Iraq national under-20 football team

The Iraq national under-20 football team represents Iraq in international football competitions in AFC U-20 Asian Cup which Iraq holds 5 titles, as well as any other international football tournaments. The team is controlled by the governing body for football in Iraq, Iraq Football Association (IFA).

Iraq Under-20

Nickname(s)	Usood al-Rafidayn (Lions of Mesopotamia)
Association	IFA
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation	WAFF
Head coach	Emad Mohammed
Captain	Amir Faisal
FIFA code	IRQ
First colours Second colours
First international
Iraq  3–1  Saudi Arabia (Ahwaz, Iran; 24 February 1974)
Biggest win
Iraq  15–0  Brunei (Buriram, Thailand; 25 September 2024)
Biggest defeat
Brazil  6–1  Iraq (Córdoba, Argentina; 20 June 2001)
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Appearances	5 (first in 1977)
Best result	Fourth Place (2013)
AFC U-20 Asian Cup
Appearances	17 (first in 1975)
Best result	Champions (1975, 1977, 1978, 1988, 2000)
Website	ifa.iq

The team has qualified five times for the FIFA U-20 World Cup, reaching fourth place in 2013.

Iraq U-20 have been awarded the AFC National Team of the Year award once in 2013, being the only U-20 team to win this award.^[1]

Recent results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Legend

  Win   Draw   Loss   Cancelled

2024

Iraq  v  Oman

2 June 2024 Friendly	Iraq	3–1	Oman	Baghdad, Iraq
	H. Qais 2' L. Dhia 30' Al-Shaabani 86'		Al-Masroori 54'	Stadium: Al-Shaab Stadium Referee: Mohammed Tariq

Iraq  v  Oman

5 June 2024 Friendly	Iraq	0–1	Oman	Baghdad, Iraq
			Al-Masroori 81'	Stadium: Al-Shaab Stadium

Iraq  v  Jordan

26 June 2024 (2024-06-26) 2024 WAFF U-19 Championship	Iraq	0–0	Jordan	Taif, Saudi Arabia
17:00 (UTC+3)		Report		Stadium: Okaz Club Stadium

Albania  v  Iraq

28 June 2024 (2024-06-28) 2024 WAFF U-19 Championship	Albania	1–1	Iraq	Taif, Saudi Arabia
17:00 (UTC+3)	67'		Fahim 59'	Stadium: Okaz Club Stadium

Lebanon  v  Iraq

30 June 2024 (2024-06-30) 2024 WAFF U-19 Championship	Lebanon	0–2	Iraq	Taif, Saudi Arabia
17:00 (UTC+3)			Qais 45+1' Haji 69' (pen.)	Stadium: Okaz Club Stadium

Iraq  v  Brunei

25 September 2025 AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualification	Iraq	15–0	Brunei	Buriram, Thailand
	Nawaf 15', 42', 45' Nouri 17', 32' Jaafar 27', 29' Faisal 39' (pen.), 60' Firdaus 50' (o.g.) Louay 56', 68', 87' Qais 74' Jasim 86'	Report		Stadium: Buriram City Stadium Referee: Crystal John

Philippines  v  Iraq

27 September 2025 AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualification	Philippines	0–2	Iraq	Thailand
--:-- UTC+7

Iraq  v  Thailand

29 September 2025 AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualification	Iraq	1–0	Thailand	Thailand
--:-- UTC+7

2025

Iraq  v  North Korea

13 February 2025 2025 AFC U-20 Asian Cup	Iraq	1–1	North Korea	Longhua Cultural and Sports Center, Shenzhen
15:00	Luay 32'	Report	Kim Jin-song 62'	Attendance: 266 Referee: Abdullah Jamali (Kuwait)

Saudi Arabia  v  Iraq

16 February 2025 2025 AFC U-20 Asian Cup	Saudi Arabia	0–1	Iraq	Bao'an Stadium, Shenzhen
19:30

Iraq  v  Jordan

19 February 2025 2025 AFC U-20 Asian Cup	Iraq	0–0	Jordan	Longhua Cultural and Sports Center, Shenzhen
15:00

Australia  v  Iraq

22 February 2025 2025 AFC U-20 Asian Cup	Australia	3–2	Iraq	Bao'an Stadium, Shenzhen
19:30

Players

Current squad

The following players were named in the squad for the 2025 AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualification.^[2]
Caps and goals correct as of 25 September 2024, after the game against Brunei

