Iraq's solitary men's World Cup appearance came at Mexico 1986. Four decades on, Western Sydney Wanderer Mohamed Al-Taay is co-writing another chapter of Iraqi footballing folklore.

IMAGE: Palestine fans inside the Basra International Stadium, Iraq, before the World Cup Asian third round qualifier between Iraq and Palestine on October 10, 2024. Photograph: Thaier ...

The resulting report, Ali Hasan Al-Majid and the Basra Massacre of 1999, provides evidence that one Iraqi official responsible for the gross human rights violations in that campaign is Ali Hasan ...

Iraq plays its home games at the cavernous 65,000-seater Basra International Stadium. With temperatures regularly exceeding 50 degrees Celsius in the city, it is a stifling, uncompromising place ...