India vs Iraq: All-time Head-to-Head record

India are yet to defeat Iraq in football.

The Indian football team return to action in the 49th King’s Cup, where they will clash against a formidable Iraq side on Thursday, 7 September. The Blue Tigers will actually be facing the Iraqi side for the first time in over 12 years, having last played a game against them in 2010.

In Iraq, Igor Stimac’s side faces a team that are higher-ranked than them and arguably one of the toughest sides they will go up against in the last few years. They don’t have the comfort of home support either, even though a decent turnout is expected at the 700th Anniversary Stadium in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The Blue Tigers have, although, faced off against the Lions of Mesopotamia on a number of occasions in their history. Here we look at their all-time head-to-head record and the result of each and every time they’ve played a competitive match against each other.

Iraq 3-0 India (1974 Asian Games)

The first time that India met the Iraqi side in competitive football was back in the 1974 Asian Games in Tehran, Iran. They were placed in the same group in the Asian Games alongside North Korea and China. However, the Blue Tigers were of no match for their opponents in that game.

Iraq absolutely dominated them throughout, picking up a 3-0 win to kick off their Asian Games campaign in impressive fashion.

India 0-3 Iraq (1978 Asian Games)

After the disappointing outing in 1974, the Indian football team went past the group stages in the 1978 Asian Games in Thailand. However, they ended up colliding with a strong Iraq team in the semi-finals, where they again suffered a 3-0 loss.

Just like the previous edition, this one also saw the Blue Tigers fail to provide strong competition to the Lions of Mesopotamia and they’ll hope to do better in this upcoming clash in Thailand.

India 1-1 Iraq (1995 Nehru Cup)

Iraq participated in the Nehru Cup for the first time in the 1995 edition, alongside other strong teams like Russia U-20, Uzbekistan U-20 and Thailand. They were the overwhelming favorites for the competition, but they did not find the India side to be a walk in the park.

Despite being favourites to win the match, Iraq found the Indian side hard to break down and would only manage a 1-1 draw against the hosts. Former East Bengal and Mohun Bagan player Tausif Jamal had scored the equalizer in that one, helping India clinch a famous result.

India 0-1 Iraq (1997 Nehru Cup)

Two years after that draw, Iraq returned to India to participate in the next edition of the Nehru Cup. This time, the opponents included the likes of China and Ghana, but Iraq had brought their strongest side to ensure the embarrassment of the past edition wasn’t repeated – despite actually winning the 1995 Nehru Cup.

They gunned for revenge against the Indian team, who had the support of a 25,000-strong home crowd. This time, they managed to go out with a 1-0 win thanks to a solitary 24th-minute goal from forward Qahtan Chathir.

India 1-1 (4-2) (1997 Nehru Cup)

After winning the group stage game, Iraq were put up against the Indian team in the semi-finals of the Nehru Cup that year as well. This time around, however, they faced a more motivated Indian contingent that refused to go down without a fight.

Carlton Chapman scored for the Blue Tigers, but defender Sadir Saadoun’s strike meant that the game was stretched all the way to the penalty shootout. Here, Iraq reigned supreme with a 4-2 win to move onto the final. The Lions of Mesopotamia would also go on to win the Nehru Cup that year as well, defeating Uzbekistan U-20 in the final.

Iraq 2-0 India (2010 International Friendly)

Almost 14 years after their win over India and Nehru Cup success, Iraq agreed to face the Blue Tigers in a friendly match. Organized to take place at a neutral venue in Baghdad in 2010, the Blue Tigers were unable to oust the Iraqi team on that occasion either, falling to a 2-0 loss.

They will hope to put an end to their poor head-to-head record against the Lions of Mesopotamia in the King’s Cup semi-final clash. They are yet to win a game against Iraq, but Igor Stimac will hope to change that and pop up a surprise to guide his side to take one step closer to winning the competition.

India vs Iraq all-time H-2-H

Games Played: 6

India won: 0

Draw: 1

Iraq won: 5

Picture Courtesy: Agencia Brasil (Iraq's picture)