Saudi Arabia vs Iraq Prediction and Betting Tips

A place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be on the line when Saudi Arabia and Iraq square off in a decisive qualifying clash on Tuesday. Both sides are level on three points at the top of Group B, making it a winner-takes-all affair at the King Abdullah Sports City.

Saudi Arabia picked up three huge points in their quest for a third consecutive World Cup appearance as they held on to see out a 3-2 victory over Indonesia in the opening game of their fourth qualifying round last Wednesday.

This followed a somewhat disappointing run of results in the third qualifying round, where Herve Renard’s men picked up 13 points from 10 matches to finish third in Group C, behind Japan and Australia in the two automatic qualification places.

Saudi Arabia will be backing themselves to get the job done on Tuesday as they take on an opposing side against whom they are unbeaten in six of their last eight meetings, claiming five wins and one draw since October 2013.

Elsewhere, FC Utrecht man Zidane Iqbal came up trumps for Iraq on Saturday as he struck in the second half to hand them a 1-0 victory over Indonesia in their heated contest at the King Abdullah Sports City.

Like Saudi Arabia, Graham Arnold’s men missed out on automatic qualification in the third round as they picked up 15 points from 10 games to finish third in Group B, one point behind second-placed Jordan in the second qualifying spot.

Iraq, who are on a run of four back-to-back victories across all competitions, will be backing themselves to extend this fine streak and secure a first World Cup qualification since their group-stage exit in 1986.

Saudi Arabia vs Iraq Head-To-Head and Key Numbers

With 18 wins from the last 37 meetings between the sides, Iraq boast a superior record in the history of this fixture.
Saudi Arabia have picked up 12 wins in that time, while the spoils have been shared on seven occasions.
Saudi Arabia are unbeaten in four of their last five matches across all competitions, claiming two wins and two draws since June 2023.
Iraq have lost just two of their most recent seven World Cup qualifying games while picking up three wins and two draws since November 2024.

Saudi Arabia vs Iraq Prediction

With a World Cup spot on the line, this is a tough one to call as both sides will be backing themselves to come out on top in a pivotal qualifying game.

That said, we anticipate a fierce battle at the King Abdullah Sports City, with Renard’s men picking up all three points in front of their home crowd to clinch the ticket.

Prediction: Saudi Arabia 2-1 Iraq

Saudi Arabia vs Iraq Betting Tips

Tip 1: Result - Saudi Arabia to win

Tip 2: Both sides to score - Yes (Saudi Arabia and Iraq have both scored in five of their last seven meetings)

Tip 3: Over 4.5 cards - No (There have also been fewer than five bookings in four of the last five clashes between the two nations)

About the author

Joshua is a European and international football writer at Sportskeeda who covers news and match previews. He fell in love with the sport watching Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o win titles at club and international level, and his passion for the sport led him to become a professional football writer. He has an overall professional experience of 5 years.

Joshua supports Chelsea at club level, having witnessed a number of African stars break records with the club. Drogba’s equalizing header and match-winning shootout penalty for Chelsea against Bayern Munich in the 2012 UEFA Champions League final left a last impact on him. His favorite player is Eden Hazard and favorite manager is Jose Mourinho, who gave him the most joyous days as a Blues supporter. He believes that Cristiano Ronaldo is unlucky to be born in Messi’s era and favors the Argentine in the G.O.A.T. debate.

Joshua also follows the Portuguese Primeira Liga and the Nigeria Professional Football League and loves to play football during his free time. Having attained a B.Sc. in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Ibadan, he employs his problem-solving skills in crafting articles while doing extensive research to ensure each article is well thought out and crafted.

Know More