Iraq vs Bolivia: prediction & betting odds 1 April 2026

In order to reach the intercontinental play-offs, the team came through four rounds of Asian World Cup qualifying. Over the course of that impressive run, Iraq played 20 matches. Notably, only three of those 20 games ended in defeat. The current unbeaten streak in World Cup qualification stands at five matches (3 wins, 2 draws). In the previous stage, the national team overcame the United Arab Emirates in continental play-off ties (3:2 on aggregate). It is also worth noting that if Iraq beat Bolivia, they will qualify for the World Cup for only the second time in their history. The team previously appeared at the finals back in 1986, when they failed to pick up a single point in the group stage.

• The national team have scored in 7 of their last 9 World Cup qualifiers.
• Five of Iraq's previous six matches in this tournament have been low-scoring.
• The team have not conceded more than one goal in five World Cup qualifying matches.

Potential Iraq Lineup (4-2-3-1)

Jalal Hassan – Hussein Ali, Zaid Tahseen, Akam Hashem, Merhas Doski – Aymar Sher, Amir Al-Ammari – Ali Hashem, Sherko Gubari, Marco Fardji – Aymen Hussein.

Bolivia entered the play-offs at the semi-final stage. In the previous round, also at a neutral venue, the South Americans snatched a comeback win over Suriname (2:1). The national team conceded first immediately after half-time, but later responded with two goals in the space of seven minutes. That victory was their second in a row and their third in the last four World Cup qualifiers, having previously gone six matches in the tournament without a win (2 draws, 4 defeats). If they get the right result against Iraq, Bolivia will reach the World Cup for the first time since 1994, when they collected one point and finished fourth in their group.

• At least one team failed to score in 5 of Bolivia's previous 6 World Cup qualifiers.
• The team's run of decisive results in this tournament stands at five matches (3 wins, 2 defeats).
• At least two goals have been scored in 8 of Bolivia's last 10 World Cup qualifiers.

Potential Bolivia Lineup (4-3-3)

Guillermo Viscarra – Diego Medina, Luis Akin, Efrain Morales, Roberto Fernandez – Robson Matheus, Erwin Vaca, Gabriel Villamil – Miguel Terceros, Enzo Monteiro, Ramiro Vaca.

Who Will Referee the Match

Ivan Barton (El Salvador)

Matches – 15 (International fixtures, 2024-2026);

Yellow cards shown (including second bookings) – 71;

Average yellow cards per match – 4.7;

Red cards shown – 4;

Fouls per match on average – 28;

Penalties – 27%.

Iraq vs Bolivia: Match Prediction

Iraq have already come a long way to reach a World Cup play-off, but in the most recent qualifying rounds the team have delivered results largely thanks to their reliable defensive work. While the national side failed to score in only two of their last nine World Cup qualifiers, Iraq have mostly limited themselves to exactly one goal. They have scored at least two goals in only two of their last 10 matches in this tournament, and on both occasions the team were playing on home soil.

Bolivia conceded the most among the participants in South American World Cup qualifying, but over time they have been able to improve the quality of their defensive play. Across their last six World Cup qualifiers, the national team conceded more than one goal in only two matches, both of which were played away from home. They managed to keep a clean sheet in half of those games.

With a historic place at the World Cup on the line, Bolivia will try to make as few mistakes as possible at the back. In a match like this, the nominal hosts are unlikely to deliver a high-scoring performance.

Prediction: Iraq, under 1.5 goals