Younis Mahmoud begins his mission amid high public expectations to restore Iraqi football to the continental and international stage, especially after the historic achievement of the Iraqi national team qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

Younis Mahmoud was elected as the new president of the Iraqi Football Association for a four-year term, following elections held in the capital, Baghdad, in a highly competitive atmosphere and wide attention from the sports community.

The former Iraqi star, nicknamed “The Executioner,” succeeded in securing the presidency race after receiving 38 votes, outperforming former president Adnan Dirjal and candidate Iyad Baniyan, in one of the most notable elections Iraqi football has witnessed in recent years.

Strong competition for other positions

The elections saw intense competition over other administrative positions within the federation, with five candidates competing for the first deputy position, and five others for the second deputy position, in addition to a strong race among 27 candidates for membership in the new board of directors.

The electoral process was held at the Al-Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad, in the presence of General Assembly members who participated in selecting the new administration that will lead Iraqi football in the coming stage.

Full transparency and direct international supervision

The judicial committee overseeing the elections confirmed that the voting and counting process was conducted with a high level of transparency, noting that the number of ballots reached 61, matching the number of attendees from the General Assembly.

The committee also clarified that 59 ballots were valid, while two were excluded due to legal violations related to the voting method.

The elections were directly monitored by an official delegation representing FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation, in a move aimed at ensuring the integrity of the electoral process and its compliance with approved regulations.

A new era for Iraqi football

Younis Mahmoud begins his mission amid strong popular aspirations to bring Iraqi football back to the continental and international forefront, especially after the historic achievement of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

The coming period is expected to witness major changes in the development of local competitions, support for national teams, and improvement of the administrative and technical structure of Iraqi football, benefiting from the vast experience Younis Mahmoud gained throughout his career as a player and captain of the Iraqi national team.