Iraq vs. Oman - prediction, team news, lineups

By Matt Law | 21 Sep 2026 09:14, Last updated: 21 Sep 2026 09:18

Iraq and Oman will lock horns in their Arabian Gulf Cup opener on Wednesday.

The duo are competing in Group A alongside Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and the top two in the section will advance to the semi-finals of the tournament which is being held in Saudi Arabia.

Iraq are competing in the Arabian Gulf Cup for the 18th time in their history, and the national side have won the competition on four occasions, with their last success coming in 2023.

Graham Arnold's side are competing in Group A alongside Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and they will be aiming to secure a top-two spot in the section in order to make the semi-finals.

Iraq have not been in action since competing at the 2026 World Cup, when they lost all three of their matches against Norway, France and Senegal to exit in the group stage.

The national side are on a four-game losing run, with their last success proving to be a 1-0 victory over Andorra in a friendly at the end of May.

The latest instalment of the Arabian Gulf Cup will conclude on October 6, with eight teams competing for glory, including United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Yemen in Group B.

Oman are actually more experienced than Iraq when it comes to this competition, as they prepare to play in the Arabian Gulf Cup for the 25th time.

The Reds are two-time winners, last triumphing in 2017-18, and they will enter this match in decent form, having won two of their last three games in all competitions.

Oman recorded a 4-1 victory over Mozambique in their last clash at the start of June, while their last competitive match ended in a 2-1 win against Comoros last December.

Tarik Sektioui's side will face Iraq on Wednesday before tackling Saudi Arabia on September 26 and Kuwait on September 29, with a top-two spot needed to advance to the semi-finals.

Iraq are expected to have Aymen Hussein at the tip of their attack on Wednesday, with the 30-year-old bidding to add to the 34 goals that he has scored for the national side.

Zidane Iqbal is set to be a notable starter, with the former Manchester United attacker in line to win his 29th cap for Iraq.

Sheffield Wednesday's Ali Al-Hamadi is also expected to feature from the first whistle.

As for Oman, no injury problems have been reported ahead of this match, so the Reds are expected to be in strong shape in terms of their squad.

Harib Al-Saadi remains an important figure for the national side, and the 36-year-old is in line to operate in central midfield for Oman in this contest.

Basil; Tahseen, Hashim, Doski, Saadoon; Iqbal, Bayesh, Qasem, Jasim; Al-Hamadi, Hussein

Al-Mukhaini; Al-Braiki, Al-Habashi, Al-Harthi, Al-Mamari; Al-Ghafri, Al-Kaabi, Al-Saadi, Al-Shahri; Al-Alawi, Al-Rushadi

Iraq have won the last three matches between the two sides, including a 1-0 success in their last clash in November 2024, and we are backing Arnold's team to secure the victory here.

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