Iraq at Asian Games 2026: A Football Withdrawal Reshapes the Delegation
Iraq heads to Aichi-Nagoya without its men’s Olympic football team, which withdrew before the July 2026 draw, leaving athletics and weightlifting to carry the flag.
Iraq’s Asian Games Track Record
Iraq’s three 2023 bronze medals are confirmed in the official medal count, but the specific sport(s) and athletes behind them could not be independently verified from available sources. In 2018, Iraq won gold through weightlifter Safaa Rashed Al-Jumaili (men’s 85kg, 361kg total) plus two silvers in shooting, though the specific shooting athletes were not confirmed. Note: a commonly repeated claim that Iraq won football gold in 1982 is false — Wikipedia’s official record shows India won that tournament, not Iraq.
| Edition | Rank | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Jakarta-Palembang | 27th | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 2022/23 Hangzhou | Tied 35th | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Source: Iraq at the 2018 Asian Games and Iraq at the 2022 Asian Games, Wikipedia.
Iraq’s Strongest Sports
Football is Iraq’s most historically significant sport at the team level — the Olympic/U-23 team won silver at the 2006 Doha Games and bronze at the 2014 Incheon Games — though the senior program has not always aligned with the Asian Games’ age-restricted football format. Weightlifting and shooting are Iraq’s clearest individual-sport strengths, per the 2018 results. The Iraqi Olympic Committee had targeted judo, karate, rowing, and athletics ahead of 2023, though the sport(s) that actually produced that year’s three bronzes remain unconfirmed.
Iraq’s Official Squads by Sport
Iraq’s build-up to 2026 has been defined by a high-profile withdrawal rather than roster announcements.
Confirmed via official federation/media sources
| Sport | Key Named Athletes | Status |
|---|---|---|
| No individually named 2026 Iraq athletes have been officially confirmed in any sport. | ||
Reported but not yet formally finalized
| Sport | Notes |
|---|---|
| Athletics | Iraqi athletics federation has confirmed it will participate in 2026, but has cited a funding crisis and has not named an individual roster |
Team confirmed, no roster yet / not found
| Sports |
|---|
| Weightlifting, Shooting, Judo, Karate, Rowing |
Storylines to Watch
The football withdrawal: Iraq’s Olympic football team pulling out before the draw removes the country’s highest-profile team sport from the 2026 program, a significant blow given the team’s 2006 silver and 2014 bronze pedigree.
A funding crunch across sports: Iraq’s athletics federation has publicly cited financial strain even while confirming its participation, suggesting a leaner delegation than in past editions.