Baghdad, Iraq, May 5, 2024: Iraq NOC welcomed home its football heroes from the AFC U23 Asian Cup in Doha, Qatar, having qualified for the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.
The top three teams in the AFC U23 Asian Cup earned a ticket to Paris and Iraq defeated Indonesia 2-1 after extra time in the third-place play-off on May 2 to secure the bronze medal and a place in Paris along with Japan and Uzbekistan.
Fourth-placed Indonesia will now face an inter-continental play-off with Guinea for the last place in the Olympic Games, so Asia could still end up with four representatives.
The Iraq NOC delegation was led by the President, Dr Aqeel Muftin, and congregated at Baghdad International Airport to welcome home the team.
Dr. Aqeel Muftin said: “These heroes put a smile on the face of all the great Iraqi people. They deserve our merit and honour for this great achievement in the land of the Qatari capital, Doha.
“The Olympic Committee will continue to support our Olympic team and will do so for all our national teams that bring honour on foreign fields.”
Several members of the NOC executive board attended the reception along with journalists and other media.
Iraq’s Ali Jasim finished top scorer of the AFC U23 Asian Cup with four goals.
Japan went on to beat Uzbekistan 1-0 in the final on May 3 to win the title for the second time following victory in 2016.
