Ammon News - Iraq coach Graham Arnold said his future beyond the World Cup remains undecided as his contract ends after the tournament and no formal ​talks have yet taken place, though retirement is not on ‌his mind.

The 62-year-old Australian, who took charge of Iraq in May of last year, said he was keeping his options open and wanted to focus fully on the World ​Cup, where the team will make its first appearance in 40 ​years.

"The book is open. My contract finishes straight after the ⁠World Cup. There has been talk about them wanting me to ​stay on, but I haven't had anything formal yet," Arnold told AAP.

"I really ​don't want anything formal yet. I want to go to the World Cup and enjoy it and after that I've got to make a decision whether to stay on ​or move on."

Arnold, who guided his native Australia to the round of 16 ​at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, said the prospect of leading teams that have ‌struggled ⁠to reach major tournaments continues to motivate him.

"There's some nations that I look at and I think to myself, they haven't qualified for a long time, I'd like to do it again," he said.

"I've obviously had the ​experience throughout Asia, ​but I'm nowhere ⁠near ready to retire."

Iraq qualified for the World Cup by beating Bolivia 2-1 in Mexico in their inter-confederation playoff ​earlier this month.
Arnold said Iraq's qualification campaign had reinforced his ​belief ⁠that the team could trouble more-established sides on the global stage.

"We're going out there with nothing to lose and everything to gain, and with the chance ⁠to ​shock the world," he said.
"We'll be the underdog. ​We'll be fighters. If no one is giving us a chance, we can go there ​and achieve something special."