Iraq national under-20 football team

Iraq Under-20
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Young Lions of Mesopotamia
Leyouth Al-Rafidayn (ليوث الرافدين)
AssociationIFA
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationWAFF
Head coachEhsan Turki
CaptainAbdul-Razzak Qasim
FIFA codeIRQ
First colours
Second colours
First international
Iraq  3–1  Saudi Arabia
(Ahwaz, Iran; 24 February 1974)
Biggest win
Iraq  10–0  Brunei
(Kuwait City, Kuwait; 6 April 1975)
Biggest defeat
Brazil  6–1  Iraq
(Córdoba, Argentina; 20 June 2001)
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Appearances5 (first in 1977)
Best resultFourth Place: (2013)
AFC U-20 Asian Cup
Appearances17 (first in 1975)
Best resultChampions: (1975, 1977, 1978, 1988, 2000)
Websiteifa.iq

The Iraq national under-20 football team represents Iraq in international football competitions in AFC U-20 Asian Cup which Iraq holds 5 titles, as well as any other international football tournaments. The team is controlled by the governing body for football in Iraq, Iraq Football Association (IFA).

The team has qualified five times for the FIFA U-20 World Cup, reaching fourth place in 2013.

Iraq U-20 have been awarded the AFC National Team of the Year award once in 2013, being the only U-20 team to win this award.[1]

Recent results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Legend

  Win   Draw   Loss   Cancelled

2023

Iraq  v  Dominican Republic
22 April 2023 Friendly Iraq  3–2  Dominican Republic Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Cádiz, Spain
16:00 UTC+1
  • Ashar Ali 21' (pen.)
  • Youssef Amyn 50' (pen.)
  • Abdulqader Ayoub 88'
  • 89'
 Stadium: Estadio El Palmar
Iraq  v  Brazil
25 April 2023 Friendly Iraq  1–1  Brazil Jerez, Cádiz, Spain
19:00 UTC+1
  • Abdul-Razzak Qasim 45+1' (pen.)
  • Kevin 61'
 Stadium: Estadio Municipal de Chapín
Iraq  v  Gibraltar
3 May 2023 Friendly Iraq  2–0  Gibraltar Arcos de la Frontera, Spain
19:00 UTC+1
  • Mohammed Jameel 7'
  • Ashar Ali 28'
 Stadium: Nuevo Estadio Antonio Barbadillo
Uruguay  v  Iraq
22 May 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup Uruguay  4–0  Iraq La Plata, Argentina
18:00 UTC−4
Report Stadium: Estadio Ciudad de La Plata
Tunisia  v  Iraq
25 May 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup Tunisia  3–0  Iraq La Plata, Argentina
18:00 UTC−4
Report Stadium: Estadio Ciudad de La Plata
Iraq  v  England
28 May 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup Iraq  0–0  England La Plata, Argentina
15:00 UTC−4 Report Stadium: Estadio Ciudad de La Plata

2024

Australia  v  Iraq
20 March 2024 2024 WAFF U-23 Championship Australia  2–1  Iraq Hofuf, Saudi Arabia
  • H. Jaafar 48'
 Stadium: Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium
Iraq  v  United Arab Emirates
23 March 2024 2024 WAFF U-23 Championship Iraq  1–1
(4–3 p)		  United Arab Emirates Hofuf, Saudi Arabia
  • Sadiq 53'
  • Al-Mansoori 34'
 Stadium: Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium
Penalties
  • Haydar soccer ball with check mark
  • Mahdi soccer ball with check mark
  • Mokhalad soccer ball with check mark
  • K. Jaafar soccer ball with check mark
  • H. Jaafar soccer ball with red X
  • soccer ball with check mark Al-Maazmi
  • soccer ball with check mark Bader
  • soccer ball with check mark Al-Kass
  • soccer ball with red X Ahmed
  • soccer ball with red X Al-Balooshi
Iraq  v  Jordan
26 March 2024 2024 WAFF U-23 Championship Iraq  1–3  Jordan Hofuf, Saudi Arabia
  • Bani Hani 45+1' (o.g.)
Stadium: Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium

Players

Current squad

The following 26 players were named in the squad for the 2024 WAFF U-23 Championship. [2]
Caps and goals correct as of 28 May 2023, after the game against England England

