Palestine secures crucial FIFA World Cup qualifying win

Palestine secured a 2–1 victory against Iraq in Amman, Jordan, last night keeping their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification hopes alive. The match, held at Amman International Stadium, marked Palestine’s first win in the current Asian Football Confederation qualifying round.

Iraq took the lead in the 34th minute through Aymen Hussein, who scored with a header from an Ibrahim Bayesh cross. The score remained 1–0 until Palestine equalised in the 88th minute through Wessam Abou Ali. Ameed Mahajneh then scored the winner in the 97th minute, heading in from a corner by Adam Kaied.

Incredible scenes as a last minute goal helps Palestine 🇵🇸 beat Iraq 🇮🇶 in the World Cup 2026 qualifiers. pic.twitter.com/hfEPJ0mrMz

— Alan MacLeod (@AlanRMacLeod) March 25, 2025

The result moves Palestine off the bottom of Group B and into fifth place with six points from eight matches. Kuwait now sit bottom with five points, while Oman remain fourth on ten. The top two teams in each of the AFC’s three remaining six-team groups qualify directly for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Third- and fourth-place finishers progress to a playoff round.

Palestine have two remaining fixtures in June, against Kuwait and Oman. Victories in both would give them a chance of securing a playoff spot. Following yesterday’s match, Palestine coach Ehab Abu Jazar said, “We thank God for this victory, it is very important for us. We prepared well for the match after losing to Jordan [on Thursday].”

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“This is Palestine’s first win in the third round of the qualifiers, and its first against the strong and experienced Iraqi team. We won because we have good players who deserved to win, as we had deserved to win in previous matches,” he added. “We know our task is difficult, but we will fight until the last breath to secure a place in the playoffs.”

Historic victory! Palestine was never closer to the World Cup! Our hopes are alive! Our people is alive! 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸#WorldCupQualifiers pic.twitter.com/Rn6tCdo9Hw

— Palestine Football Association (@Palestine_fa) March 25, 2025

This was Palestine’s first win in a World Cup qualification match since March 2024, when they defeated Bangladesh 1–0. Their progress to the current stage came via two draws against Lebanon and two victories over Bangladesh in the previous round.

Iraq remain third in the group with 12 points. South Korea and Jordan currently occupy the top two positions, with 16 and 13 points respectively. Japan and Iran have already qualified from Groups C and A respectively.

Tuesday’s result keeps Palestine’s campaign alive as they seek a first-ever appearance at the FIFA World Cup finals, to be held jointly in the US, Canada and Mexico.

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