Spain held at Riazor by resilient Iraq: a draw that raises questions before the trip to the World Cup
The Spain national football team failed to turn home advantage into victory in a friendly match against Iraq, played on 4 June 2026 at the Abanca-Riazor Stadium in A Coruña. The match ended 1:1, although the team led by coach Luis de la Fuente had more possession, a greater number of attacking sequences and an early lead provided by Ferran Torres. Iraq, however, withstood periods of Spanish pressure and, through Merchas Doski, reached an equaliser that proved to be the final result. According to match reports, the game had a clear preparatory function ahead of the 2026 World Cup, but at the same time showed that even marked territorial control does not guarantee a calm outcome if the rhythm of play is interrupted by numerous changes and if the opponent remains organised.
Ferran Torres opened the match, Doski quickly brought Iraq back
Spain took the lead in the 16th minute, when Ferran Torres finished off an attack by the home national team and confirmed the hosts' strong start to the match. According to Cadena SER's report, with that goal Torres reached 25 goals for the Spanish national team, drawing level with Emilio Butragueño in eighth place on the all-time scoring list of the Spanish national side. It was a detail that, at least briefly, gave the match the expected direction: Spain had the initiative, the fans at Riazor got an early goal, and Iraq were forced to look for a way out of their defensive block. But the lead did not last long, which is the most important message of the first half for the Spanish coaching staff.
Iraq equalised in the 27th minute with a goal by Merchas Doski, and the way the ball ended up in the net further underlined how unpredictable friendly matches ahead of major tournaments can be. Cadena SER stated that Doski arrived on the left side of the penalty area and sent in a ball that turned from a dangerous cross into a goal, while Spanish reports emphasise that goalkeeper Joan García could have reacted better. Regardless of how the final phase of the move is interpreted, Iraq showed composure after conceding and took advantage of one of the rare moments in which the Spanish defence found itself outside its ideal shape. That goal changed the tone of the match because Spain, after a promising opening, had to build the result again, but without the initial ease in their play.
Dominance in possession without decisive final pressure
According to statistical data from the portal Fútbol Directo, Spain had 66 percent possession, while Iraq ended the match with 34 percent. The same source states that the home national team had 13 shots, and Iraq nine, confirming that Spain had a greater volume of play, but not complete control over dangerous situations. This balance of power describes the nature of the match well: Spain kept the ball for longer, tried to find space between the lines and spread play through the flanks, while Iraq waited for moments to break out and tried to keep the match balanced for as long as possible. In friendly duels, that balance often has greater value for the nominally weaker team because it allows them to test defensive discipline and mental stability against a technically stronger opponent.
Spain had a chance before the break to take the lead again, and reports particularly single out Ferran Torres' attempt that struck the frame of the goal. That detail could have significantly changed the psychology of the match, because a goal before half-time would have allowed the hosts a more controlled continuation and less pressure after the large number of planned substitutions. Instead, the second half began with the score open and with coach De la Fuente's clear intention to extend playing time to a larger number of players. The consequence was a match in which Spain maintained the initiative, but lost part of the automatisms needed to create clear chances continuously.
De la Fuente tested the depth of the squad
This duel was not conceived only as a search for victory, but also as a test of the depth of the Spanish squad in the final phase of preparations for the World Cup. According to Cadena SER, the positive news for the Spanish staff was the return of Mikel Merino and the debuts of several players, including Jon Martín, Marc Bernal, Gonzalo García, Sergio Gómez, Beñat Turrientes, Marc Pubill, Javi Guerra and Leo Román. Such a number of new or less-used players necessarily changes the structure of the match, because the national team is trying in a short time to obtain information about individuals who are not yet fully integrated into the competitive rhythm of the senior side. That is why the draw cannot be viewed exclusively through the result, but also through the coaching staff's intention to test options before the final move into tournament mode.
According to available reports, De la Fuente made a series of changes in the second half, including the introductions of Eric García, Sergio Gómez, Jesús Rodríguez, Yeremy Pino and Gonzalo García immediately after the break. Later, other players also received minutes, which made the match more fragmented and less suitable for creating stable pressure. In such a context, Iraq benefited from a clearer defensive plan: they closed central zones, slowed down Spanish attacks and tried to avoid periods in which the hosts could produce shots in series from promising positions. For Spain, this is a warning that squad depth alone is not enough if substitutions from the bench lead to a loss of connection between the midfield line and the final phase.
Iraq earned a valuable result and confirmed competitive resilience
For Iraq, the draw in A Coruña is a valuable result not only because of the strength of the opponent but also because of the context in which it was achieved. In its match preview, the RFEF pointed out that Iraq are a national team from the Asian Football Confederation and a participant in the 2026 World Cup, while FIFA's overview of Group I states that the Iraqi national team will play against France, Senegal and Norway at the tournament. In such a group, every preparatory duel against a technically dominant opponent carries special weight, because the team has to practise long periods without the ball, quick reactions after winning possession and concentration at set pieces or wide situations. Against Spain, Iraq built precisely on those elements a result that can be used ahead of the tournament as proof that the team can remain competitive even when it is not in possession.