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Layth Qasim 0 0 Iraq Al-Shorta
12 1GK Wisam Ali 0 0 Iraq Naft Al-Wasat
22 1GK Sajjad Mohammed 0 0 Iraq Amanat Baghdad
2 2DF Mohammed Ghaleb 0 0 Iraq Al-Minaa
3 2DF Mousa Alaa 0 0 Iraq Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
14 2DF Sajjad Fadhil (2004-05-05) 5 May 2004 (age 19) 9 0 Iraq Al-Zawraa
19 2DF Sajjad Mahdi (2003-02-25) 25 February 2003 (age 21) 15 0 Iraq Naft Maysan
24 2DF Ali Kareem 0 0
2DF Kadhim Raad Hatem (2003-03-05) 5 March 2003 (age 21) 16 0 Iraq Al-Zawraa
2DF Hussein Fahim 0 0 Iraq Al-Talaba
2DF Muslim Moussa (2005-03-11) 11 March 2005 (age 19) 10 1 Iraq Al-Minaa
2DF Adam Rasheed (2006-07-10) 10 July 2006 (age 17) 13 0 Italy Torino Primavera
7 3MF Halgurd Jaafar 0 0 Iraq Peshmerga Hawler
8 3MF Amoori Mutshar (2005-05-01)1 May 2005 (aged 18) 0 0 Iraq Al-Kahrabaa
18 3MF Ali Sadiq (2003-02-13) 13 February 2003 (age 21) 15 1 Iraq Al-Zawraa
21 3MF Hayder Abdulkareem (2004-08-07) 7 August 2004 (age 19) 15 3 Iraq Al-Zawraa
23 3MF Moamel Mahmoud 0 0 Iraq Naft Al-Wasat
25 3MF Laith Deaa 0 0 Iraq Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
26 3MF Mustafa Nawaf (2005-05-05)5 May 2005 (aged 18) 0 0 Iraq Al-Amwaj
3MF Ali Mokhalad 0 0 Iraq Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
3MF Abbas Majed (2003-10-29) 29 October 2003 (age 20) 6 0 Iraq Al-Talaba
9 4FW Mustafa Qabeel (2005-01-08) 8 January 2005 (age 19) 7 0 Iraq Erbil
11 4FW Ali Hayder (2005-10-01)1 October 2005 (aged 18) 0 0 England Stoke City U18
20 4FW Karrar Jaafar 0 0 Iraq Al-Minaa
4FW Ahmed Jasim 0 0 Iraq Al-Naft
4FW Ali Akbar Taher (2006-12-30) 30 December 2006 (age 17) 1 0 Iraq Al-Shorta

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up within the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Hussein Hassan (2002-11-15) 15 November 2002 (age 21) 16 0 Iraq Al-Karkh 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
GK Abbas Kareem (2003-11-15) 15 November 2003 (age 20) 3 0 Iraq Al-Shorta 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
GK Omran Zaky (2004-08-02) 2 August 2004 (age 19) 0 0 Iraq Zakho 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
DF Alai Ghasem (2003-02-16) 16 February 2003 (age 21) 8 1 Sweden AFC Eskilstuna 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
DF Roman Doulashi (2005-08-07) 7 August 2005 (age 18) 7 0 Germany Schalke 04 U-19 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
DF Abbas Manie (2003-01-11) 11 January 2003 (age 21) 2 0 Iraq Amanat Baghdad 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
MF Alexander Aoraha (2003-01-17) 17 January 2003 (age 21) 5 0 England Queens Park Rangers U21 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
MF Abdul-Razzak Qasim (2003-02-19) 19 February 2003 (age 21) 16 2 Iraq Al-Shorta 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
FW Abbas Fadhil (2003-07-13) 13 July 2003 (age 20) 13 1 Iraq Naft Maysan 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
FW Abdulqader Ayoub (2003-07-23) 23 July 2003 (age 20) 12 2 Iraq Erbil 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
FW Youssef Amyn (2003-08-21) 21 August 2003 (age 20) 5 1 Germany Eintracht Braunschweig 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
FW Ashar Ali (2003-09-24) 24 September 2003 (age 20) 15 3 Iraq Al-Karkh 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
FW Ali Jassim (2004-01-20) 20 January 2004 (age 20) 9 2 Iraq Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
FW Mohammed Jameel (2005-11-25) 25 November 2005 (age 18) 16 3 Iraq Al-Naft 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
FW Mohammed Emad Mohammed unknown 1 1 Iraq Al-Zawraa 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup

PRE Part of the preliminary squad
INJ Player injured
CLB Player refused by club or unable to attend due to club commitments
U23 Player moved up to the Olympic team
WD Player withdrew for non-injury related reasons
UNK Unknown when the player was last with the squad

Coaching staff

Position Name Nationality
Manager: Emad Mohammed Iraq
Assist. manager: Haidar Abdul-Jabar Iraq
Assist. manager: Ahmed Wali Iraq
Assist. manager: Ehsan Turki Iraq
Goalk. manager: Nouri Abid Zaid Iraq
Fitnes. manager: Waleed Jumaa Iraq
Technical analyst: Muntadher Mujbel Iraq
Physiotherapist: Falah Jassim Iraq
Physiotherapist: Ahmed Khaseif Iraq
Managing Director: Mohammed Nasser Shakroun Iraq
Technical Supervisor: Khalaf Jalal Iraq
Team Manager: Qahtan Al-Maliki Iraq
Media Coordinator: Nadeem Kareem Iraq

