South Korea beat Iraq 2-0 in Basra on Thursday to qualify for their 11th successive World Cup with a trip to North America in 2026. Kim Jin-gyu and Oh Hyeon-gyu scored the goals to ensure the Koreans will finish in the top two in Asian Group B with one qualifier to spare.

The match was part of the penultimate round of Group B in the final stage of the Asian Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. Such result also ensured another historic achievement: the qualification of Jordan,

Former Socceroos coach Graham Arnold remains confident he can guide Iraq to next year’s FIFA World Cup despite tasting defeat in his first game in charge of the Lions of Mesopotamia.