Middle East conflict impacts Iraq preparation for World Cup play-off — and more

The conflict in the Middle East is impacting Iraq's preparation for an upcoming World Cup play-off in Mexico as embassies and air spaces are closed in the region.

Iraq's FA said on Instagram on Wednesday that coach Graham Arnold is stranded in the United Arab Emirates.

The delegation also appears to have trouble obtaining visas for the March 31 match in Monterrey, Mexico, where Iraq face the winner of a tie between Bolivia and Suriname for a place at the June 11-July 19 finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Iraq are bidding to play at the World Cup for a second time, the first being in 1986.

“Because of airspace closures, our head coach, Graham Arnold, is unable to leave the United Arab Emirates. In addition, several embassies remain closed at the present time, preventing several professional players, technical and medical staff members from obtaining entry visas to Mexico,” the statement said.

Mexico has no embassy in Iraq but its foreign ministry said that its embassy in the UAE is dealing with the matter and has asked the Iraq FA to submit all names to speed up procedures. It said that visas could also be obtained at its embassies in Europe.

The Iraq statement said they are "in constant communication" with FIFA and that the world governing body as well as the Asian Confederation AFC "are fully aware of every development regarding our team's situation."

The Iran women's football team sang and saluted their national anthem before their Women's Asian Cup match against Australia on Thursday, a marked shift from their silent protest ahead of their opening game.

This earlier silence, observed before Monday's loss to South Korea, had been widely interpreted as either an act of defiance against the regime or a gesture of mourning for those affected by ongoing conflicts.

The team, however, offered no official clarification for their initial stance.

In a poignant press conference preceding the Australia fixture, Iranian striker Sara Didar became visibly emotional.

She shared the profound concerns held by both players and management for the safety and well-being of their families and loved ones amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

The 21-year-old Didar was a substitute for Thursday's game, which was played in pouring rain on the Gold Coast, where Iran is scheduled to compete in all three of its Group A matches.

The Iranian squad had arrived in Australia well before the recent strikes by Israel and the United States on Iran last Saturday, adding another layer of tension to their presence.

This fluctuating approach to the national anthem mirrors a similar situation involving the Iranian men’s team during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The men's squad notably refrained from singing their anthem before their initial defeat against England, as significant domestic turmoil overshadowed the start of their campaign.

In a subsequent match against Wales, however, the men sang along to the anthem and celebrated their goals. Iran beat Wales 2-0 in that match, but failed to qualify from their group.

That World Cup appearance coincided with a brutal crackdown on a major women’s protest movement within Iran, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the country’s morality police.

The Championship weekend gets under way at Deepdale on Friday night (20:00 GMT) as Oxford United head to Preston aiming to leap out of the relegation zone.

The second-bottom U's have been in the bottom three for all but three days since early December, but last Saturday's 2-1 win over West Brom means another three points at North End would see them leapfrog Leicester and Albion, dragging the Baggies into the drop-zone on goal difference ahead of Saturday's matches.

The Lilywhites lost 2-0 at home to Millwall on Saturday and have dropped eight points below the play-off places of the back of a run of one win in nine league games, which have earned them just six points and leaves them 11th, with the prospect of dropping into the bottom half for the first time this season if results don't go their way.

• Preston North End are looking to complete only their second ever league double over Oxford United, doing so in the 1999/00 campaign.
• Oxford have won one of their past five league games against Preston (D1 L3), a 3-1 home win in August 2024 under Des Buckingham.
• Preston have lost three home Championship matches in 2026 so far (W2 D1), only one fewer than they lost throughout the entirety of 2025 at Deepdale (W7 D11 L4).
• Oxford United won their most recent league game, beating West Bromwich Albion 2-1, but they haven't had consecutive Championship wins since January 2025 – the second win of which was against Luton Town, then managed by Matt Bloomfield.
• Jamie Donley has been involved in eight goals in his past 10 EFL starts (2 goals, 6 assists), assisting on his first start for Oxford in their 2-1 win over West Brom last time out.