"Report" promotes Al-Rakrak in Iraq.

Iraqi football circles are awaiting the final decision of the local federation regarding the future of Australian coach Graham Arnold, while the name of national coach Walid Regragui has emerged as the top candidate to succeed him if an agreement to extend the current coach's contract, which ends at the end of July, is not reached.

The Iraqi sports channel Al-Rabia revealed that the Iraqi federation considers Regragui the most prominent option to lead the "Lions of Mesopotamia," based on the international experience the Moroccan coach has accumulated, in addition to his coaching record highlighted by the historic achievement of leading the Moroccan national team to the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup.

According to the same source, any official move to contract with Regragui will remain linked to the outcome of the ongoing negotiations with Arnold, as the Iraqi federation prioritizes resolving the Australian coach's situation before moving on to consider available alternatives.

In this context, Iraqi football officials continue their meetings with Arnold and his agent, in an attempt to reach an agreement that ensures his continuation at the helm of the coaching staff, after successfully leading the national team to qualify for the World Cup finals, following his appointment in May 2025.

For this purpose, the Iraqi federation has formed a special committee to oversee the matter, chaired by Younis Mahmoud, and includes the vice presidents Sarmad Abdul Ilah and Mohammed Nasser, with the aim of concluding negotiations before the current contract expires on July 31.

On the other hand, Regragui has become available for a new coaching experience since the end of his association with the Moroccan national team last March, after completing a phase described as successful, during which he solidified his position among the top coaches, thanks to his historic leadership of the "Atlas Lions" to the semi-finals of the "2022 World Cup," before concluding his mission after the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals.

Despite his name being widely circulated in Iraqi media circles, the Iraqi federation has not yet opened any official negotiations with the Moroccan coach, which means that the matter is still in the evaluation phase of options, awaiting the final resolution of Graham Arnold's future.