The Iraqi national team secured a thrilling 1-1 draw with European champions Spain in a friendly in La Coruña, seven days before the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Surprising the Iraqi defence

Spain entered the match with a significantly altered lineup, as their coach, Luis de la Fuente, opted to rest most of his key players, including Rodri, Pedri, Lamine Jamal, and Neco Williams. Meanwhile, Iraq's coach, Graham Arnold of Australia, also sought to assess his players' readiness, making 11 substitutions during the match.

Captain Ferran Torres opened the scoring in the 16th minute after a counter-attack, before Iraq equalised when Mirjas Dusque's cross deceived goalkeeper Juan García (27).

Torres had a chance to double the lead before half-time, but his shot rebounded off the crossbar (40).

At the start of the second half, substitute Jesús Rodríguez surprised the Iraqi defence with a powerful shot that went just wide of substitute goalkeeper Jalal Hassan's post (46).

New players

The match saw several new faces on the Spanish side, with many players making their debuts, including Marc Bernal, Juan Martín, Gonzalo García, Beñat Torrentes, Javi Guerra, Javi Rodríguez, and goalkeeper Leo Román.

Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino also returned to action after a lengthy injury layoff.

As the pace of the game slowed in the second half, Iraq managed to keep pace with Spain for most of the match, though neither side created any significant scoring opportunities.

Spain, who will play in Group H alongside Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay, are preparing to travel to their training camp in the United States, where they will begin their World Cup campaign in pursuit of their second title.

Second appearance in the World Cup finals

Meanwhile, Iraq played their second friendly in Spain after defeating Andorra 1-0 on May 29th, before heading to Chicago for their final warm-up match against Venezuela on the 9th of this month.

Iraq, making their second appearance in the World Cup finals after their 1986 debut, will play in Group I alongside France, Senegal, and Norway.