The committee appointed by the Iraqi Football Association, headed by President Younis Mahmoud and his deputies Sarmad Abdul Ilah and Mohammed Nasser, continued its negotiations on Wednesday to renew the contract of Australian Graham Arnold, the national team coach.

The association said on its Facebook page that the meetings are ongoing and direct via a closed-circuit television, attended by Ghaith Muhanna, advisor to the president of the Iraqi Football Association, Arnold, his manager Tony Ralls, and national team translator Ali Abbas.

The negotiating meetings aim to reach common ground agreed upon by both parties to renew the contract with the Australian coach, who led Iraq to the 2026 World Cup finals for the second time in Iraq's history of participation in the tournament.

After an absence of four decades from the finals, Iraq found itself facing one of the toughest tasks in the tournament, as the draw placed it in a group featuring former world champion France, Norway, and Senegal, one of the giants of the African continent, suffering three defeats.

It proved that the challenge was immense, as Iraq exited the competition without a single point after losing to all teams and conceding 12 goals. Adding to the bitterness of the 5-0 loss to Senegal in the final round of the group stage was an early red card that forced coach Arnold's team to play with ten men for more than 75 minutes.

Arnold's contract with the Iraqi Football Association expires on Friday, July 31 of this month, after he had signed with the association in May 2025.

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