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Laith Sajid		0	0	Al-Shorta
12	1GK	Wissam Ali		4	0	Naft Al-Wasat
22	1GK	Ridha Mohammed		0	0
2	2DF	Mohammed Ghaleb	(2005-09-26)26 September 2005 (aged 18)	3	0	Al-Minaa
3	2DF	Mousa Alaa		4	0	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
4	2DF	Sajjad Hussein		0	0	Al-Karkh
6	2DF	Hussein Fahim		6	1	Al-Karkh
13	2DF	Hassan Emad		1	0	Duhok
14	2DF	Ali Kareem		5	0	Al-Kahrabaa
17	2DF	Muslim Mousa	(2005-03-11)11 March 2005 (aged 19)	16	1	Al-Minaa
5	3MF	Yousef Qasim		0	0
10	3MF	Amir Faisal	(2005-05-01)1 May 2005 (aged 18)	6	2	Al-Kahrabaa
11	3MF	Mustafa Nawaf	(2005-05-05)5 May 2005 (aged 18)	6	3	Al-Zawraa
15	3MF	Ali Mokhalad		6	0	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
16	3MF	Moammel Mahmoud		2	0	Naft Al-Wasat
18	3MF	Sidad Haji		4	3	Zakho
21	3MF	Laith Dhia		6	0	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
7	4FW	Mohammed Jameel		19	3	Al-Hudood
8	4FW	Halgurd Qais		6	3	Erbil
9	4FW	Ali Akbar Taher	(2006-12-30) 30 December 2006 (age 18)	5	0	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
19	4FW	Ahmed Jasim		5	1	Al-Naft
20	4FW	Karrar Jaafar	(2006-04-26)26 April 2006 (aged 17)	1	2	Al-Minaa
23	4FW	Ayman Louay		6	4

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up within the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Sajjad Nayef		1	0	Al-Talaba	v.  Oman, June 2024
GK	Hussein Hassan	(2002-11-15) 15 November 2002 (age 22)	16	0	Al-Karkh	2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
GK	Abbas Kareem	(2003-11-15) 15 November 2003 (age 21)	3	0	Al-Shorta	2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
GK	Omran Zaky	(2004-08-02) 2 August 2004 (age 21)	0	0	Zakho	2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
DF	Sajjad Fadhil	(2004-05-05) 5 May 2004 (age 21)	9	0	Al-Zawraa	2024 WAFF U-23 Championship
DF	Sajjad Mahdi	(2003-02-25) 25 February 2003 (age 22)	15	0	Al-Zawraa	2024 WAFF U-23 Championship
DF	Kadhim Raad Hatem	(2003-03-05) 5 March 2003 (age 22)	16	0	Al-Zawraa	2024 WAFF U-23 Championship
DF	Adam Rasheed	(2006-07-10) 10 July 2006 (age 19)	13	0	Maribor	2024 WAFF U-23 Championship
DF	Alai Ghasem	(2003-02-16) 16 February 2003 (age 22)	8	1	Newroz	2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
DF	Roman Doulashi	(2005-08-07) 7 August 2005 (age 20)	7	0	Roda U-21	2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
DF	Abbas Manie	(2003-01-11) 11 January 2003 (age 22)	2	0	Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya	2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
MF	Ali Sadiq	(2003-02-13) 13 February 2003 (age 22)	15	1	Al-Zawraa	2024 WAFF U-23 Championship
MF	Hayder Abdulkareem	(2004-08-07) 7 August 2004 (age 21)	15	3	Al-Zawraa	2024 WAFF U-23 Championship
MF	Abbas Majed	(2003-10-29) 29 October 2003 (age 21)	6	0	Al-Hudood	2024 WAFF U-23 Championship
MF	Alexander Aoraha	(2003-01-17) 17 January 2003 (age 22)	5	0	Queens Park Rangers U21	2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
MF	Abdulrazzaq Qasim	(2003-02-19) 19 February 2003 (age 22)	16	2	Al-Shorta	2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
FW	Ali Hayder	(2005-10-01)1 October 2005 (aged 18)	5	1	Macclesfield	v.  Oman, June 2024
FW	Arian Amyn	(2006-11-01) 1 November 2006 (age 18)	1	0	Alemannia Aachen	v.  Oman, June 2024
FW	Abbas Fadhil	(2003-07-13) 13 July 2003 (age 22)	13	1	Naft Maysan	2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
FW	Abdulqader Ayoub	(2003-07-23) 23 July 2003 (age 22)	12	2	Al-Nasiriya	2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
FW	Youssef Amyn	(2003-08-21) 21 August 2003 (age 21)	5	1	Al-Wehda	2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
FW	Ashar Ali	(2003-09-24) 24 September 2003 (age 21)	15	3	Amanat Baghdad	2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
FW	Ali Jassim	(2004-01-20) 20 January 2004 (age 21)	9	2	Como	2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
FW	Mohammed Emad Mohammed	unknown	1	1	Al-Karkh	2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup
PRE Part of the preliminary squad INJ Player injured CLB Player refused by club or unable to attend due to club commitments U23 Player moved up to the Olympic team WD Player withdrew for non-injury related reasons UNK Unknown when the player was last with the squad

