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SportsIraq withdraws from Asian Games men's football; tournament stays at 15 teams with no replacement
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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20, the Olympic Council of Asia and the organizing committee of the 2026 Nagoya Asian Games announced that Iraq has withdrawn its men's national football team from the Asian Games men's football event.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.
Source report
Hupu Football News | 3 minutes ago
Hupu, July 20 — According to the Beijing Youth Daily, citing official sources from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the Olympic Council of Asia, together with the organizing committee of the 2026 Nagoya Asian Games, announced on July 20 that the Iraqi Olympic Committee has submitted a written letter confirming the withdrawal of its men's football team from the Asian Games men's football event.
Following consultations, the event organizing committee decided not to add any replacement teams. As a result, this edition of the Asian Games men's football tournament will feature 15 teams, while the women's football event will maintain its scale of 12 participating teams.
Reason for Withdrawal
It is understood that after the Iraqi national team concluded its World Cup campaign (for the US, Canada, and Mexico), unresolved personnel changes in the coaching staff—including the possibility of the U23 team coach being promoted to the national team—have left internal preparation plans uncertain. Consequently, the Iraqi Football Association ultimately decided to forgo sending a team to the Asian Games.
Group Stage Adjustments
Due to Iraq's withdrawal, one of the four groups will have only three teams, while the other three groups will maintain four teams. The draw seeding rules remain unchanged, with host Japan fixed in position A1. The draw will proceed in order from the fourth pot to the first pot. The group stage will adopt a single round-robin points system, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the knockout stage.
Seeding Criteria
The seeding for the Asian Games men's football teams is not based on the results of the previous Hangzhou Asian Games but is uniformly determined by performance in the U23 Asian Cup finals and qualifiers held in January this year.
- The fourth-place finisher of the previous Hangzhou Asian Games men's football, Hong Kong, China, and the fifth-place finisher, North Korea, are not ranked highly.
- Hong Kong, China's U23 team finished only third in their U23 Asian Cup qualifier group, behind the Philippines and Kuwait.
- North Korea did not participate in the U23 Asian Cup qualifiers and thus has no corresponding ranking points, placing them at the bottom of all teams.
- China's Asian Games men's football team, based on their runner-up finish in the U23 Asian Cup, has become the second seed in the tournament.
Nagoya Asian Games Men's Football Seeding Results
Pot 1 (Seeds): Japan, China, Vietnam, South Korea
Pot 2: Uzbekistan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Thailand
Pot 3: Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Philippines
Pot 4: Kuwait, Hong Kong, China, North Korea
Source: Weibo | Chinese Football
Posted in Shanghai | Reads: 467
Source
虎扑 - 足球Regional
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Iraq Withdraws from Asian Games Men's Football; Tournament Maintains 15-Team Format Without Replacement