Iraq national under-23 football team

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Iraq Iraq U-23
Nickname(s) Asiad Asia
Association IFA
Confederation AFC (Asia)
Head coach Abdul Ghani Shahad
Captain Mustafa Nadhim
FIFA code IRQ
First colours
Second colours
Olympic Games (Since 1992)
Appearances 1 (First in 2004)
Best result Fourth Place (2004)
Asian Games (Since 1994)
Appearances 2 (First in 2006)
Best result Runners-up (2006)
AFC U-23 Championship
Appearances 2 (First in 2013)
Best result Champions (2013)

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Iraq national under-23 football team (also known as Iraq Under-23 or Iraq Olympic Team) represents Iraq in international football competitions in Olympic Games and Asian Games, as well as any other under-23, under-22, and under-21 international football tournaments. It is controlled by the Iraq Football Federation. Iraq Olympic Team reached fourth place in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens won the silver medal in the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, and the bronze medal in the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon.

History

2004 Athens Olympics

After 16 years without participation, Iraq qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics after winning the 2004 Olympic Asian Qualifiers under head coach Adnan Hamad and were scheduled to play against Costa Rica, Morocco and Portugal in the group stages. At the Olympics Iraq started with a shocking 4–2 win against Portugal. That was followed by a 2–0 win against Costa Rica and a 2–1 loss to Morocco. The quarter-finals saw them beat Australia 1–0, and in the semi-final against Paraguay, Iraq lost 3–1. In the bronze medal match, Iraq lost 1–0 and finished fourth.

2013 AFC U-22 Championship

Iraq's first major honour on U-23 level was the 2013 AFC U-22 Championship. The tournament started with a 3–1 win against Saudi Arabia. That was followed by a 2–1 win against Uzbekistan and a 1–0 win against China. The quarter-finals saw them beat Japan 1–0, and the semi-final against favourites Korea Republic with another 1–0 win.

The final was against local rivals Saudi Arabia, and Mohannad Abdul-Raheem scored the only goal to win the tournament for Iraq. This victory secured Iraq's first Asian Cup U-23 title.

2016 AFC U-23 Championship

The 2016 AFC U-23 Championship final tournament is to be held in Qatar from 12–30 January 2016. Iraq qualified for the tournament by topping the group in the qualification stage in Oman in March 2015.

Iraq advanced from the group stage, beating Yemen 2–0, Uzbekistan 3–2, and a 1–1 tie with South Korea.

In the quarterfinals, Iraq beat UAE 3–1 in extra time to progress to the semifinals. Iraq lost 2–1 to Japan.

In the third place match, Iraq came back from behind to beat Qatar 2–1 to qualify for 2016 Olympics.

2016 Rio Olympics

Iraq qualified for the 2016 Olympics by clinching third place at the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship. Iraq got drawn with Brazil, Denmark and South Africa.

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Competitions Record

Olympic Games

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