12 Longest Absences From The World Cup

Last Appearance: 1986

As a country, Iraq hasn't been able to catch a break in what seems like forever. A protracted war with Iran (1980-1988), the first Gulf War (1991) and the second Gulf War that has transitioned into insurgency and a civil war (2003-present) has meant that the country has now spent the bulk of half a century as a warzone.

Football has always been a source of hope to the Iraqi people. The national side has long been fairly competitive on the continental stage, having an Asian Cup and an Asian Games gold to their name, but given that just four and a half World Cup berths are allocated to the world's largest continent, they and similar sides such as Syria and Uzbekistan always struggle against the might of Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Australia.

Unlike the those two and the vast majority of the rest of the countries on the continent, the Iraqis did make one appearance back in 1986. There they lost all three of their matches, to Paraguay, Belgium and hosts Mexico, scoring just a single goal.

With Asia set to get eight qualifying spots from 2026, the wait for the likes of Iraq and the United Arab Emirates (another state with just a single appearance at the finals in 1990) might not be too much longer.