Western United defender Charbel Shamoon has been called up by Iraq for the first time ahead of a pair of 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup qualifiers.
Shamoon is in the squad for upcoming qualifiers against Kuwait and Palestine amid his impressive Isuzu UTE A-League season and he is joined by Western Sydney Wanderers midfielder Mohamed Al-Taay.
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An academy graduate, 21-year-old Shamoon is no stranger to the Iraq national setup, having made five appearances for the Under-20 team, while Al-Taay has three caps to his name so far.
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Shamoon has been a regular in John Aloisi’s side this season, starting 12 of his 13 A-Leagues appearances as Western sit second in the table. As for Al-Taay, he has made five appearances for the Wanderers since arriving from Wellington Phoenix in January.
In the third round of AFC qualifying, world number 56 Iraq are second in Group B, three points behind unbeaten South Korea with three wins and two draws from six matches on the road to next year’s showpiece in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
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