Iraq national under-23 football team

After 16 years without participation, Iraq qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics after winning the 2004 Olympic Asian Qualifiers under head coach Adnan Hamad and were scheduled to play against Costa Rica, Morocco and Portugal in the group stages. At the Olympics Iraq started with a shocking 4–2 win against Portugal. That was followed by a 2–0 win against Costa Rica and a 2–1 loss to Morocco. The quarter-finals saw them beat Australia 1–0, and in the semi-final against Paraguay, Iraq lost 3–1. In the bronze medal match, Iraq lost 1–0 to Italy and finished fourth.

Iraq line-up before a match with Brazil at the 2016 Rio Olympics

Iraq qualified for the 2016 Olympics by clinching third place at the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship. The first game saw Iraq play against Denmark, and the score turned out as a 0–0 draw, despite Iraq having 18 shots in the match. The second game was played against the hosts and pre-tournament favourites, Brazil, which also ended up as a 0–0 draw, which was hailed as a great result for Iraq. In the third game, Iraq tied South Africa 1–1, despite having a huge 29 shots in the match. This result, coupled with Denmark's defeat to Brazil, saw Iraq get eliminated at the group stage. Brazil eventually went on to win the tournament.

Iraq's first major honour on U-23 level was the 2013 AFC U-22 Championship. The tournament started with a 3–1 win against Saudi Arabia. That was followed by a 2–1 win against Uzbekistan and a 1–0 win against China. The quarter-finals saw them beat Japan 1–0, and the semi-final against favourites Korea Republic with another 1–0 win.

The final was against local rivals Saudi Arabia, and Mohannad Abdul-Raheem scored the only goal to win the tournament for Iraq. This victory secured Iraq's first Asian Cup U-23 title.

The 2016 AFC U-23 Championship final tournament is to be held in Qatar from 12–30 January 2016. Iraq qualified for the tournament by topping the group in the qualification stage in Oman in March 2015.

Iraq advanced from the group stage, beating Yemen 2–0, Uzbekistan 3–2, and a 1–1 tie with South Korea. In the quarterfinals, Iraq beat UAE 3–1 in extra time to progress to the semifinals. Iraq lost 2–1 to Japan.

In the third place match, Iraq came back from behind to beat Qatar 2–1 to qualify for 2016 Olympics.

Iraq qualified for the 3rd tournament by topping the group in the qualification stage in Saudi Arabia in July 2017.

In the final tournament, with the defending champion Japan not bringing their strongest squad and South Korea fielded a relatively inexperienced squad, Iraq had many chances to repeat 2013 success. In the group stage, they finished at the top of the group after beating Malaysia 4–1 and Jordan 1–0, with a 0–0 draw against Saudi Arabia. Iraq advanced into the quarter-final as the first seed of group C and was scheduled to face off against Vietnam, which was widely regarded to be Iraq's easiest ever opponent in this stage, boosting the enthusiasm among Iraqis. However, thing didn't go as planned, which an unexpected 3–3 draw after extra time meant that the result would be settled via a penalty shoot-out, in which Vietnam emerged victorious with the score of 5–3, thus eliminating Iraq from the tournament in the shock of its supporters.

Iraq qualified for the tournament by topping the group in the qualification stage in Iran in March 2019.

In the final tournament held in Thailand, Iraq was grouped in group A together with host Thailand, a resurgence Australia and the unknown Bahrain. For the first time, Iraq did not make it out of the group stage, drawing all three games.

Iraq were drawn with Jordan, Australia and Kuwait.

Iraq pulled back the equaliser through Wakaa Ramadan to draw with Jordan 1-1 in the opening matchday, before drawing again to a 10-man Australia side through a Hasan Abdulkareem volley cancelling out a scorpion kick goal scored by Alou Kuol. Needing a win to qualify for the quarter-finals, Iraq came back from a goal down to beat Kuwait 3-1 thanks to goals scored by Muntadher Mohammed, Moammel Abdulridha and Mohammed Al-Baqer.

