Iraq Withdraws from Asian Games Men's Football; Tournament Maintains 15-Team Format Without Replacement

On July 20, the Olympic Council of Asia and the organizing committee of the 2026 Nagoya Asian Games announced that Iraq has withdrawn its men's national football team from the Asian Games men's football event. The Iraqi Olympic Committee submitted a written confirmation of the withdrawal. The event organizing committee decided not to add any replacement teams, resulting in a 15-team men's football tournament, while the women's football event remains unchanged with 12 teams. Iraq's withdrawal is attributed to unresolved coaching staff changes after the national team's World Cup campaign, including the potential promotion of the U23 team coach. Due to the withdrawal, one of the four groups will have only three teams, while the other three groups will have four teams. The draw seeding rules remain unchanged, with host Japan fixed in position A1. Seeding is based on performance in the U23 Asian Cup finals and qualifiers held in January, not the previous Hangzhou Asian Games. China's men's Asian Games team, as runner-up in the U23 Asian Cup, is the second seed. The seeded teams are Japan, China, Vietnam, and South Korea.