second time after making their lone appearance back in 1986, while Bolivia are targeting a fourth showing and first since 1994.

It's obviously a massive occasion for both nations, but arguably more so for Iraq with the continued conflict in the Middle East. There were some initial doubts that the players would be able to make it out of their home nation due to the ongoing war, but the team were able to gain entry into Mexico after a 25-hour journey and have been settled in Monterrey for the last week. Arnold believes his side are on the verge of creating history.

I tend to agree. Bolivia play their best football at home, where they take advantage of the extremely high altitude. On the road, they are not so flash and barely got over the line against Suriname in their first playoff last week, needing to come from behind in the second half.

Iraq remain extremely tough to break down under Arnold and were incredibly hard to beat during the entire qualifying campaign. Bolivia are vulnerable at the back and I'm not sure their attack - away from home - is good enough to power through Iraq's strong defence. I'm taking Under 2.5 goals, Iraq to qualify and a smaller stake on Arnold's side to win to nil. Aymen Hussein has ample experience and looks primed for a start - the 30-year-old can find the back of the net like he did eight times during qualifying.

As a result, Iraq were forced into another playoff against the UAE - and they secured their spot in this final round of qualifying by scoring a dramatic goal in the 17th minute of stoppage time to prevail 2-1 after a 1-1 first leg draw.

Iraq haven't been able to get any game time in 2026, mostly due to the ongoing conflict in their home region, meaning they were last in action in December during the Arab Cup, suffering a quarter-final exit to Algeria after beating Sudan and Bahrain.

You can see their squad below.

Fahad Talib (Al-Talaba), Ahmed Basil (Al-Shorta), Kamel Al-Rekabe (Erbil), Rebin Sulaka (Port), Manaf Younis (Al-Shorta), Merchas Doski (Viktoria Plzen), Frans Putros (Persib), Hussein Ali (Pogon Szczecin), Zaid Tahseen (Pakhtakor), Akam Hashim (Al-Zawraa), Ahmed Maknzi (Al-Karma), Ibraham Bayesh (Al-Dhafra), Amir Al-Ammari (Cracovia), Ali Jasim (Al-Najma), Youssef Amyn (AEK Larnaca), Zidane Iqbal (Utrecht), Hasan Abdulkareem (Al-Zawraa), Marko Farji (Venezia), Kevin Yakob (AGF), Aimar Sher (Sarpsborg), Peter Gwargis (Duhok), Zaid Ismail (Al-Talaba), Aymen Hussein (Al-Karma), Mohanad Ali (Dibba), Ali Al-Hamadi (Luton Town), Ali Yousif (Al-Talaba)

This led to the sacking of their previous manager and the appointment of Oscar Villegas, who has overseen a mighty resurgence that has led to Bolivia being just one game away from a fourth World Cup finals.

Bolivia edged out Brazil 1-0 in a thrilling showdown at home to secure their spot in the intercontinental playoffs before coming from behind to defeat Suriname 2-1 last week.

La Verde struggled to create anything meaningful for the bulk of the contest, but 18-year-old midfielder Moises Paniagua changed the game when he came on off the bench, with Bolivia scoring two goals in eight minutes to secure a memorable victory and earn a direct shot at World Cup qualification.

Carlos Lampe (Bolivar), Guillermo Viscarra (Alianza Lima), Geronimo Govea (Montevideo Wanderers), Diego Medina (CSKA 1948 Sofia), Yomar Rocha (Akron Tolyatti), Lucas Macazaga (CD Leganes), Dieguito Rodriguez (Always Ready), Luis Haquin (Al-Tai), Richet Gomez (Always Ready), Marcelo Torrez (Santos), Efrain Morales (CF Montreal), Diego Arroyo (Shakhtar Donetsk), Leonardo Zabala (Cancun), Roberto Fernandez (Akron Tolyatti), Ervin Vaca (Bolivar), Hector Cuellar (Always Ready), Robson Matheus (Bolivar), Moises Villarroel (Blooming), Gabriel Villamil (LDU Quito), Ramiro Vaca (Wydad AC), Carlos Melgar (Bolivar), Miguel Terceros (Santos), Jesus Maraude (Always Ready), Victor Abrego (The Strongest), Fernando Nava (Oriente Petrolero), Moises Paniagua (Wydad AC), Enzo Monteiro (Chungbuk Cheongju), Juan Godoy (The Strongest)