Iraq travel to Spain on Thursday night, preparing for their first World Cup appearance since 1986.The Lions of Mesopotamia faced a gruelling Asian qualification process to secure their historic ticket to North America. Graham Arnold’s resilient side eventually defeated Bolivia 2-1 in a tense intercontinental playoff to seal their spot. Iraq sit 57th in the official FIFA rankings ahead of this daunting trip to La Coruña.They face an incredibly difficult tournament group featuring heavyweight opponents France, Senegal, and Norway. Despite their underdog status, the visitors arrive in Europe riding a major wave of momentum. They have secured nine victories from their last 14 international matches under Arnold’s tactical guidance.Iraq team newsGraham Arnold intends to field his strongest available starting eleven to test his players against elite opposition. Iraq concluded their domestic campaign with a rugged 2-1 friendly victory away against Alaves last month. They also recorded a disciplined 1-0 win over Andorra to maintain their impressive defensive form.The visitors remain completely unbeaten across their last four matches on the road, securing three victories. They look to cause a massive upset against a heavily reshuffled Spanish side on Thursday. Captain and veteran goalkeeper Jalal Hassan will earn his milestone 101st international cap at the Estadio Abanca-Riazor. He will command a settled back four consisting of Hussein Ali, Zaid Tahseen, Akam Hashim, and Merchas Doski.Former Manchester United prospect Zidane Iqbal is pushing hard to secure a starting spot in central midfield. He faces intense competition from Amir Al-Ammari, Aimar Sher, and Kevin Yakob in the engine room. Prolific striker Aymen Hussein will lead the line after scoring 33 goals in 93 caps. He will likely partner Ipswich Town forward Ali Al-Hamadi in a potent attacking partnership.Iraq predicted lineupIraq predicted XI: Hassan; H. Ali, Tahseen, Hashim, Doski; Amyn, Al-Ammari, Sher, Bayesh; Al-Hamadi, Hussein.When will the match kick off?The international friendly match at the Estadio Abanca-Riazor kicks off at 20:00 BST on Thursday, 4 June 2026.How to watch Spain vs Iraq?You can watch the Spain vs. Iraq international friendly live in the UK exclusively on Amazon Prime Video UK. The match kicks off at 8:00 PM BST, and live coverage of the fixture will be streamed directly on the platform. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Read more – New Zealand: 2026 World Cup Squad, Fixtures and ScheduleSee Also- Spain vs Iraq- Match preview and team newsFollow the Football Faithful on Social Media:Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTokThe post Iraq XI vs Spain – Predicted lineup and team news first appeared on The Football Faithful.