Malaysia ready to go all out at Davis Cup
Malaysia will be joined by Iraq, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Pacific Oceania, Philippines and Qatar in the tournament which will be held from July 16-19.
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New Straits Times
15 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Arnold confident his experience can help make Iraq's World Cup dream come true
JEDDAH: Iraq coach Graham Arnold is confident he can lead the country to a first World Cup in 40 years after his team were drawn to face Saudi Arabia and Indonesia in the next phase of Asian qualifying for the 2026 tournament in North America. The three teams will play each other in Jeddah in October, with the winner of the group advancing directly to the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Former Australia boss Arnold, who replaced Jesus Casas in May, will be attempting to steer Iraq to the World Cup for the second time after they made their debut at Mexico 1986. "I have extensive experience working against both the Saudi and Indonesian national teams. I know their strengths, but I also know their weaknesses," Arnold said. "But we are Iraq, an extremely proud nation with a higher FIFA ranking than both Saudi and Indonesia and we need to prove that." Arnold's finest coaching achievement to date came at the 2022 World Cup when he led Australia to the last 16, with the Socceroos eliminated by eventual champions Argentina. He resigned as Australia coach in September last year following a 0-0 draw with Indonesia in Jakarta. The 61-year-old last faced Saudi Arabia in March 2022, when his Australia team lost 1-0 in World Cup qualifier at the same King Abdullah Sports City Stadium where his Iraq team will face the Green Falcons on Oct. 14. "Having the belief in the players as I do, when we reach the crucial playoff matches in October, they will be in peak form, both physically and mentally ready to win," he said. "I firmly believe this is our time and we will fight with everything we have to make the dream of millions of Iraqis come true." The group runners-up will progress to a playoff for a berth in a series of intercontinental match-ups in March. Australia overcame a poor start under Arnold to book their spot at the expanded 48-team World Cup with Tony Popovic in charge. Regional heavyweights Japan, South Korea and Iran also secured berths in North America, along with first-time qualifiers Uzbekistan and Jordan.
The Star
20 hours ago
- The Star
Soccer-Arnold confident his experience can help make Iraq's World Cup dream come true
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - World Cup - AFC Qualifiers - Group B - Iraq v South Korea - Basra International Stadium, Basra, Iraq - June 5, 2025 Iraq coach Graham Arnold and Rene Meulensteen REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani/File Photo (Reuters) -Iraq coach Graham Arnold is confident he can lead the country to a first World Cup in 40 years after his team were drawn to face Saudi Arabia and Indonesia in the next phase of Asian qualifying for the 2026 tournament in North America. The three teams will play each other in Jeddah in October, with the winner of the group advancing directly to the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Former Australia boss Arnold, who replaced Jesus Casas in May, will be attempting to steer Iraq to the World Cup for the second time after they made their debut at Mexico 1986. "I have extensive experience working against both the Saudi and Indonesian national teams. I know their strengths, but I also know their weaknesses," Arnold said. "But we are Iraq, an extremely proud nation with a higher FIFA ranking than both Saudi and Indonesia and we need to prove that." Arnold's finest coaching achievement to date came at the 2022 World Cup when he led Australia to the last 16, with the Socceroos eliminated by eventual champions Argentina. He resigned as Australia coach in September last year following a 0-0 draw with Indonesia in Jakarta. The 61-year-old last faced Saudi Arabia in March 2022, when his Australia team lost 1-0 in World Cup qualifier at the same King Abdullah Sports City Stadium where his Iraq team will face the Green Falcons on Oct. 14. "Having the belief in the players as I do, when we reach the crucial playoff matches in October, they will be in peak form, both physically and mentally ready to win," he said. "I firmly believe this is our time and we will fight with everything we have to make the dream of millions of Iraqis come true." The group runners-up will progress to a playoff for a berth in a series of intercontinental match-ups in March. Australia overcame a poor start under Arnold to book their spot at the expanded 48-team World Cup with Tony Popovic in charge. Regional heavyweights Japan, South Korea and Iran also secured berths in North America, along with first-time qualifiers Uzbekistan and Jordan. (Reporting by Michael Church, Editing by Peter Rutherford)
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Roslin: Nothing to worry about Aaron-Soh's early defeat
PETALING JAYA: Even seeded players can lose early, and there's no reason to panic. Former national shuttler Roslin Hashim believes that the early exit of world No. 2 men's doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik from the Japan Open on Wednesday should not come as a shock, despite the high expectations placed on them to go far in the tournament. Roslin said there could be various reasons behind Aaron-Wooi Yik's below-par performance, but at the same time, he saw a silver lining in the result, as their defeat came at the hands of fellow Malaysians Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi, who had been struggling for form over the past seven months. Until now, the 2021 World Championships bronze medallists had not cleared the opening round of a tournament since the India Open in January. In the first-round match at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, Aaron-Wooi Yik fell to Yew Sin-Ee Yi 15-21, 15-21 in just 32 minutes. Roslin, who won the Japan Open in 2001, said such results were part and parcel of the sport, but what mattered most would be on how the Asian champions would respond, especially with many tournaments still to come. 'I believe both pairs were well prepared, but perhaps on match day, Yew Sin was more fired up as the tournament was held in his wife's hometown. That may have given him extra motivation to put on a stronger performance. Yew Sin tied the knot with Japanese Aya Ohori last month. 'To me, it's normal for seeded players to suffer early exits, especially when it's an all-Malaysian clash. I understand many were disappointed, especially since there were high hopes for Aaron and Wooi Yik to win. Still, Roslin believes the defeat will not affect Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik's focus ahead of the China Open, which begins next Tuesday in Changzhou. The world No. 2 pair are the second seeds and will open their campaign against rising Danish duo Rasmus Kjaer-Frederik Sogaard. 'I don't think their confidence will be shaken. They are experienced players and they certainly know how to bounce back from setbacks, having done it before.'
