Iraq return to World Cup after 40 years and fans are dreaming: ‘Something historic is happening’

The sound carried across Boston Common long before the crowd came into view. First the steady thump of darbukas. Then the music booming through portable loudspeakers. Then the flashes of red, white and black as Iraqi flags emerged between the trees, alongside Assyrian and Kurdish symbols. On most summer afternoons, the Common is a place of routine, with tourists drifting between monuments, office workers crossing the grass and families seeking shade from the heat. But on Sunday, the oldest public park in the US belonged to Iraq. Hundreds of supporters gathered there on the eve of their country's World Cup match against Norway, transforming a space steeped in American history into the backdrop for a moment many Iraqi fans had waited generations to see. “It’s really big,” Abdul, who travelled from Canada for the game, told The National , as curious locals stopped to watch fans singing and chanting. “It was a dream when I was a child, it’s really amazing.” Earlier in the day, the first signs of Iraq's arrival could be found at Boston Logan International Airport. Arabic conversations echoed through the baggage claim hall as supporters in national team shirts collected suitcases and wheeled carts towards the exit. Some had travelled from across the US. Others had flown in from Canada and the Middle East. All had come to witness a moment many thought they may never see. Iraq's last appearance at a World Cup came in Mexico in 1986. The tournament yielded little success on the pitch, a group-stage exit and a single goal, but it became a touchstone for generations of Iraqi football supporters. Four decades later, a new team has the chance to write a different story. “I hope to win this time,” Samir Ishaf, who was alive to witness the previous campaign 40 years ago and travelled to Boston for the match with his son, told The National . Both draped in Iraqi flags amid the sea of supporters, the occasion carried added significance for Mr Ishaf, who is now able to share the experience with a new cohort of fans. “If Iraq win, I will be crazy,” he said. But the challenge will not be an easy one. Drawn alongside France, the two-time world champions, and Senegal, one of Africa's most formidable sides, Iraq enter the tournament as an underdog. But for many fans gathering in Boston, simply being here already feels significant. “Iraq is a big country, and we all come together, and we’re just happy,” added Abdul, who was set to celebrate his birthday on match day. Amid the chants, flag-waving and festive atmosphere, he said the occasion was already a memorable one for supporters who had travelled from across the world to be here. “It would be nice if we win tomorrow, too.” That win will have to come over Norway, another nation ending a long absence from football's biggest stage. Norway last qualified for a World Cup in 1998. Their return has been driven in part by the goals of Erling Haaland , the Manchester City striker whose scoring record has made him one of the most feared forwards in the game. Yet Norway's confidence may be tempered by the opening week of the tournament. Speaking before the match, head coach Stale Solbakken was asked about a series of surprise results that have seen smaller nations supposedly challenge more established opponents, such as Qatar, Australia and Cape Verde. “I’ve said all along that we’re favourites in the first match, but that doesn’t mean we’ll win,” he said. Earlier this month, Iraq’s head coach Graham Arnold , who has assumed national hero status by qualifying amid the war in Iran, appeared undaunted by the task at hand. “It's 11 human beings against 11 and we go out there, and as long as you go out there not scared to play, that you’re excited to play, then let's shock the world.” That attitude appears to have spread through the squad. At an open training session in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia , last week, midfielder Ahmed Qasem acknowledged Iraq's status as an outsider, but rejected the idea that the team had arrived simply to make up the numbers. “Nothing is impossible”, he said. “We need to play as a collective. I think that's the biggest key. I think everyone understands that to win these games, we need to play as a team.” For supporters such as Ayham Saeed, the optimism is impossible to ignore. The 31-year-old moved to the US with his family as refugees from Baghdad during the Iraq war. He now lives in Worcester, Massachusetts, home to a sizable Iraqi community. Like many Iraqis of his generation, Saeed will only have heard stories about the national team's appearance at the 1986 World Cup and has never witnessed it himself. He described the moment as significant not only for Iraq, but for the wider Middle East, a chance to project a different image of a country more often associated abroad with conflict than sport. “Something historic is happening right now,” he said. “It’s amazing … and I hope that we’re going to win.” App users: Click here to download the World Cup wall chart

Iraq return to World Cup after 40 years and fans are dreaming: ‘Something historic is happening’

From Boston Common to the stadium gates, supporters have arrived from around the world to witness a moment generations of Iraqis thought they would never see