Iraq qualified out of Group B as runner-up, only behind Australia, so they were drawn against the winner of Group A, hosts Uzbekistan. The game went to extra time and later, penalties. Merchas Doski and Ahmed Naeem converted their penalties while Uzbekistan's second penalty was saved by Hassan Ahmed. However, Wakaa Ramadan hit the post, Moammel Abdulridha had his tame penalty saved and Hasan Abdulkareem blazed his penalty over the bar, while Uzbekistan converted their last three penalties to win 3-2 on penalties and advance to the semi-finals.

Iraq were drawn into a group alongside Thailand, Tajikistan, and Saudi Arabia.

In the first match, Thailand emerged victorious with a stunning 2-0 win over Iraq. Determined to redeem themselves, Iraq defeated Tajikistan and Saudi Arabia in emphatic fashion, securing their place as group winners. Iraq faced Vietnam in the quarterfinals, and in a fiercely contested match, secured a hard-fought victory, booking their ticket to the semifinals. However, Iraq succumbed to a 2-0 defeat against Japan in the semifinals.

In the playoff for third place, Iraq faced Indonesia in a showdown for bronze. Demonstrating their resilience once again, Iraq emerged victorious, securing a 2-1 win and clinched third place in the tournament. This remarkable achievement also earned them a coveted spot in the 2024 Olympics.

The following 23 players were named in the final squad for the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup.
Caps and goals correct as of 2 May 2024 after game against Indonesia
Match details of the following matches are not known, thus excluded: Oman (2023), UAE, Japan (2024).

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Kumel Al-Rekabe	(2004-08-19) 19 August 2004	10	0	Naft Al-Basra
12	1GK	Hassan Abbas	(2001-01-01) 1 January 2001	3	0	Amanat Baghdad
22	1GK	Hussein Hassan	(2002-11-15) 15 November 2002	7	0	Al-Karkh
2	2DF	Josef Al-Imam	(2004-07-27) 27 July 2004	17	0	Malmö
3	2DF	Ahmed Maknzi	(2001-09-24) 24 September 2001	17	1	Erbil
4	2DF	Zaid Tahseen	(2001-01-29) 29 January 2001	23	2	Al-Talaba
5	2DF	Hussein Amer	(2002-04-28) 28 April 2002	12	0	Naft Maysan
6	2DF	Roman Doulashi	(2005-08-07) 7 August 2005	1	0	Schalke 04
17	2DF	Mustafa Saadoon	(2001-05-25) 25 May 2001	17	2	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
20	2DF	Halo Fayaq	(2001-05-23) 23 May 2001	3	1	Erbil
23	2DF	Karrar Saad	(2001-03-07) 7 March 2001	20	1	Al-Talaba
25	2DF	Hassan Khalid	(2003-05-21) 21 May 2003	2	1	Al-Karkh
7	3MF	Ali Jassim	(2004-01-20) 20 January 2004	13	9	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
8	3MF	Ali Almosawe	(2002-01-28) 28 January 2002	13	2	Estrela Amadora
9	3MF	Blnd Hassan	(2003-08-12) 12 August 2003	13	4	De Graafschap
10	3MF	Nihad Mohammed	(2001-01-01) 1 January 2001	17	0	Al-Talaba
11	3MF	Muntadher Mohammed	(2001-06-05) 5 June 2001	26	3	Mes Rafsanjan
14	3MF	Karrar Mohammed Al-Mukhtar	(2002-05-28) 28 May 2002	22	0	Al-Talaba
16	3MF	Muntadher Abdul-Amir	(2001-10-06) 6 October 2001	24	1	Al-Zawraa
21	3MF	Zaid Ismael	(2002-03-01) 1 March 2002	13	0	Al-Talaba
15	4FW	Amin Al-Hamawi	(2003-12-17) 17 December 2003	9	1	Helsingborgs
18	4FW	Ridha Fadhil	(2001-04-01) 1 April 2001	16	6	Amanat Baghdad
19	4FW	Salem Ahmad	(2002-03-24) 24 March 2002	3	0	Al-Minaa