Updated to match played April 2023
Source:[citation needed]

Head coach history

Head coaches by years (2000–present)

As of 31 March 2024
Name Period Matches Wins Draws Losses Win % Achievements
Iraq Thair Jassam 2000 10 4 3 3 040.00
Iraq Adnan Hamad 2000 8 4 4 0 050.00 2000 AFC Youth Championship: Champions
2001 FIFA World Youth Championship: Group Stage
Iraq Nazar Ashraf 2001 2 0 1 1 000.00
Iraq Adnan Hamad 2001 7 3 0 4 042.86
Iraq Nasrat Nassir 2001–2002 9 5 2 2 055.56
Iraq Ahmed Radhi 2002 3 2 0 1 066.67
Iraq Akram Salman 2003 0 0 0 0 !—
Iraq Hadi Mutanash 2004 0 0 0 0 !—
Iraq Abdelilah Abdul-Hamid 2005–2006 0 0 0 0 !—
Iraq Kadhim Al-Rubaie 2007 0 0 0 0 !—
Iraq Hakim Shaker 2008 12 3 5 4 025.00
Iraq Hassan Ahmed 2009–2010 11 4 1 6 036.36
Iraq Hakim Shaker 2011–2013 42 23 8 11 054.76 2012 AFC U-19 Championship: Runner-up
2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup: Fourth Place
AFC National Team of the Year
Iraq Muwafaq Hussein 2013 2 1 1 0 050.00
Iraq Rahim Hameed 2014 5 2 1 2 040.00
Iraq Abbas Attiya 2015–2016 13 7 6 0 053.85
Iraq Qahtan Chathir 2017–2021 26 8 9 9 030.77 2019 WAFF U-18 Championship: Champions
Iraq Emad Mohammed 2021–2024 25 10 6 9 040.00 2021 WAFF U-18 Championship: Champions
2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup: Runner-up
2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup: Group Stage
Iraq Ehsan Turki 2024– 3 0 1 2 000.00

Competitive record

FIFA U-20 World Cup

FIFA U-20 World Cup record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
Tunisia 1977 Group stage 11th 3 1 0 2 6 8 Squad
Japan 1979 Qualified but Withdrew
Australia 1981 Did not qualify
Mexico 1983
Soviet Union 1985
Chile 1987
Saudi Arabia 1989 Quarterfinals 6th 4 3 0 1 5 2 Squad
Portugal 1991 Did not qualify
Australia 1993
Qatar 1995
Malaysia 1997
Nigeria 1999
Argentina 2001 Group stage 19th 3 1 0 2 5 9 Squad
United Arab Emirates 2003 Did not qualify
Netherlands 2005
Canada 2007
Egypt 2009
Colombia 2011
Turkey 2013 Fourth place 4th 7 3 3 1 11 11 Squad
New Zealand 2015 Did not qualify
South Korea 2017
Poland 2019
Argentina 2023 Group stage 21st 3 0 1 2 0 7 Squad
Chile 2025 To be determined
Total Fourth place 5/24 20 8 4 8 27 37 —


FIFA U-20 World Cup history
Year Round Score Result
1977
Group stage  Iraq 1–3  Soviet Union Loss
Group stage  Iraq 5–1  Austria Win
Group stage  Iraq 0–4  Paraguay Loss
1989
Group stage  Iraq 1–0  Norway Win
Group stage  Iraq 2–0  Spain Win
Group stage  Iraq 1–0  Argentina Win
Quarterfinals  Iraq 1–2  United States Loss
2001
Group stage  Iraq 3–0  Canada Win
Group stage  Iraq 1–6  Brazil Loss
Group stage  Iraq 1–3  Germany Loss
2013
Group stage  Iraq 2–2  England Draw
Group stage  Iraq 2–1  Egypt Win
Group stage  Iraq 2–1  Chile Win
Round of 16  Iraq 1–0 (a.e.t.)  Paraguay Win
Quarterfinals  Iraq 3–3 (a.e.t.)(pen 5-4)  South Korea Draw
Semifinals  Iraq 1–1 (a.e.t.)(pen 6-7)  Uruguay Draw
3rd Place  Iraq 0–3  Ghana Loss
2023
Group stage  Iraq 0–4  Uruguay Loss
Group stage  Iraq 0–3  Tunisia Loss
Group stage  Iraq 0–0  England Draw

