LIVE Iraq – United Arab Emirates, decisive match for Cosmin Olăroiu in the play-off for the World Cup
Article by Maria Olteanu – Published Tuesday, November 18, 2025, 1:59 p.m. / Updated Tuesday, November 18, 2025 2:00 p.m.
United Arab Emiratesthe team led by the Romanian Cosmin Olăroiu (56 years old), plays this evening the second leg of the play-off for the inter-confederations play-off of the 2026 World Championship, against the representative from Iraq. The match will start at 18:00 and will be broadcast in liveTEXT format on GSP.ro.
In the round leg, from a week ago, the two national teams they finished tied, score 1-1. The second leg takes place in Basrah, in Iraq, and if Cosmin Olăroiu's team fails to prevail, they will lose any chance of qualifying for the final tournament.
LIVE from 18:00 » Iraq – United Arab Emirates
Iraq – United Arab Emirates, probable teams
Iraq: Hachim J. – Al Ammari, Al Hamadi, Ali H., Doski, Farji, Hashem, Jasim, Meme, Sher, Tahseen
Coach: Graham Arnold
United Arab Emirates: Eisa – Adil S., Amaral, Gimenez, Luan Pereira, Meloni, Nader Y., Pimenta Peres Lopes, Ramadan A., Suhail H., Zouhir
Coach: Cosmin Olăroiu
How the UAE qualify for the 2026 World Cup
The winning team after the UAE v Iraq double leg will qualify for the inter-confederation play-offs, where the last two tickets to next summer's final tournament will be awarded.
6 teams will participate in the play-offs in March, which will be distributed as follows:
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ASIA: the winner of the round 5 play-off
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AFRICA: the winner of the 2nd round play-off
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NORTH AMERICA: best two 2 places from round 3
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SOUTH AMERICA: 7th place in the single qualifying round (Bolivia)
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OCEANIA: 2nd place from round 3 (New Caledonia)
