Iraq has qualified for just one World Cup - and is likely on the verge of missing it again

0-3.

This was the result in Doha, Qatar after the game between Iraq and Iran.

Nobody could imagine Iraq would sit bottom of the group, even though it was still early on track. This came after a goalless holding in Seoul against South Korea, in which the Iraqis succeeded in blocking Son Heung-min and his teammates. This performance yet failed to inspire Iraq to do better against Iran, the game ended in humiliation.

If you are an Iraqi citizen now, the f word will be used to say about Iraq's form. Probably most Iraqis. Again and again, Iraq has become like a typical yo-yo national team, something that is difficult to answer considering the team has achieved some glories for a war-torn nation. Now, it is clear that there is a crisis within Iraq, a national team... that has been on the struggling mode, to find out how to play its football. So, how to answer that?

Iraq did qualify for a World Cup - 1986 when the edition was hosted by Mexico. Iraq was eliminated, though its elimination involved somewhat unfair referees' biases. The match against Paraguay saw Iraq's equaliser cancelled due to the whistle blow to end the first 45' despite the header was just only taken for few seconds. Since then, Iraq has reached the final round of WCQ in Asia only four times, all ended in failure. Some elements to blame for is plenty.

First, politics. Political upheavals have a long history of deriding Iraq's status, this also negatively affects football development. During the 1990s, Uday Hussein, the sadistic son of Saddam, turned football into his business of torture and violence, where footballers were physically abused by Uday's inhuman medieval methods. Later on, the political establishment built by the Americans proved to be a disaster when the national team was divided by sectarian and ethnic lines. Iran was able to exploit and reign Iraq afar by sectarianism via a pro-Iranian proxy group.

Then, the second is war. During the 1990s, Iraq invaded Kuwait, leading to war against Iraq by the coalition led by the U.S., crippled much of Iraqi football. In the 2000s-2010s, Iraq was embroiled in a war launched by the United States, with footballers often lived in fear. The rise of the Islamic State terror effectively ruined Iraq and put its football into a crisis.

The third is probably corruption and mismanagement. Iraq has a long history of football corruption. Age fraud is a common practice in Iraq, where players registered fake documents to be recruited at various age levels without being questioned. This was once the issue with Mohanad Ali when his age was put to the table due to his mature appearance above the age. Moreover, clubs in Iraq have been historically drowned to debts, players rarely receive salaries in time. It is unpaid wages that resulted in constant changes of managers and squads. Currently, Iraqis are struggling to get electricity and clean water, as it was plundered by the government in favour of its sectarian groups, mostly leaning toward Iran.

Iraq has been suffering from corruption and violence for most of its contemporary history.

With these problems above, the Iraqi football team's achievement can be considered to be above expectation, yet likely driven by sheer determination rather than a concrete plan to make Iraq a sustainable football force. When Iraq stunned Asia to conquer the Asian Cup title in 2007, it was able to do so because of Iraqi players uniting for a common goal and to defy the odds, mixing with Australia, South Korea and Saudi Arabia wrongly underestimated Iraq. The government and its sheikhs did little to provide enough financial support for the team.

Once the 2007 glory faded, Iraq was soon exposed to revamping South Korean, Australian and Saudi sides - both had no longer seen Iraq as an underdog but as a stubborn opponent, and would do anything to crack Iraq out. This was best witnessed when the 2010 and 2014 qualifiers, when Australia, despite facing difficulties against Iraq, still emerged with victories. South Korea revenge its 2007 loss by knocking Iraq 2-0 in the semi-finals of the 2015 Asian Cup. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, overcame Iraq through a string of teratogenic performances that disabled Iraq's best from being active during 2018 qualifiers.

Yet the ghost of mismanagement and abandonment returned when the Third Round started. After succeeded in drawing 0-0 away to South Korea, Iraq fell 0-3 to Iran in a performance that was widely criticised by Iraqi fans as an utter disgrace. This sentiment was easy to realise: during the second round when Iraq and Iran shared the same group, Iraq beat Iran 2-1 and only lost to the same opponent by a lone goal from Sardar Azmoun.

What made fans from Iraq more in disbelief was the horrible demonstration of the Iraqi side: the game against Iran saw a soulless, running-out-of-idea Iraq trying to utilise its physical and energy battles against a highly capable Iran, to no avail. Iraq shot only two, hit the target just one while letting Iran do the same six times ahead. By contrast, Iraq's 2-1 win in Amman saw Iraq demonstrated a capable defence, giving more shots than Iran, not to mention Iran had a player expelled from the game. Even the earlier 0-1 defeat to Iran was also a narrow one when Iraq shot more than one compared to Iran, as well as having put so many hassles for the Iranians.

Iraq has made only one World Cup appearance, back in Mexico 1986.

To make it hurt, this time Iraq was drawn into an even breathtaking group than their predecessors. The 1994 qualifiers saw Iraq with North Korea, Iran, South Korea, then-Asian champions Japan and Saudi Arabia - with South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Japan denied Iraq a place to the States. In 2002 qualifiers, Iraq saw itself facing Saudi Arabia, Iran, Thailand and Bahrain; Saudi Arabia and Iran denied Iraq from going. From 2014 to 2018 qualifiers, Iraq had to face Japan and Australia, which would prove to be too big to overcome. Hence, even though two major obstacles at the moment are Iran and South Korea, Iraq's group is far easier than the previous campaigns, with the UAE, Lebanon and Syria the other ones. Iraq has beaten Iran, thus high expectation was placed upon. Instead, after impressing with a draw to South Korea away, Iraq found itself bottom of the group with no goal and only a point.

This is too early to judge if Iraq may miss out, but Iraq's loss to Iran has sent a signal for the other opponents that Iraq is just overhyping itself. This fragility can bring Iraq to face an even more shaky exposure to fellow Arab opponents in October: Lebanon and the UAE. Lebanon has never won against Iraq for a single game in history, but the way how Iraq is showing can be an opportunity for Lebanon to study. Of course, Lebanon isn't Iran, so Lebanon will be likely to sit deep and wait for opportunities, something Iraqi forwards had been unable to materialise. The UAE, on the other hand, is far riskier than Lebanon - it is a far more capable opponent with better quality of players. Yes, the UAE did not perform well after just two games, but van Marwijk still has some hands ready against Iraq - ironically also coached by a Dutchman, Dick Advocaat.

Still, Lebanon and the UAE represent major hopes, and if Iraq can't even gain a win from these opponents, this is enough to put an end to Advocaat's career. Iraqi Football Association (IFA) isn't renowned for being patient, outside unpaid wage disputes, desires to make Iraq a football force resulted in changes of the managerial position a few months or a year, like many typical West Asian football organisations.

To make the matter complicated, it is not clear injured players, many formed a major part of Iraq's football renaissance under Slovenian coach Katanec, are able to go playing for October's fixtures. Iraq's goalies Jalal Hassan and Mohammed Hameed - two veterans of the current side, are reportedly not in good shape. Mohammed Dawood, a promising young striker, is also sustaining an injury. Rebin Sulaka, an important player on the new Iraqi team, is also facing an injury and is unclear of his condition. Not just that, the absences of Ali Husni, Mazin Fayyadh, or English-born Ali Al-Hamadi, piled up pressures on Dick Advocaat as he was thrown with stones after the agonising defeat to Iran.

The bet is taking on Advocaat's side in October. But if Advocaat can't change immediately, Iraq is likely to be under siege of the UAE or sudden death of Lebanon. And this is not a welcoming sign for the Iraqis, who are desperate to end its World Cup drought.