Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for the World Cup on Tuesday, defeating Bolivia 2-1 in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico to seal their first appearance at the finals in 40 years.

Iraq, whose preparations for Tuesday’s playoff had been disrupted by the war in the Middle East, will play in World Cup Group I against France, Senegal and Norway.

Goals from Ali Al-Hamadi and Aymen Hussein secured a famous win for Iraq, whose last appearance at the World Cup came at the 1986 finals in Mexico.

Read moreItaly’s World Cup nightmare deepens with shoot-out defeat to Bosnia

The win marked a triumph for Iraq’s Australian coach Graham Arnold, who had initially sought to have Tuesday’s fixture postponed due to the disruption caused by the regional conflict triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Most of the Iraqi squad only reached Mexico after a gruelling three-day journey from Baghdad that began with an overland crossing into Jordan.

But there was little sign of weariness during a confident start by Iraq, who took the lead after nine minutes through Luton Town striker Al-Hamadi – the 24-year-old who moved to Liverpool as a toddler following the outbreak of the 2003 Iraq war.

Iraq midfielder Amir Al-Ammari won a corner after a superb free-kick that was saved at full stretch from Bolivia goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra.

From the subsequent set piece Al-Ammari curled a pinpoint corner on to the head of Al-Hamadi who nodded home for 1-0.

Iraq were well worth the early goal and looked in control until Bolivia, who had gradually grown into the game, equalized after 38 minutes.

Ramiro Vaca’s shot from the edge of the area was controlled with one touch by Moises Paniagua and the Morocco-based central midfielder swept into the roof of the net.

The goal stunned Iraq and Bolivia looked likely to grab a second after dominating the remainder of the half.

Read moreDR Congo score extra-time winner to reach first World Cup in half a century

Iraq regained the lead eight minutes into the second half, when a long ball forward was nodded into the path of substitute Marko Lawk-Farji.

Lawk-Farji’s cross found captain Hussein and the veteran striker clipped a first-time finish into the bottom corner.

Bolivia pressed frantically for a goal to force extra-time, but Iraq’s well-marshalled defence held firm during a nerve-shredding nine minutes of stoppage time.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Michael O’Neill has openly acknowledged the immense strain of simultaneously managing both the Northern Ireland national team and Blackburn Rovers, describing the dual role as “challenging physically and mentally.”

The 56-year-old stepped into the Championship relegation battle with Rovers on a short-term deal in February, a move that raised eyebrows among Northern Ireland supporters ahead of their crucial World Cup qualifying play-off semi-final against Italy.

That play-off ultimately ended in a 2-0 defeat in Bergamo on Thursday, but the focus on O’Neill’s long-term future has been a persistent narrative throughout this international window.

He has previously expressed being “fed up” with the constant discussion, stating that “as things stand” he intends to complete the season with Blackburn before “returning to the status quo” as Northern Ireland manager, where he has two years remaining on his contract.

However, this has not quelled the debate. Ahead of Tuesday’s 1-1 friendly draw with Wales, O’Neill faced renewed scrutiny after rival Championship clubs voiced concerns over a potential conflict of interest, particularly regarding his management of Northern Ireland players also involved in the same relegation fight as Blackburn.

Despite the distractions, O’Neill has successfully guided Blackburn out of the bottom three to 19th place, now four points clear of 22nd-placed Leicester ahead of Friday’s match at Birmingham.

Reflecting on the demands of his unique situation, O’Neill reiterated the personal toll.

“It has been tough, challenging physically and mentally, because the results obviously affect you as a manager,” he said. “I go back to the club now. We’ve seven games to go between now and the end of the season. I’ll look forward to the second of May when the season ends.”

Despite the World Cup dream ending, O’Neill remains optimistic about the national team’s trajectory.

“But I can come away (after this), though we’re disappointed we lost a World Cup play-off, we saw a lot of development and progress in our team and our squad,” he added.

His discussions about the young, rapidly developing Northern Ireland side suggest a manager not eager to depart from a promising project, with an eye towards a Euro 2028 qualifying campaign.

The upcoming Nations League campaign, which will see Northern Ireland face Georgia, Hungary and Ukraine later this year, also featured in his post-Wales comments.

“We have games in June, which have yet to be confirmed in terms of opposition or venue,” O’Neill noted.

