Live football Vietnam vs Iraq World Cup 2026 qualifiers

Vietnam vs Iraq lineup

Vietnam: Dang Van Lam, Vo Minh Trong, Phan Tuan Tai, Que Ngoc Hai, Nguyen Thanh Binh, Vu Van Thanh, Nguyen Tuan Anh, Nguyen Thai Son, Pham Tuan Hai, Nguyen Tien Linh, Nguyen Van Toan

Iraq: Jalal Hassan, Hussein Ali, Rebin Adhamat, Ali Adnan, Ibrahim Al Kaabawi, Ali Al Zubaidi, Bashar Resan, Ali Jasim, Aymen Hussein, Osamah Jabbar, Merchas Ghazi.

Vietnam vs Iraq Forces

The Vietnamese team is missing important players in defense such as Do Duy Manh and Doan Van Hau. In midfield, Nguyen Quang Hai cannot be present due to injury.

Que Ngoc Hai is fit to start after being rested in the match against the Philippines. Van Toan is hurt but it is not a serious injury and will not affect the striker's ability to play tonight.

Que Ngoc Hai returns after recovering from injury. (Photo: Minh Anh)

The Iraqi team is without some quality players such as Zidane Iqbal, Amjad Attwan, Saad Natiq, Ahmed Yasin or Alaa Abbas.

However, this team still has 10 players playing in Europe in the squad. In addition, 2 players who scored against the Vietnamese team at the 2019 Asian Cup are also present, Ali Adnan and Mohanad Ali.

Vietnam vs Iraq form

The Vietnamese team has won 4 and lost 3 times in the last 7 matches. In the first 3 friendly matches under coach Troussier, the Vietnamese team won all against Hong Kong (China), Syria and Palestine.

Vietnam team beat Philippines in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

In three friendly matches in October, Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates lost to China, Uzbekistan and South Korea. In the opening day of the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup, the Vietnamese team won against the Philippines.

On the other side of the front line, in 2023, the Iraqi team played a total of 12 matches. Coach Jesus Casas's team won 8, lost 3 and drew 1.

Iraq's three losses were against Russia, Colombia and Qatar. Iraq easily defeated Indonesia 5-1 in the first match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Vietnam vs Iraq Prediction

The Vietnamese team faced Iraq in the first home match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Asia. The victory over the Philippines helped coach Philippe Troussier and his team remove psychological knots.

Entering the official tournament amid the skeptical eyes of fans, Nguyen Van Toan and his teammates showed rapid progress after the preparation process of Coach Troussier. The Vietnamese team is not yet a cohesive unit, but the coherence in the playing style is gradually appearing.

The Vietnamese team showed many bright spots but still had problems. (Photo: VFF)

Against a deep-lying Philippines team, the Vietnamese team calmly controlled the ball and created many notable attacking situations. The important thing is that such moves were executed according to the "playbook" that Mr. Troussier wanted.

There were still moments of lapses in concentration in defense. Without Que Ngoc Hai, the young central defenders did not play well and left dangerous gaps for the home team's strikers to break through. The Vietnamese team had at least 2 situations to escape conceding goals.

That worry partly comes from the fact that the strikers could not take advantage of their opportunities. Van Toan, Tuan Hai and Tien Linh all had moments that made fans regretful. If they had adjusted their aim and been more effective, the Vietnamese team would have ended the match sooner.

These issues must be overcome when the Vietnamese team faces Iraq. The opponent from West Asia is of a different level than the Philippines. The 5-1 crushing victory over Indonesia in the first round is enough to demonstrate the strength of coach Jesus Casas and his team. Despite the absence of a few stars, the current Iraqi squad is still rated higher than the home team.

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