The following players have been called up within 12 months

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Mohammed Hasan	(2002-07-30) 30 July 2002	2	0	Al-Talaba	Training camp, January 2024
GK	Jaafar Shnaishel		0	0	Al-Minaa	Training camp, January 2024
GK	Ahmed Shaker	(1998-09-19) 19 September 1998	0	0	Al-Karkh	Training camp, November 2023
GK	Ridha Abdulaziz		2	0	Al-Najaf	Training camp, October 2023
DF	Adam Rasheed	(2006-07-10) 10 July 2006	1	0	Torino Primavera	Training camp, January 2024
DF	Mujtaba Saleh		2	0	Al-Karkh	Training camp, January 2024
DF	Abdulrahman Zaid		0	0	Duhok	Training camp, January 2024
DF	Mustafa Walid	(2002-04-28) 28 April 2002	8	1	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	Training camp, November 2023
DF	Kadhim Raad Hatem	(2003-03-05) 5 March 2003	8	0	Al-Zawraa	Training camp, November 2023
DF	Alai Ghasem	(2003-02-16) 16 February 2003	0	0	AFC Eskilstuna	2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualificationPRE INJ
DF	Mustafa Saleh	(2004-04-27) 27 April 2004	2	0	Unattached
DF	Amir Nadeem		3	0	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualificationPRE
DF	Hussein Ali	(2002-03-01) 1 March 2002	0	0	Heerenveen	2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualificationIRQ
MF	Mohammed Haitham		0	0	Al-Jolan	2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup INJ
MF	Ako Hzair	(2002-01-01) 1 January 2002	1	0	Duhok	Training camp, January 2024
MF	Baqer Attwan	(2002-01-20) 20 January 2002	2	0	Al-Hudood	Training camp, January 2024
MF	Amir Hassan		0	0	Al-Najaf	Training camp, January 2024
MF	Nour Al-Mustafa Ghanim		0	0	Karbala	Training camp, January 2024
MF	Alexander Aoraha	(2003-01-17) 17 January 2003	12	5	Queens Park Rangers U21	Training camp, November 2023
MF	Marko Farji	(2004-03-16) 16 March 2004	7	0	Strømsgodset	Training camp, November 2023
MF	Amir Faisal	(2005-05-01) 1 May 2005	5	1	Al-Kahrabaa	Training camp, October 2023
MF	Ali Sadiq	(2003-02-13) 13 February 2003	0	0	Al-Zawraa	2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualificationPRE
MF	Hayder Abdulkareem	(2004-08-07) 7 August 2004	0	0	Al-Zawraa	2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualificationPRE
MF	Ameer Ahmed		6	0	Al-Naft	2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualificationPRE
	Hayder Adel		2	0	Al-Shorta	2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualificationPRE
MF	Mohammed Khudhair		0	0	Al-Minaa	2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualificationPRE
MF	Ali Shakhwan	(2002-09-30) 30 September 2002	0	0	Erbil	2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualificationWD
MF	Zidane Iqbal	(2003-04-27) 27 April 2003	3	1	Utrecht	2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualificationIRQ
FW	Omar Abdul-Mujbas		0	0	Al-Jolan	2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup INJ
FW	Hussein Abdullah	(2001-01-01) 1 January 2001	16	12	Al-Talaba	Training camp, January 2024
FW	Zidane Abduljabbar	(2000-06-03) 3 June 2000	11	0	Erbil	Training camp, January 2024
FW	Siyaband Ageed	(2001-06-03) 3 June 2001	3	1	Duhok	Training camp, January 2024
FW	Sajjad Alaa		0	0	Al-Minaa	Training camp, January 2024
FW	Karrar Alaa	(2001-01-27) 27 January 2001	1	1	Al-Qasim	Training camp, January 2024
FW	Dhulfiqar Younis	(2001-05-27) 27 May 2001	8	3	Duhok	Training camp, November 2023
FW	Ammar Ghalib	(2001-03-14) 14 March 2001	3	0	Al-Naft	2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualificationIRQ
FW	Jafar Naser	(2003-11-03) 3 November 2003	0	0	Naft Maysan	2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualificationPRE
FW	Youssef Amyn	(2003-08-21) 21 August 2003	0	0	Eintracht Braunschweig	2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualificationPRE CLB
FW	Ali Al-Hamadi	(2002-03-01) 1 March 2002	0	0	Ipswich Town	2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualificationIRQ
FW	Ali Mohammad Hatem	(2002-11-08) 8 November 2002	0	0	Las Rozas B	2023 WAFF U-23 Championship
PRE Part of the preliminary squad INJ Player injured CLB Player refused by club or unable to attend due to club commitments IRQ Player moved up to the first team OVR Player overaged and ineligible to represent this age group WD Player withdrew for non-injury related reasons

