Graham Arnold has extended his contract as Iraq head coach through the 2027 Asian Cup, months after guiding the national team at its first World Cup in 40 years.
The 63-year-old former Australia coach said he renewed for six months despite being offered a four-year deal by the Iraq Football Association.
“I have renewed my contract for six months and this decision is in my best interest and in the best interest of the Iraq national team,” Arnold told a news conference in Baghdad on Monday.
Arnold was appointed in May 2025 and guided Iraq to the World Cup via a last-ditch intercontinental playoff — the country’s first appearance in four decades. Iraq overcame major logistical issues caused by conflict in the Middle East to become the 48th and final team to secure a spot at the 2026 World Cup.
The team lost all three group games against Norway, France and Senegal in June, but gained valuable experience playing the likes of Frenchman Kylian Mbappé and Norway’s Erling Haaland.
Iraq will face Australia, Singapore and Tajikistan in the Asian Cup group stage. The tournament, which Iraq won in 2007, is scheduled for January in Saudi Arabia. Preparation starts at the regional Gulf Cup in September.
“I returned early to watch and identify new players ahead of the Gulf Cup and Asian Cup and to build the team for the future,” Arnold said. “You will see new faces in the next phase.”
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FILE - Iraq head coach Graham Arnold speaks during a news conference on the eve of the team's World Cup soccer match against Senegal, on June 25, 2026, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File)
PALEMBANG, Indonesia (AP) — Authorities in Indonesia’s South Sumatra, the province with the highest number of wildfire hot spots, turned to spiritual measures on Tuesday as huge blazes in central and western regions scorched wide areas of forests and peatland, creating a choking haze that blanketed some cities in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country.
The prayer gathering initiative comes as the province faces prolonged dry weather that has heightened the risk of forest and peatland fires.
The latest satellite data from the Environment Ministry showed South Sumatra recorded the highest number of hot spots nationwide with 1,429, followed by West Kalimantan with 1,226 and Central Kalimantan with 811. Forestry Ministry data indicated that nearly 940 square kilometers (363 square miles) were burned in July alone, including over 20 square kilometers (8 square miles) in South Sumatra province.
About 3,000 residents gathered in Palembang, the capital of South Sumatra province, to perform a special Islamic prayer for rain, known as “salat istisqa.” They prayed shoulder to shoulder in the courtyard of the governor’s office as thick smoke shrouded roads, buildings and public facilities, reducing visibility and forcing motorists to drive with their headlights on during the day.
“We have done everything we can and worked closely with all relevant parties,” South Sumatra Gov. Herman Deru said before the prayer. “As people of faith, we are also praying to God to send rain so that life can return to normal.”
He also said the public prayer would complement ongoing firefighting and drought-mitigation measures and serve as a moment for residents to unite in confronting the environmental challenges facing the province.
Emergency services have been battling fires driven by an intensifying El Nino pattern and a prolonged dry season, generating dense smoke that crossed into Malaysia and Brunei, according to the National Disaster Management Agency.
Indonesia is actively intensifying weather-modification operations to help firefighters combat wildfires by inducing rainfall through the dispersal of salt particles into suitable clouds, with 30 aircraft for cloud-seeding and water-bombing operations over Kalimantan, and another 22 helicopters covering Sumatra.
Indonesian police have arrested 72 people suspected of starting some of the forest and peatland fires, while four companies are under investigation for allegedly using fire to clear land at low cost.
Plantation owners and traditional farmers often start fires to clear land for farming, triggering hazardous haze that reduces visibility, disrupts land and air transportation and threatens public health.
Fires are a regular problem during the dry season in Indonesia, and the haze they generate has periodically drawn diplomatic complaints from neighboring countries in Southeast Asia.
Associated Press writer Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.
A tug boat cruises on Musi River as haze from wildfires blankets the city of Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Muhammad Hatta)
A man stands among houses as haze from wildfires blankets the city of Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Muhammad Hatta)
Indonesian Muslims perform a prayer requesting for rain following wildfires that burn through peatlands in several regions in Sumatra and Kalimantan Island, in Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Muhammad Fajri)
A woman prays during a prayer requesting for rain following wildfires that burn through peatlands in several regions in Sumatra and Kalimantan Island, in Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Muhammad Fajri)
In this photo released by Jambi Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD Jambi), a helicopter conducts a water bombing to extinguish wildfire burning through a peatland field in Danau Lamo, Jambi province, Indonesia, on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (BPBD Jambi via AP)
Indonesian Muslims attend a prayer requesting for rain following wildfires that burn through peatlands in several regions in Sumatra and Kalimantan Island, in Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Muhammad Fajri)
People walk along the Ampera Bridge as haze from wildfires blankets the city of Palembang, in South Sumatra, Indonesia, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Muhammad Fajri)
A man is silhouetted against the haze from wildfires that blankets Musi River in Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Muhammad Fajri)
A volunteer sprays water in an attempt to extinguish a wildfire burning through a peatland field in Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Muhammad Hatta)
Firefighters attempt to extinguish a wildfire burning through a peatland field in Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Muhammad Hatta)