According to Fútbol Directo's data, Iraq were not completely passive because, with nine shots, they had enough breaks forward to force Spain to be cautious. This is an important detail, because the draw did not come only from one isolated defensive performance, but from the ability not to let the game plan fall apart after Spain's lead. Coach Graham Arnold, listed in match reports as Iraq's coach, could take from this encounter confirmation that his team can survive difficult periods and still exploit space when it opens up. Ahead of a group in which France are clear favourites, while Senegal and Norway bring physical and transitional demands, such a match has greater value than the friendly result itself.
Riazor as the stage for the final home test
The match also had local significance for A Coruña, because the RFEF announced Riazor as the venue for the Spanish national team's final appearance on home soil before leaving for the World Cup. The federation announced that the agreement for the match was concluded by RFEF president Rafael Louzán and Iraqi Football Association president Adnan Dirjal during the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver. The RFEF also stated that this was Spain's seventh appearance in A Coruña and recalled the previous visit in 2022, when Spain defeated Iceland 5:0 in a friendly match before the World Cup. In that sense, Riazor was not just a neutral stage, but a stadium with national-team continuity and a symbolic role in sending the team off toward a major competition.
The staging of the match was also important because of the condition of the stadium itself after earlier damage to the pitch. Cadena SER reported before the match that the Spain-Iraq encounter would be played normally after repairs required because of damage caused when some fans entered the pitch after Deportivo's last match. According to the same source, the work included interventions on the grass, and a broader security plan was also planned for the match. Fútbol Directo listed an attendance of 30,423 spectators in the match record, confirming that the friendly attracted considerable attention and that Riazor provided a competitive setting worthy of a national-team test.
Spain remain among the favourites, but the draw changes the tone of preparations
According to FIFA's overview of Group H, Spain will play at the 2026 World Cup against Cabo Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay. In its preview of the match with Iraq, the RFEF stated that the Spanish national team would play its first match at the tournament on 15 June against Cabo Verde in Atlanta, and that its preparations would end with a match against Peru in Puebla on 8 June. In that schedule, the draw with Iraq comes at a sensitive moment: close enough to the start of the tournament to be discussed as a warning, but still early enough for the coaching staff to correct tactical details and more clearly define the hierarchy within the squad. Spain have quality and depth, but the match in A Coruña showed that against a disciplined block they must be more efficient in the final third.
The 1:1 result therefore does not change the basic picture of Spain as one of the strongest European national teams, but it softens the optimism that a routine victory in the final home test would have brought. If the goal was to give minutes to a larger number of players, that goal was achieved. If the goal was to create an impression of complete readiness and automated play before leaving for the final preparations, the match left open questions. This particularly concerns stability after substitutions, defensive reactions to balls from wide areas and the ability to turn possession into a series of clear chances, rather than only territorial dominance.
A draw as a different message for the two national teams
For Spain, the draw at Riazor is above all a reminder that the status of favourites must be confirmed through concentration and efficiency, even in matches without competitive stakes. For Iraq, the same result is confirmation that preparatory duels against stronger national teams can have a direct psychological effect, especially when pressure is withstood and a positive result is achieved away from home. The difference in the ambitions of the two national teams remains large: Spain enter the World Cup with expectations of a deep tournament run, while Iraq are looking for a way to remain competitive in a difficult group and seize every opportunity. That is precisely why the 1:1 in A Coruña is a result that will be read differently in the two dressing rooms.
Spain take from this match individual gains, including Torres' goal, Merino's return and the first appearances of a number of players, but also a clear message that competitive sharpness cannot be postponed until the start of the tournament. Iraq, on the other hand, take a result that shows they can punish carelessness and remain calm after an early deficit. Riazor thus offered a match that was not spectacular in terms of the scoreline, but was useful for understanding the state of both national teams. In a preparatory period, such matches are often valuable precisely because of what they reveal between the lines: a favourite still searching for the ideal rhythm and an outsider who, from solid organisation, can draw much more than expected.
Sources:
- Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF) – match preview, official context of Spain's final home test before the World Cup, venue, date and previous head-to-head meeting (link)
- Cadena SER – report from the Spain - Iraq 1:1 match, scorers, course of the encounter, debuts and Mikel Merino's return (link)
- Fútbol Directo – result, official line-ups, goal minutes, match statistics, possession, shots, stadium and attendance (link)
- AS USA – match chronology, summary of events at Riazor and broader preparatory context ahead of the 2026 World Cup (link)
- FIFA – overview of Group H of the 2026 World Cup, featuring Spain, Cabo Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay (link)
- FIFA – overview of Group I of the 2026 World Cup, featuring France, Senegal, Iraq and Norway (link)