After a harrowing travel ordeal, Iraq faces Bolivia for a 2026 World Cup spot

MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) — Earlier this month, Iraq coach Graham Arnold was stranded in Fujairah, on the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates, due to the Mideast war. He wondered if his national team would even be able to compete for one last chance to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

After traveling a long and winding road to reach Mexico, Arnold and Iraq will seek to return to a World Cup after an absence of 40 years when they face Bolivia in the final of their intercontinental playoff in Monterrey in northern Mexico on Tuesday.

“It’s been very difficult being stranded, I’d rather not talk about it, I try to remove all of that from the players' brains because a lot of things are going on in the Middle East,” Arnold said Monday in a media conference. “But players know what they’re doing, they seem very relaxed and ready to go.”

Arnold was with his wife in a hotel in Fujairah after a series of Iranian missiles hit nearby when the war between the United States and Iran began. The Australian coach was able to move to Dubai, but he was unable to join the team for several days.

Iraqi players were also stranded because the country's airspace was closed, preventing the team from using commercial flights to leave the country. Team officials officially asked FIFA to postpone the playoff match.

“I came from Europe directly to Monterrey, but for the rest of the players who play in the Iraqi local league, they had a long trip, but we had a lot of time to recover from that,” said Merchas Doski, who plays as a left back for Viktoria Plzen, in the Czech first league. "We are fully prepared."

The team also faced visa complications because Mexico does not have an embassy in Iraq and players struggled to obtain the necessary visas to enter the country. But the issue was resolved when the Mexican foreign affairs ministry facilitated visas at other regional embassies.

The team finally arrived in Monterrey on March 21 after a 25-hour journey that included navigating travel restrictions and a stopover in Portugal.

“It has been very tough 20 days for us, but it is an honor and a privilege to be here — I lived in Australia for a long time and I know that qualifying for a World Cup can change a nation," said Arnold, who guided the Socceroos to the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup.

Since arriving in Mexico, the team has had plenty of time to adjust to the climate and players have practiced without incident. They have also been able to fraternize with children from local schools who have visited them during their training sessions.

“They (Mexican fans) have been amazing. It’s really fun to see that they cheer us,” said Aimar Sher, who plays for Sarpsborg 08 in Norway. “We talked about it a couple of days ago that their support means a lot to us and we’re very happy to have them by our side.”

To qualify for its second World Cup, their first since Mexico in 1986, Iraq must defeat Bolivia, which eliminated Suriname 2-1 in the intercontinental playoff semifinals last week.

“It has been fantastic, it is an absolute honor to get Iraq to his part of the playoffs after 40 years and with just one more game to go,” Arnold said. “I am confident that it will be a very special night for Iraq.”

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Iraq's players warm up during a training session ahead of a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match against Bolivia in Monterrey, Mexico, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Iraq teammates joke around with Hussein Ali during a training session ahead of a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match against Bolivia in Monterrey, Mexico, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Iraq's coach Graham Arnold gestures during a training session ahead of a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match against Bolivia in Monterrey, Mexico, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Iraq's players jog during a training session ahead of a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match against Bolivia in Monterrey, Mexico, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Iraq coach Graham Arnold speaks during a news conference ahead of a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match against Bolivia in Monterrey, Mexico, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

PARAMARIBO, Suriname (AP) — Former Suriname President Chandrikapersad Santokhi, an ex-police commissioner who investigated the 1982 killings of more than a dozen political opponents that deeply scarred the South American country, has died. He was 67.

Santokhi, who was also known as "Chan,” led the country as president from 2020 to 2025, and previously served as minister of justice and police from 2005 to 2010.

Suriname President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons confirmed Santokhi’s death in a statement on social media, writing that “his years of service in various public functions will be remembered.”

The cause of death was not immediately known.

Rob Jetten, the prime minister of the Netherlands, wrote on X that he was “grieved and shocked by the sudden passing” of Santokhi: “As president, and in his other roles, he meant a great deal to Suriname. He also tirelessly worked to strengthen the ties between the Netherlands and Suriname.”

Suriname is a former Dutch colony.

Also mourning Santokhi's death was Caricom, a Caribbean trade bloc that saw him as chairman from July to December 2022: “The community has lost a dedicated regionalist.”

Irfaan Ali, president of neighboring Guyana, described Santokhi as a “man of quiet strength” who served his people and country “with dedication and conviction.”

“The region has lost a fine statesman, one who carried the mantle of leadership with grace and humility,” he wrote on X.

Santokhi took over a bankrupt Suriname from his predecessor, former dictator Desi Bouterse, and led the country to economic stability, partly supported by an International Monetary Fund program. However, austere measures implemented to comply with the program translated into big sacrifices for the Surinamese people, including the phasing out of fuel, water and electricity subsidies.

In February 2023, hundreds of demonstrators stormed Suriname’s Parliament to protest high fuel and electricity prices as they demanded Santokhi’s resignation.

Voters denied Santokhi a second term following the May 2025 general election.

Earlier, as minister of justice and police, Santokhi cracked down on drug trafficking and other crimes, earning him the nickname “The Sheriff.”

Before entering politics, Santokhi was a police commissioner, leading the investigation into the so-called “December killings,” in which 15 political opponents of the military regime led by Bouterse were shot and killed in December 1982.

Bouterse faced a criminal trial that began in 2007, a quarter-century after the killings took place. He was eventually sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted twice in the killings but remained a fugitive up until his death in late 2024.

Bouterse had accepted “political responsibility” for the killings but always denied he was present for them.

Even before the trial began, Bouterse accused Santokhi of wanting to imprison and kill him. The two were fierce political opponents.

Santokhi’s success as a police officer and later as a minister paved the way for him to claim the chairmanship of the Progressive Reform Party in 2011 following the resignation of then-chairman Ramdien Sardjoe.

FILE - Suriname President Chandrikapersad Santokhi speaks during a plenary session at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Nov. 12, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File)