Are the United Arab Emirates eliminated from 2026 World Cup after loss to Iraq?

The United Arab Emirates fell to Iraq in a dramatic second leg in the final of the AFC 2026 World Cup Qualifiers playoffs. A late penalty awarded after a VAR review resulted in Amir Al-Ammari proving the difference for the hosts in Basra.

With this result, the UAE are no longer in contention for a 2026 World Cup berth. Instead, it’s Iraq who keep their hopes alive, as their 2-1 win has given them a ticket to the FIFA inter-confederation playoff for a World Cup spot next year.

Needless to say, this is as heartbreaking as it could’ve been for the UAE, who made a big effort in pursuit of a World Cup berth. They had made it to this stage after finishing the fourth round of the AFC Qualifiers as the Group A runners-up with three points, having beaten Oman before losing to Qatar, who won the group.

Iraq win dramatic series vs UAE for 2026 World Cup playoff spot

However, they knew how challenging this series could be. Iraq finished tied on points (4) and goal differential (+1) with Saudi Arabia in the fourth round, but having less goals scored (1 compared to Saudi Arabia’s 3) forced them to compete for a playoff spot.

The first leg in Abu Dhabi finished level, with Luanzinho cancelling out Ali Al-Hamadi’s opener. The second leg was also evenly-matched, with Caio Lucas breaking the deadlock after 52′ before Mohanad Ali made things level only 14 minutes later.

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In the end, a VAR review in stoppage time determined a handball inside UAE’s box, paving the way for Iraq’s game-winning penalty goal. While this leaves the UAE national team empty-handed, it allows Iraq to continue dreaming of a World Cup spot.

Iraq qualify for inter-confederation playoffs: How do they work?

Now, Iraq will switch their attention to the FIFA World Cup 26 Play-Off Tournament, where the final two tickets to the 2026 event in North America will be up for grabs.

This event, to be held in March 2026, will have six participant teams from five different confederations. Iraq will be the AFC representative, whereas Bolivia will be the Conmebol team, RD Congo the CAF side, and New Caledonia represent Oceania. The two Concacaf representatives will be known on Tuesday, Nov. 18.

These six teams will be split into two brackets of three teams, with both bracket winners qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The teams will be seeded into brackets based on their position at the FIFA World Ranking. Each bracket will include two unseeded teams facing each other in a semifinal, with the winner advancing to the final against a seeded team.