AFC U-20 Asian Cup record

AFC U-20 Asian Cup
Year Result Pld W D L GF GA Squad
Kuwait 1975 Champions 6 5 1 0 18 1
Thailand 1976 Quarter-finals 4 3 1 0 13 1
Iran 1977 Champions 5 5 0 0 19 4
Bangladesh 1978 Champions 6 4 2 0 20 2
Thailand 1980 did not enter
Thailand 1982 Third Place 3 1 0 2 4 5
United Arab Emirates 1985 did not qualify
Saudi Arabia 1986
Qatar 1988 Champions 5 2 3 0 5 3
Indonesia 1990 did not enter
United Arab Emirates 1992
Indonesia 1994 Fourth Place 6 2 2 2 8 8
South Korea 1996 did not enter
Thailand 1998 Group stage 4 1 0 3 6 13
Iran 2000 Champions 6 3 3 0 11 3
Qatar 2002 did not qualify
Malaysia 2004 Quarterfinals 4 3 0 1 7 1 Squad
India 2006 Quarterfinals 4 2 1 1 8 5 Squad
Saudi Arabia 2008 Group stage 3 1 0 2 3 5 Squad
China 2010 Group stage 3 0 0 3 1 7 Squad
United Arab Emirates 2012 Runners-up 6 4 2 0 10 3 Squad
Myanmar 2014 Group stage 3 1 1 1 8 3 Squad
Bahrain 2016 Quarterfinals 4 2 2 0 7 2 Squad
Indonesia 2018 Group stage 3 0 1 2 3 9 Squad
Uzbekistan 2023 Runners-up 6 2 2 2 6 5 Squad
Total Best: Champions 81 41 21 19 156 80

Arab Cup U-20 record

Arab Cup U-20
Year Result Pld W D L GF GA
Morocco 2011 Group stage 4 2 0 2 6 4
Jordan 2012 Group stage 3 0 1 2 6 9
Saudi Arabia 2020 Quarter-finals 4 1 1 2 3 3
Egypt 2021 Group stage 3 1 1 1 7 5
Saudi Arabia 2022 Group stage 2 0 0 2 1 5
Total Best: Quarter-finals 16 4 3 9 23 26


WAFF U-18 Championship record

WAFF U-18 Championship
Year Result Pld W D L GF GA
State of Palestine 2019 Champions 4 1 2 1 5 6
Iraq 2021 Champions 5 3 1 1 9 1
Total Best: Champions 9 4 3 2 14 7

Minor tournaments

Year Tournament Result GP W D L GF GA
Morocco 1983 Palestine Cup of Nations for Youth Champions 7 5 2 0 16 4
Jordan 1985 Al-Wehdat Championship Champions 3 2 1 0 4 2
Algeria 1985 Palestine Cup of Nations for Youth Third place 7 4 1 2 10 5
Iraq 1989 Palestine Cup of Nations for Youth Runners-up 6 4 0 2 11 5
Jordan 1990 Al-Wehdat Championship Champions 5 3 2 0 6 1
Jordan 2013 Jordan Friendly Quartet Championship Champions 3 3 0 0 5 1


Iraq Stars League

Season P W D L F A GD Pts Notes
1990–91 13 4 5 4 8 13 –5 13 Second half of season
1993–94 25 8 8 9 33 29 +4 24 First half of season; replaced by Babil

Honours

Titles

Fourth place: 2013
1st place, gold medalist(s) Champions (5): 1975*, 1977, 1978*, 1988, 2000 (* shared)
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runners-up (2): 2012, 2023
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Third place: 1982

Awards

See also

References

  1. ^ The-AFC.com - Iraq u20 the 2013 Asian Team of the Year
  2. ^ "إعلان قائمة منتخب العراق لبطولة غرب آسيا تحت 23 عاما".

External links

  • Official website
  • Official Iraq national football team on FIFA.com
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Iraq under-20 squads
  • v
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Iraq squad – 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup
  • 1 Abbas K. 
  • 2 Sajjad M. 
  • 3 Ali A. 
  • 4 Kadhim R. 
  • 5 Abdul-Razzak Q.  (c)
  • 6 Adam T. 
  • 7 Mohammed J. 
  • 8 Ismail A. 
  • 9 Mustafa Q. 
  • 10 Abdulqader A. 
  • 11 Ashar A. 
  • 12 Omran Z. 
  • 13 Abbas M. 
  • 14 Abbas F. 
  • 15 Abbas M. 
  • 16 Ali J. 
  • 17 Muslim M. 
  • 18 Ali S. 
  • 19 Sajjad
  • 20 Charbel S. 
  • 21 Hayder A. 
  • 22 Hussein H. 
  • 23 Abboud R. 
  • Coach: E. Mohammed
Iraq