Coaching staff

Position	Name	Nationality
Head coach:	Emad Mohammed
Assistant coach:	Haidar Abdul-Jabar
Assistant coach:	Ahmed Wali
Assistant coach:	Ehsan Turki
Goalkeeper coach:	Nouri Abid Zaid
Fitness coach:	Waleed Jumaa
Technical analyst:	Muntadher Mujbel
Physiotherapist:	Falah Jassim
Physiotherapist:	Ahmed Khaseif
Managing Director:	Mohammed Nasser Shakroun
Technical Supervisor:	Khalaf Jalal
Team Manager:	Qahtan Al-Maliki
Media Coordinator:	Nadeem Kareem

Updated to match played April 2023
Source:^{[citation needed]}

Head coach history

Head coaches by years (2000–present)

As of 31 March 2024

Name	Period	Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %	Achievements
Thair Jassam	2000	10	4	3	3	040.00
Adnan Hamad	2000	8	4	4	0	050.00	2000 AFC Youth Championship: Champions 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship: Group Stage
Nazar Ashraf	2001	2	0	1	1	000.00
Adnan Hamad	2001	7	3	0	4	042.86
Nasrat Nassir	2001–2002	9	5	2	2	055.56
Ahmed Radhi	2002	3	2	0	1	066.67
Akram Salman	2003	0	0	0	0	!—
Hadi Mutanash	2004	0	0	0	0	!—
Abdelilah Abdul-Hamid	2005–2006	0	0	0	0	!—
Kadhim Al-Rubaie	2007	0	0	0	0	!—
Hakim Shaker	2008	12	3	5	4	025.00
Hassan Ahmed	2009–2010	11	4	1	6	036.36
Hakim Shaker	2011–2013	42	23	8	11	054.76	2012 AFC U-19 Championship: Runner-up 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup: Fourth Place AFC National Team of the Year
Muwafaq Hussein	2013	2	1	1	0	050.00
Rahim Hameed	2014	5	2	1	2	040.00
Abbas Attiya	2015–2016	13	7	6	0	053.85
Qahtan Chathir	2017–2021	26	8	9	9	030.77	2019 WAFF U-18 Championship: Champions
Emad Mohammed	2021–2024	25	10	6	9	040.00	2021 WAFF U-18 Championship: Champions 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup: Runner-up 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup: Group Stage
Ehsan Turki	2024–	3	0	1	2	000.00

Competitive record

FIFA U-20 World Cup

FIFA U-20 World Cup record Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad 1977 Group stage 11th 3 1 0 2 6 8 Squad 1979 Qualified but Withdrew 1981 Did not qualify 1983 1985 1987 1989 Quarterfinals 6th 4 3 0 1 5 2 Squad 1991 Did not qualify 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 Group stage 19th 3 1 0 2 5 9 Squad 2003 Did not qualify 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 Fourth place 4th 7 3 3 1 11 11 Squad 2015 Did not qualify 2017 2019 2023 Group stage 21st 3 0 1 2 0 7 Squad 2025 Did not qualify Total Fourth place 5/24 20 8 4 8 27 37 —

