One year after the fall of the Baath regime in Iraq, Iraqi football recived a boast after several restrictions and bans on the national teams and clubs were lifted. The year 2004 was considered as one of the most active years in Iraq's footballing history as the national team participated at the 2004 AFC Asian Cup, the Olympic team at the Olympics and the youth teams at the Asian Championships.
However, the Lions of Mesopotamia failed to qualify for the final round of the 2006 World Cup Qualifiction after losing the vital match against Uzbekistan in Amman. Iraq also failed to get beyond the group stage at the 2004 Gulf Cup in Qatar, which it returned to participate at after 14 years of suspension following the Invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Coach Adnan Hamad was fired after these two shortcomings.
No games by the national team or the Iraqi clubs international precipitation were played in Iraq due to security issues.
National team edit
Friendly Games edit
Iraq  | 0 – 2 |  Japan |
|---|---|---|
Yanagisawa  47' dos Santos 84' |
| Iraq | 0 – 2 |  Trinidad and Tobago |
|---|---|---|
| John 29' 66' |
| Iraq | 3 – 1 |  Yemen |
|---|---|---|
| Nashat Akram 20' Salih Sadir 50' Emad Mohammed 62' |
Al-Hajam 28' |
Asian Cup edit
Group Stage edit
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Uzbekistan
|
9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 |
| Iraq
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 |
 Turkmenistan
|
1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 |
 Saudi Arabia
|
1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 |
| Iraq | 0 – 1 | Uzbekistan |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | Kasimov 21' |
| Iraq | 3 – 2 | Turkmenistan |
|---|---|---|
| Hawar Mohammed 12' Razzaq Farhan 80'Qusay Munir 88' |
(Report) | Baýramow 14' Kulyýew 85' |
| Iraq | 2 – 1 | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| Nashat Akram 51' Younis Mahmoud 86' |
(Report) | Al-Montashari 57' |
Quarter Finals edit
West Asian Championship edit
Group Stage edit
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Jordan
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
 Iraq
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 |
 Palestine
|
1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 |
| Iraq | 2 – 1 | Palestine |
|---|---|---|
| Emad Mohammed 41' 83' |
Al-Kord 40' |
Semi Finals edit
| Iraq | 1 – 2 | Iran  |
|---|---|---|
| Ahmad Mnajed 30' |
Nekounam 4' Borhani 55' |
3rd Place Match edit
| Jordan | 3 – 1 | Iraq |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Shaqran 27' 47' Abu Alieh 76' |
Emad Mohammed 81' |
Gulf Cup of Nations edit
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Oman
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 |
 Qatar
|
5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 6 | +1 |
 United Arab Emirates
|
2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 |
 Iraq
|
2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 7 | −2 |