When Iraq make their entrance at the Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, for the clash against Norway, a part of their hopes of staging an upset against Stale Solbakken’s chosen XI will be resting on the shoulders of playmaker Kevin Yakob.
Iraq managed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a historic, exhausting 21-match marathon campaign, ending a 40-year absence from football's biggest stage, when they claimed the 48th and final spot in the expanded tournament by defeating Bolivia 2–1 in an intercontinental play-off match in Monterrey, Mexico.
Yakob did not play a large part in the qualifying campaign as he wasn’t included in Graham Arnold’s squad until late in the process. That's because he struggled to return to full fitness after no less than two serious ACL injuries, which threatened to derail his career completely.
Given how his career has developed over the last three years, Yakob's presence at the 2026 FIFA World Cup is one of the most remarkable and inspiring comeback stories around, after he played an instrumental role in helping AGF Aarhus win their first Danish championship title in 40 years and scored the Goal of the Year in the Danish Superliga.
Three years ago, in June 2023, Yakob earned his very first senior international cap for the Iraq national football team in a friendly match against Colombia. Tragically, his debut lasted only 23 minutes before he suffered a horrific, career-threatening Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tear.
To make matters even worse, this wasn't the first time that Yakob was at the end of such bad luck as he, as a 19-year-old, suffered a similar injury during the early stages of his professional career in Sweden while playing for BK Hacken.
While the first injury took no less than 473 days to heal, the second one proved even more gruelling, requiring three separate surgeries and keeping him off the pitch for over two years.
"It's been tough as hell," said Kevin Yakob. "I have had several setbacks. First it was the cruciate ligament, then scar tissue, and then it was cartilage that needed to be removed," he told Fotbollskanalen.se.
Throughout his recovery, he leaned heavily on his faith, frequently sharing that he leaned on God's grace to overcome the severe physical and mental setbacks.
"Sometimes you are lucky, and sometimes you are unlucky. I feel like it's all part of God's plan. I work hard and do what I can every day, and then I feel like it's all already written for me and that I have to trust the plan that's laid out for me.
"How many players have come back from an injury like that, play for gold, and have the opportunity to play in the World Cup in their first season back? Not many, and I just want to try to write the story beautifully. It will be a perfect ending to this chapter," Yakob said to TV2 Ostjylland.
"I never knew whether it was in God's plan that it was intended to play football again. While I was injured and in the darkest periods, I told my parents that I just wanted to play one more game in front of the fans and feel that support again. That's how low I was. So I've just really enjoyed this whole season," explained Yakob.
The fact that Yakob is representing Iraq at the FIFA World Cup is also an unusual twist to a story that began in Gothenburg, where he was born, as his Assyrian parents originally immigrated from the Nineveh and Mosul regions of Iraq.
He initially progressed into the Swedish national setup, earning caps for the Sweden U18 and U19 teams, but later chose to play for Iraq due to the passionate support from Iraqi fans since his teenage years, combined with a strong desire to honour his cultural roots.
"I was born in Sweden, but my parents always taught me about my Iraqi roots. Football has the power to connect different cultures and backgrounds, and representing Iraq is something that means a lot to me," said Yakob.
At midnight on Tuesday evening, Yakob can harvest the fruits of his enormous faith and perseverance to represent his country against Norway, ending Iraq's 40-year absence from the world's greatest sports spectacle.
FIFA World Cup 2026
The 2026 World Cup is taking place from June 11th to July 19th in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The tournament features 48 national teams and is played at 16 modern stadiums.
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