FIFA U-20 World Cup history Year Round Score Result 1977 Group stage  Iraq 1–3  Soviet Union Loss Group stage  Iraq 5–1  Austria Win Group stage  Iraq 0–4  Paraguay Loss 1989 Group stage  Iraq 1–0  Norway Win Group stage  Iraq 2–0  Spain Win Group stage  Iraq 1–0  Argentina Win Quarterfinals  Iraq 1–2  United States Loss 2001 Group stage  Iraq 3–0  Canada Win Group stage  Iraq 1–6  Brazil Loss Group stage  Iraq 1–3  Germany Loss 2013 Group stage  Iraq 2–2  England Draw Group stage  Iraq 2–1  Egypt Win Group stage  Iraq 2–1  Chile Win Round of 16  Iraq 1–0 (a.e.t.)  Paraguay Win Quarterfinals  Iraq 3–3 (a.e.t.)(pen 5-4)  South Korea Draw Semifinals  Iraq 1–1 (a.e.t.)(pen 6-7)  Uruguay Draw 3rd Place  Iraq 0–3  Ghana Loss 2023 Group stage  Iraq 0–4  Uruguay Loss Group stage  Iraq 0–3  Tunisia Loss Group stage  Iraq 0–0  England Draw

AFC U-20 Asian Cup record

AFC U-20 Asian Cup
Year	Result	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
1975	Champions	6	5	1	0	18	1
1976	Quarter-finals	4	3	1	0	13	1
1977	Champions	5	5	0	0	19	4
1978	Champions	6	4	2	0	20	2
1980	did not enter
1982	Third Place	3	1	0	2	4	5
1985	did not qualify
1986
1988	Champions	5	2	3	0	5	3
1990	did not enter
1992
1994	Fourth Place	6	2	2	2	8	8
1996	did not enter
1998	Group stage	4	1	0	3	6	13
2000	Champions	6	3	3	0	11	3
2002	did not qualify
2004	Quarterfinals	4	3	0	1	7	1	Squad
2006	Quarterfinals	4	2	1	1	8	5	Squad
2008	Group stage	3	1	0	2	3	5	Squad
2010	Group stage	3	0	0	3	1	7	Squad
2012	Runners-up	6	4	2	0	10	3	Squad
2014	Group stage	3	1	1	1	8	3	Squad
2016	Quarterfinals	4	2	2	0	7	2	Squad
2018	Group stage	3	0	1	2	3	9	Squad
2023	Runners-up	6	2	2	2	6	5	Squad
2025	Quarterfinals	4	1	2	1	4	4	Squad
Total	Best: Champions	85	42	23	20	160	84

Arab Cup U-20 record Arab Cup U-20 Year Result Pld W D L GF GA 2011 Group stage 4 2 0 2 6 4 2012 Group stage 3 0 1 2 6 9 2020 Quarter-finals 4 1 1 2 3 3 2021 Group stage 3 1 1 1 7 5 2022 Group stage 2 0 0 2 1 5 Total Best: Quarter-finals 16 4 3 9 23 26

WAFF U-18 Championship record WAFF U-18 Championship Year Result Pld W D L GF GA 2019 Champions 4 1 2 1 5 6 2021 Champions 5 3 1 1 9 1 Total Best: Champions 9 4 3 2 14 7

Minor tournaments Year Tournament Result GP W D L GF GA 1983 Palestine Cup of Nations for Youth Champions 7 5 2 0 16 4 1985 Al-Wehdat Championship Champions 3 2 1 0 4 2 1985 Palestine Cup of Nations for Youth Third place 7 4 1 2 10 5 1989 Palestine Cup of Nations for Youth Runners-up 6 4 0 2 11 5 1990 Al-Wehdat Championship Champions 5 3 2 0 6 1 2013 Jordan Friendly Quartet Championship Champions 3 3 0 0 5 1

Iraq Stars League Season P W D L F A GD Pts Notes 1990–91 13 4 5 4 8 13 –5 13 Second half of season 1993–94 25 8 8 9 33 29 +4 24 First half of season; replaced by Babil

Honours

Titles

• FIFA U-20 World Cup

Fourth place: 2013

• AFC U-20 Asian Cup

Champions (5): 1975*, 1977, 1978*, 1988, 2000 (* shared)

Runners-up (2): 2012, 2023

Third place: 1982

Awards

• AFC National Team of the Year: 2013

See also

• Iraq national football team
• Iraq national under-23 football team
• Iraq national under-17 football team