Pre-World Cup 2026 friendlies: Iraq-Venezuela, likely lineups
The friendly match between Iraq and Venezuela will be played at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois, on the Italian night between Tuesday and Wednesday at 3 a.m. Italian time. The Middle Eastern national team approaches its historic second World Cup appearance in a completely different spirit than its 1986 debut, which ended with three defeats. The selection led by Australian Arnold pulled off the pass by overcoming Bolivia 2-1 in the playoffs (signatures of Al Hamadi and Hussein) and confirmed the excellent moment with indicative tests: after the narrow success over Andorra thanks to Yousif, came the prestigious 1-1 in La Coruña against Spain signed Doski, a result that certifies the team’s ambitions. The bar, however, will be raised sharply in the very tricky Group I: debut on June 16 against Haaland’s Norway, before crossing paths with France on the 22nd and Senegal on the 26th.
On the opposite front, having soothed the disappointment of only narrowly missing out on a historic World Cup qualifier, Venezuela already has its sights set on the journey to the 2030 edition. The Vinotinto’s recent path has been marked by ups and downs: missteps against Argentina (0-1) and Canada (0-2) were alternated with victories over Australia (1-0) and Trinidad and Tobago (4-1), as well as a penalty shootout loss to Uzbekistan in late March in the FIFA Series. In the last test match last June 7, the team succumbed 2-1 to Turkey, failing to defend the initial lead sealed by Mendoza before the comeback signed by Yilmaz and Akgun.
Chancellor Arnold proposes a 4-4-2 with Hassan between the posts, reconfirming on the left-hand lane Doski, in goal against Spain, while on the right out is Ali ready. The picks on the offensive lanes are Bayesh and Farji with former Manchester United Iqbal acting in the middle of the field. Up front ready is Al Hamadi supported by Ali Jasim.
Vinotinto with Contreras between the posts, Ferraresi and Makoun as central defenders, Casseres and Herrera lined up in front of the defense, with the offensive trident consisting of Mendoza and Martinez wider, while Segovia will be in the center supporting forward Ramirez.
Probable lineups
IRAQ (4-4-2): Hassan; Ali, Tahseen, Hashem, Doski; Bayesh, Iqbal, Al Ammari, Farji; Al Hamadi, Jasim. Ct: Arnold.
VENEZUELA (4-2-3-1): Contreras; Aramburu, Ferraresi, Makoun, Quintero; Casseres, Herrera; Martinez, Segovia, Mendoza; Ramirez Diaz. Ct: Vizcarrondo.
