Iraq have qualified for their first World Cup in 40 years, but coach Graham Arnold wants far more than that, with his team battle-hardened by the 21 qualifying matches it took to reach the finals and ready to shock the world, he said on Monday.
The Iraqis take on Norway in their Group I opener on Tuesday in Boston after 2022 World Cup finalists France play Senegal and Arnold told a press conference his players had nothing to lose.
"We are in a very difficult group but at the same time the boys are very excited," Arnold said. "Every day is a countdown. The World Cup started four days ago.
"The boys have been through a lot of playoffs, a lot of pressure games. They had to play 21 World Cup qualifiers. It is a good learning curve for them," he said.
Iraq grabbed the last available World Cup place by beating Bolivia 2-1 in their inter-confederation playoff in March.
Arnold said his players had watched all the matches so far, including strong results by smaller teams, such as Cape Verde's shock 1-1 draw against European champions Spain and Qatar's draw with the Swiss, that gave his players confidence.
"We have to believe in ourselves and be ready to play. Qualification is not enough. I want more," Arnold said.
Iraq have never won a World Cup match, losing all three of their group games at their only previous appearance in 1986.
"It has been a tough 12 months," Arnold said. "Just getting here is not enough. They had a good celebration ... it was congrats but now we have to go to the World Cup and perform our best and try to shock the world.
"We have everything to gain and nothing to lose."
