For the first time in 40 years, the Iraqi national men’s soccer team is back on the world’s biggest stage — and fans are thrilled.
The team’s long-awaited return to the World Cup is set to kick off Tuesday night, ending a four-decade drought that has left fans eagerly waiting for this moment. The excitement is especially strong in Dearborn, Michigan, which is home to a large community of Iraqi diaspora.
One local soccer shop owner said he has been receiving around 100 phone calls per day from fans eager to get their hands on Iraq national team jerseys. The shop owner originally opened his business back in 1986 — inspired by watching the Iraqi national team compete in that year’s World Cup.
Now, 40 years later, that same passion is alive again as Iraq prepares to take the field in the tournament once more.
