Iraq arrive at the 2026 World Cup ranked 44th in Sportsvyn's Power Rankings with a score of 4.16, placing them among the tournament's lower-seeded sides. Their 26-man squad carries a balanced shape — nine defenders, seven midfielders, and seven attackers — with Zidane Iqbal the most recognizable name in a midfield pool that otherwise draws heavily from domestic sources. The equal split between midfield and attack leaves the starting front line genuinely unsettled on the roster sheet, and how that seven-attacker pool resolves into a first eleven is the defining structural question entering Group I.

Iraq's group-stage opener falls on June 16 against Norway at Gillette Stadium. Norway arrive ranked 13th in Sportsvyn's Power Rankings with a score of 6.96 — 31 places and nearly three full rating points above Iraq — making this the steepest early-match ranking gap Iraq face in the group. The opener begins to answer one concrete question the squad data raises: can the seven-midfielder-and-attacker depth chart produce a cohesive attacking unit against a significantly higher-ranked side, or does the positional overcrowding translate into selection instability from the first whistle?