Zidane Iqbal poised for historic FIFA World Cup appearance with Pakistani roots

Zidane Iqbal is set to become the first Pakistani heritage footballer to play at the FIFA World Cup 2026, representing Iraq.

Zidane was born in Manchester, United Kingdom. His father is Pakistani and his mother is Iraqi.

Zidane started his football journey at the age of nine with the Manchester United youth academy, where he came through the ranks and signed his first professional contract in April 2021.

At the age of 18, Iqbal became the first British South Asian player to play for United in the UEFA Champions League.

He made his senior debut with United on 8 December 2021 as an 89th-minute substitute against Young Boys at Old Trafford in the Champions League group stage match.

Zidane Iqbal represented Iraq’s Under-23 side in 2021 and earned a call-up to the senior team in 2022. He was also eligible to play for England and Pakistan, but he was never approached by the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) due to administrative disputes.

The 23-year-old midfielder has become an integral part of Iraq’s national team.

Speaking about his connection to Iraq, Iqbal said that he has never actually visited the country. However, he has travelled to Pakistan for football-related activities and describes it as a beautiful country.

He said that his father and friends have told him about the significance of the achievement and how he is on the verge of becoming part of football history.

Iraq have qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 40 years after defeating Bolivia 2-1 in April to secure the spot in the global showpiece event. They have been placed in Group I alongside France, Senegal and Norway.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Fahad Talib, Jalal Hassan, Ahmed Basil

Defenders: Hussein Ali, Manaf Younis, Zaid Tahseen, Rebin Sulaka, Akam Hashem, Merchas Doski, Ahmed Yahya, Zaid Ismail, Frans Putros, Mustafa Saadoon

Midfielders: Amir Al Ammari, Kevin Yakob, Zidane Iqbal, Aimar Sher, Ibrahim Bayesh, Ahmed Qasim, Youssef Amyn, Marko Farji

Forwards: Ali Jassim, Ali Al Hamadi, Ali Yousef, Aymen Hussein, Mohanad Ali