The Iraq national football team formed in 1948. The team affiliated to FIFA in 1950 and the Asian Football Confederation in 1971. The team has managed to play at a high level despite the many years of unrest in the country.
Iraq first found major success in the 1980’s by qualifying for the 1986 Mexico world cup. The team had been steadily improving since the 1970’s and had won the Asian Games in 1982.
During the first Gulf War, the team slipped down the world rankings. Iraq fell out of the top one-hundred teams during Saddam Hussein’s reign, while Uday Hussein was in charge of the football association. Despite this, the team recorded their biggest ever win in 1996 by beating Bahrain 10-1.
The early years of the century brought a return to international success. The team once again began to compete and win in Asian tournaments. This came to a head in 2007 when the team won the Asian Cup. Just one year later the team was on the receiving end of a suspension from FIFA, which was later rescinded.
The roller-coaster ride of international football is still alive in Iraq. Government interference again caused a ban in 2009, although this was lifted in early 2010 when it was clear the football association was properly independent again.