“In the Nations League we go up a level into League B and I think the window in September and October will be really challenging because of the depth of our squad.”

He highlighted the particular difficulties for smaller nations: “Four games in 16 days is challenging when you don’t have the resources of the bigger nations.”

Nevertheless, O’Neill stressed the strategic importance of these fixtures, concluding: “But the Nations League will be very important for us in terms of our preparation (for) and the draw for 2028 when it comes around.”

This weekend, Derek Chisora fights one of the hardest natural punchers in heavyweight history, as he collides with Deontay Wilder in his supposed farewell fight. Ahead of the scrap, Chisora has unveiled a surprise name as the man who has hit him hardest thus far in his 49-fight career.

Chisora has faced a host of heavyweights considered to be major punchers and has been stopped four times during his almost two-decade-long spell in the sport, with David Haye being the first to halt him, in their 2012 grudge match at Upton Park.

Two years later, ‘Del Boy’ fell to Tyson Fury in their 2014 rematch, when he attempted to become a two-time British champion and the EBU European heavyweight titleholder, as his corner pulled him out after round 10.

In 2018, after a gruelling rematch with Dillian Whyte, Chisora was knocked out whilst ahead on the scorecards in round 11, that being the solitary pure ‘KO’ defeat to date for the 43-year-old.

Finally, in a second unsuccessful challenge for world honours, ‘Del Boy’ was denied in round 10 by Fury once again in 2022, in a one-sided trilogy clash that remains as his most recent defeat.

Yet, in an interview with Givemesport, Chisora accredited the hardest punch that he has felt to a man that he beat twice, believing that Paul Butlin, whom he decisioned in 2008 and 2009, caught him with the best shot.

“Paul Butlin from Wales [hit me the hardest].”

Butlin was a veteran journeyman who also shared the ring with fighters such as Anthony Joshua and Lucas Browne, but had claimed just three stoppage wins in his 41 professional contests.

Despite Chisora’s words, Butlin hails from Leicester, meaning that Chisora could have instead meant to name Welshman Darren Morgan -whom he fought in his third pro bout back in 2007 and has also since praised his power – with six of Morgan’s eight wins coming by knockout.

Wilder will hope that he can remove any confusion and register a more devastating blow, as he seeks to become the first non-Briton to dispatch of Chisora when they meet at the O2 Arena on Saturday night.

Italy failed to qualify for their third consecutive World Cup after losing to Bosnia & Herzegovina on Tuesday.

The 2006 champions fell on penalties following a tense 1-1 draw in their qualification play-off final. The Azzurri remain the highest-profile absence from this summer’s 48-team tournament in North America.

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Sweden, Turkiye and the Czech Republic also secured their places during a dramatic night of international action. DR Congo beat Jamaica 1-0 in extra time, while Iraq defeated Bolivia 2-1 to complete the field.

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Italy appeared to have the advantage after Moise Kean scored a brilliant early opener. However, Alessandro Bastoni received a red card for a reckless challenge before half-time, forcing the Azzurri to defend deep for the remainder of the match. Bosnia capitalised when Haris Tabakovic scrambled home a deserved equaliser in the 79th minute.

Democratic Republic of the Congo have qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 52 years after a 1-0 win over Jamaica in an intercontinental play-off final in Mexico.

The match was decided in extra time, with Axel Tuanzebe scoring the winning goal in the 100th minute.

Before the match, Tuanzebe described the game as the biggest of his career. The defender, who was born in Bunia, has now made history for his country.

The game was tight and tense, with both teams struggling to score during normal time. Cédric Bakambu had two goals ruled out for offside.

Tuanzebe’s goal came from a corner taken by Brian Cipenga. The ball touched a Jamaican defender before hitting Tuanzebe and going into the net. There was a short delay as officials checked for handball, but the goal was allowed after a VAR review.

Jamaica, who were hoping to reach the World Cup for the second time after their 1998 appearance, could not find an equaliser.

DR Congo will now play in Group K at the expanded tournament. They will face Portugal in their first match, before games against Colombia and Uzbekistan.

The Congolese team had a long journey to qualification, playing 13 matches since November 2023. They finished second in their group behind Senegal and went on to beat Cameroon and Nigeria in the African play-offs.

This historic victory marks a major moment for DR Congo football and ends a long wait to return to the world stage.