International Friendly: Iraq’s Spain Visit is a Measuring Stick

Spain vs Iraq

Two World Cup 2026 hopefuls – Spain and Iraq – are set to convene at the Riazor Stadium for an International Friendly on Thursday night, and these two nations couldn’t be any further apart. La Roja are ranked second in the FIFA rankings, while the Lions of Mesopotamia are down in 57th place. However, that won’t matter to either team when they prepare for the quadrennial tournament in June. 

Luis de la Fuente’s side qualified for the finals after topping Group E in the first round of the UEFA qualifiers, finishing ahead of Turkey, Georgia, and Bulgaria. In stark contrast, Graham Arnold’s men needed to go through the inter-confederation playoffs in April to secure their spot in North America after navigating through three different AFC qualification groups.

Spain are expected to win this game, but Iraq are determined to leave a lasting impression and build some momentum before they go their separate ways.

 

Talking Points

Yamal doubtful to play for Spain this midweek

Spain will have two friendlies before opening their World Cup 2026 campaign against Cape Verde. After hosting Iraq on Thursday, they’ll be jetting off to Mexico to take on Peru on Tuesday.

Given the short turnaround between games, head coach Luis de la Fuente won’t necessarily deploy his best team against inferior competition. Lamine Yamal is the obvious candidate to miss out since the Barcelona star is still nursing a hamstring injury, while the same can be said for Nico Williams (groin) and Mikel Merino (foot). However, many expect them to be available to play Cape Verde.

David Raya, Fabian Ruiz, and Martin Zubimendi might also take the day off after playing in the Champions League final last weekend. Unai Simon will likely take Raya’s spot in the starting XI. Atletico Madrid defender Marc Pubill is poised to make his international debut against Iraq, likely joining Pau Cubarsi or Eric Garcia at centre-half.

Rodri could also start to wear the captain’s armband, but de la Fuente shouldn’t play him the whole match. Gavi, Pedri, Ferran Torres, and Dani Olmo are also available for selection. Pedro Porro and Marc Cucurella could be given the nod to start as full-backs, and Mikel Oyarzabal and Yeremy Pino could start up front.

 

Hussein has a new running mate in Iraq

Aymen Hussein, with 33 goals in 93 caps, plans to continue to climb up Iraq’s all-time scoring list, and he has a chance to surpass Ali Kadhim (36 goals in 84 caps) in the next few days. The Mesopotamian Lions will need him to be productive in the World Cup, but at least he’ll have a stronger supporting cast this time.

Iraq recently called up Ali Al-Hamadi to become Hussein’s sidekick in the final third. The 24-year-old forward is determined to regain his mojo after scoring only one goal in 14 appearances for Luton Town while on loan from Ipswich Town.

 

History

Thursday marks only the second competitive meeting between Spain and Iraq. These two teams last met in Group A of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, where Spain won 1-0 in June, courtesy of David Villa’s second-half goal.

Spain have lost only one of their last 28 international matches across all competitions over the last 27 months (W22, D5), and that was on penalties against Portugal during the 2025 UEFA Nations League final last year. They’re unbeaten in their last 17 at home, though their last such match was a goalless draw against Egypt in March.

Since the appointment of Graham Arnold, Iraq have won nine of their last 14 international matches (D2, L3). They ended 2025 with losses to Algeria and Jordan, but responded with victories over Bolivia in the inter-confederation playoffs and Andorra in a friendly last month.

 

Betting Tip

The International Friendly 2026 odds have Spain as the overwhelming favourites to beat Iraq on Thursday night. La Roja are 1.05 favourites, whereas the Lions of Mesopotamia are massive 21.00 underdogs, and a draw is valued at 7.20 in the 1X2 market.

Given the sizeable gap between these two nations, Spain don’t have to do much to see this through. Even their B team can create enough International Friendly 2026 highlights for their home crowd to enjoy this midweek. 

Besides rooting for La Roja to win, SBOTOP punters can also add Over 3.50 at 1.75 and Total Goal 4-6 at 2.08 to the parlay. On the other hand, any Correct Score that has Iraq undefeated, such as 1-1, will yield at least 27.00 your bet. 

   

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