The Iraqi Women's National Team is now in the FIFA Women's Ranking
- Iraq is the latest country to be included in FIFA’s Women's World Ranking.
- The Middle Eastern country has made significant strides in developing the sport, with FIFA Forward contributing to the progress.
July 2023 marked the beginning of a new era for Iraqi women's soccer. With support from the FIFA Forward Programme, the Iraq Football Association (IFA) organized a futsal tournament in Duhok, featuring 140 players from 10 teams.
This historic event was just the initial step of a broader strategy to boost women's participation in soccer and provide girls from various regions of the country with the opportunity to participate.
When interviewed by FIFA recently, Dr. Rasha Talib, a member of the IFA’s executive committee said, “We’ve started with futsal, but our goal is to build bridges that will eventually lead women to 11-a-side soccer.”
Fast forward to June 2024. Mission accomplished.
Women's Soccer in Iraq is rapidly developing.
The Iraqi Women’s National Team has been included in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking.
A step that the team’s forward, Sarah Sahebkran, is excited for.
“Iraq's entry in the ranking, in 172nd place, was a significant event and tangible proof of the progress made by women's soccer in our country. We’re on the women's soccer map now.”
If this is good news for the current active members of the national team, then it surely is even greater news for the younger generations as this would “encourage even more girls and women to play soccer," adds the 23-year-old.
“It could also provide more opportunities to participate in international tournaments and to progress, as well as to move a little closer to gender equality in the field of sport, and soccer in particular.”
What Did The IFA Implement To Grow The Women’s Game?
Women's Futsal in Iraq is a well-established sport.
One of the IFA’s main objectives was the creation of multiple championships in all age categories.
“Throughout this transition, we’ve put in place an electronic control system to manage the competitions at each stage," explains Talib.
"This system ensured compliance with the applicable regulations for participating clubs, the players, the federation and the referees."
Because not many Iraqi women wanted – or were even able – to play soccer for logistical reasons or due to a lack of infrastructure, futsal has long served as an alternative for them.
And while there are connections between futsal and soccer, with a select few able to compete internationally in both disciplines, the federation maintained a clear separation between the two sports.
"Futsal and 11-a-side soccer differ in many aspects, with only a few similarities. Our goal is to distinguish between the players of both disciplines," Taleb explains.
"By increasing the number of licensed players, we aim to create a large pool of talent capable of performing well in the national teams for both soccer and futsal," she concludes.
From Spain Back To Her Home Country
Having played with Club Deportivo El Campello, an amateur Spanish club, Sarah Sahebkran was impressed by the continuous growth of women’s soccer in the same country she had left a few years earlier due to a lack of prospects.
Inspired by this progress, she decided to return home and don the Iraqi jersey.
“I was called up to the national team in January 2024 to participate in the WAFF (West Asian Football Federation) tournament in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. I was bursting with pride to be able to represent my country with the national team.”
Although the road is long, the Iraqi women's team seems to be on the right track, and not holding back.