Bold indicates winning squads

Football at the Summer Olympics, the Asian Games and the Islamic Solidarity Games have required that under-23 players enter the competitions, but they have allowed three overage players to be included in one squad. These three players are called the "wild cards".

Summer Olympics record											Qualification record
Year	Result	Position	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		GP	W	D	L	GF	GA
1900–1988	See Iraq national football team
1992	did not enter										did not enter
1996	did not qualify										9	4	3	2	14	8
2000											4	1	2	1	7	10
2004	Fourth place	4th	6	3	0	3	9	8	Squad		10	5	1	4	17	12
2008	did not qualify										12	6	5	1	21	8
2012											8	3	2	3	7	7
2016	Group stage	12th	3	0	3	0	1	1	Squad		10	7	2	1	27	11
2020	did not qualify										6	2	4	0	11	4
2024	Qualified										9	6	1	2	30	10
2028	to be determined										to be determined
2032
Total	Fourth place	2/8	9	3	3	3	10	9	—		68	34	20	14	134	70

• Prior to the Barcelona 1992 campaign, the Football at the Summer Olympics was open to full senior national teams.

AFC U-23 Asian Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Result	Position	GP	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad		GP	W	D	L	GF	GA
2013	Champions	1st	6	6	0	0	9	2	Squad		5	3	2	0	12	3
2016	Third place	3rd	6	4	1	1	12	7	Squad		4	3	1	0	15	4
2018	Quarter-finals	6th	4	2	2	0	8	4	Squad		3	3	0	0	12	1
2020	Group stage	10th	3	0	3	0	4	4	Squad		3	2	1	0	7	0
2022	Quarter-finals	6th	4	1	3	0	7	5	Squad		2	2	0	0	7	0
2024	Third place	3rd	6	4	0	2	9	8	Squad		3	2	1	0	21	2
2026	To be determined										To be determined
Total	Champions	6/6	29	17	9	3	49	30	—		20	15	5	0	74	10

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Asian Games record
Year	Result	Position	GP	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad
1951–1998	See Iraq national football team
2002	Banned due to Gulf War
2006	Runners-up	2nd	9	6	1	2	17	3	Squad
2010	Did not enter
2014	Third place	3rd	7	6	0	1	18	4	Squad
2018	Withdrew
2022	Did not enter
Total	Runners-up	2/5	16	12	1	3	35	7	—

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

• Summer Olympics

Fourth place: 2004

• AFC U-23 Asian Cup

Winners: 2013

Third place: 2016, 2024

• Asian Games

Runners-up: 2006

Third place: 2014

• WAFF U-23 Championship

Winners: 2023

• Stafford Challenge Cup

Winners: 1990

• International Friendship Tournament (Abha)

Winners: 2003[1]