World Cup Qualifiers: Iraq Beats Oman and Boosts Its Chances of Qualification

Iraq won 1-0 against host Oman in the sixth round of Group B in the third round of the 2026 AFC World Cup qualifiers, held at Sultan Qaboos Stadium in Muscat on Tuesday.

Iraq moved up to second place with 11 points from 6 matches, 3 points behind South Korea, who had previously drawn 1-1 with Palestine, and 3 points ahead of Jordan in third place, who have only played 5 matches.

Oman’s points remained at 6, placing them in fourth position.

In the first half, Iraq dominated the match, with striker Ayman Hussein scoring in the 15th minute, but the goal was disallowed for offside.

Iraq scored the winning goal in the 36th minute after a precise low cross from Ahmed Yassin, which Yusuf Amin finished by placing the ball to the right of Omani goalkeeper Ibrahim Al-Mukhaini. The goalkeeper managed to touch the ball but couldn’t stop it from going into the net.

Al-Mukhaini was replaced by Fayez Al-Rasheedi at the start of the second half.

Jordan will later play as guests of the Kuwaiti national team.