Iraq vs Hong Kong Prediction and Betting Tips | September 4th 2025 

A place in the final of the 2025 King’s Cup is on the line on Thursday when Iraq and Hong Kong go head-to-head in Thailand. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since June 2021, when Graham Arnold’s men picked up a 1-0 victory in Group C of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Iraq picked up three huge points in their quest for a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup last time out when they secured a 1-0 victory over Jordan back in June.

This was a much-needed result for Arnold’s side, who had failed to taste victory in their previous five matches (4L, 1D), a run which saw them crash out of the Gold Cup in the group stages last December.

Before taking on Indonesia in their next World Cup qualifying fixture, Iraq get underway in the King’s Cup, where they are eying a second title triumph, having clinched the Thailand-based friendly tournament back in 2023.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong are making their debut in the 51st edition of the King’s Cup and will be looking to become just the third nation to win the friendly tournament in their debut year, joining Curacao and Tajikistan.

However, Wolfgang Luisser’s men will need to be at their best on Thursday as they head into the game on a run of three consecutive losses, suffering defeats against Japan, South Korea and China in the 2025 East Asian Championships back in July.

Hong Kong’s last win came on June 10, when they edged out India 1-0 in Group C of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers thanks to a 94th-minute penalty from Stefan Pereira Figueiredo.

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Iraq vs Hong Kong Head-To-Head and Key Numbers

• This will be just the third meeting between Iraq and Hong Kong, with Arnold’s side picking up two wins from their previous two encounters.
• Iraq secured a 2-0 victory when they first met in Group C of the World Cup qualifiers back in 2019, before picking up a 1-0 win in the return fixture in June 2021.
• Hong Kong have failed to win six of their last seven matches across all competitions, losing four and claiming two draws since March 25.
• Iraq have managed just one win from their most recent six matches since December, having gone unbeaten in 10 of the 11 games preceding this run.

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Iraq vs Hong Kong Prediction

While the King’s Cup remains a friendly tournament, the stakes are high for both Iraq and Hong Kong, who will be looking to secure bragging rights. Iraq boast a significantly superior and more experienced squad on paper and this should prove decisive on Thursday.

Prediction: Iraq 3-0 Hong Kong

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Iraq vs Hong Kong Betting Tips

Tip 1: Result - Iraq to win

Tip 2: More than 4.5 cards - No (There have been fewer than five bookings in nine of Iraq’s last 10 matches)

Tip 3: Over 10.5 corners - Yes (There have also been at least 11 corner kicks in four of Iraq’s last five outings)