Amidst preparations for the upcoming Asian and World Cup qualifiers, the Iraqi Basketball Federation recently contracted Serbian coach Milan Nestic, who will be assisted by national coach Aqeel Najm. The team, known as "The Lions of Mesopotamia," is set to compete in the first window of the qualifiers, where they will face Saudi Arabia, Palestine, and Jordan.
Nestic, who also coaches the Iraqi team Zakho, has swiftly begun his work by calling up 19 players for initial training sessions. The final roster will be determined ahead of their first official challenge against Saudi Arabia in Baghdad, with a preparatory test coming in the form of the Beirut Championship from February 17 to 20, organized by the Lebanese Basketball Federation and Global Active Sports.
The initial roster includes players from various clubs, such as Ali Moyed Ismail, Hassan Ali Abdullah, Mohammad Salah Mahdi, and Hussein Hadi Talib from Al-Shorta Club; Karrar Jassem Hamza and Abbas Hadi Abdul Razzaq from the Oil Club; and others from different teams, including naturalized player Demario Mayfield, who has been representing Iraq since 2017.
Nestic has been conducting several training sessions in Baghdad before moving to a training camp in Duhok, concluding on Thursday, as confirmed by the president of the Iraqi Basketball Federation, Hussein Al-Omidi. He expressed satisfaction with participating in the Beirut Championship, which allows the national team to play three games instead of potentially only one friendly match against Bahrain.
Al-Omidi thanked the Lebanese Basketball Federation and the organizing company, highlighting that the team’s preparations are on track. However, he noted concerns that some players from Al-Shorta and Oil clubs might be distracted due to their commitments in other matches in Beirut. He mentioned that four players from Al-Shorta and four from the Oil Club will have games at the same time, which could affect the national team's scheduling.
He added that the team aims to play two strong matches against Lebanon and Kuwait in Beirut as preparation for the challenging qualifier against Saudi Arabia. The Beirut Championship will also serve as an opportunity to better understand the Palestinian team.
The primary goal for the Iraqi team is to qualify for the Asian Cup, with a considerable chance given that the best four third-placed teams can qualify. The long-term ambition is to be among the top eight Asian teams to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in Iraq’s history, with this journey beginning in Beirut.
