267: Graham Arnold & One Of The Sports Stories Of The Year (Part A)
4/28/202654 min
The former Socceroos coach walked into the unknown… and emerged a national hero in Iraq. The details behind this extraordinary World Cup qualifying journey will take your breath away.
If you haven't, take a listen to Arnie’s full story back on Episode 221, the grit, the setbacks, the relentless belief. But what has unfolded since is something else entirely.
At the helm of Iraq national football team, Arnold has guided a nation of 46 million people to their first World Cup appearance in 40-years. It’s been a journey that’s had everything: chaos, courage, pressure, pride… and moments that were as frightening as they were inspiring.
This is the story of the Lions of Mesopotamia rising again. Now, it's time for the group of excitement at the World Cup.
This story already sits among the most extraordinary in world sport, and Graham Arnold isn't done yet!
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
[upbeat music] A ListenUp production.
Graham Arnold· Guest0:04
Okay, are you recording?
Mark Howard· Host0:05
[upbeat music] Welcome superstars to episode 267 of The Howie Games Part A, a very special episode featuring football coach Graham Arnold, the Iraqi football team, the Football World Cup, and what I genuinely believe is one of the great sports stories of the year so far.
Graham Arnold· Guest0:29
You know, obviously, when I resigned, I had a, a difficult eight months because I'm not a person who likes sitting at home and just staring at four walls and, you know, once the, uh, Iraq job came along and I got offered it, I'll be honest, if they hadn't not qualified for 40 years, I would never have taken the job.
Speaker 3· Soundbite0:46
[upbeat music] These 90 minutes, they're life-changing. Either Bolivia qualify for the first time in 32 years, or Iraq for the first time in 40. There is no more recourse. Only one place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup remains.
Mark Howard· Host1:04
Now, Arnie is a legend of Aussie football. His full story was told on episode 221 of the show. Just prior to that episode dropping, Arnie stepped away from his role as manager of the Socceroos, unsure of what was next.
Graham Arnold· Guest1:19
Yeah, look, everyone thinks it was a difficult decision, but it was quite easy. I always put the nation first, the team first, and myself last, and I just felt that, uh, it was time