Iraq have agreed a seven-month contract renewal with Graham Arnold, ensuring the Australian remains in charge of the national team despite their first-round exit from the 2026 World Cup.
The agreement will keep Arnold as coach for Iraq’s upcoming commitments, including the Gulf Cup and the AFC Asian Cup. It brings an end to uncertainty over his future after the team’s disappointing World Cup campaign.
Mohammed Nasser, the second deputy president of the Iraqi Football Association, confirmed the agreement in comments to the Iraqi News Agency on Wednesday.
Nasser said the federation had initially hoped to offer Arnold a four-year contract. However, Arnold’s preference at the start of negotiations was to sign a one-year deal. After a series of discussions, both sides settled on a seven-month extension, which the federation believes better matches the schedule of the team’s next competitions.
The contract has been signed provisionally by both parties, according to Nasser. The Iraqi Football Association is now completing its internal administrative procedures, with an official signing ceremony expected to take place in Baghdad in the coming period.
The agreement also contains penalty clauses designed to protect both sides. Nasser said the federation had taken care to ensure the contract safeguarded the interests of both the coaching staff and the association.
He declined to disclose the financial value of the deal, saying the monetary details were private and remained part of the confidential agreement between the two parties.
Arnold’s continuation represents a clear decision by the Iraqi Football Association to maintain its current direction, even though Iraq were eliminated in the opening phase of the 2026 World Cup. The Australian will now prepare the Lions of Mesopotamia for the Gulf Cup and the Asian Cup, the two main competitions identified in the new agreement.
Reports had previously suggested that Morocco manager Walid Regragui was a candidate to take charge of Iraq. Those claims have been ended by the federation’s agreement with Arnold, who will remain in the role for the next stage of the national team’s programme.
The seven-month term reflects the timetable of Iraq’s forthcoming fixtures rather than the longer contract the federation initially wanted to negotiate. Arnold had also initially sought a different arrangement, with the discussions eventually producing a compromise acceptable to both sides.
The official ceremony in Baghdad is still to be held, but the provisional signatures mean the main terms of Arnold’s continued appointment have already been agreed. The remaining work is administrative, with the federation expected to complete the formal process before the ceremony.
