Inside Iraq's World Cup Mission: Meulensteen on Sacrifice, Singing, and Ronaldo

Iraq's path to their first World Cup in 40 years was a saga of unparalleled sacrifice. After 20 grueling qualifiers, they faced a sudden-death playoff in Monterrey, Mexico. But getting there was a logistical nightmare: with airspace closed due to war, staff and players endured harrowing overland journeys from across Iraq to Baghdad, then a 15-hour drive to Amman, Jordan, just to catch a flight. René Meulensteen, assistant to head coach Graham Arnold, witnessed the madness firsthand. The former...