Spain and Iraq played out a 1-1 draw in an international friendly on Thursday at Estadio Riazor in La Coruña, Spain.
Ferran Torres, the Spanish forward, scored early for the European champions in their World Cup warm-up, but Iraq’s Merchas Doski equalized soon after. The result came as Spain fielded a rotated squad ahead of the 2026 tournament, while Iraq gained valuable experience as they prepare for their first World Cup appearance since 1986.
Ferran Torres opened the scoring for Spain in the 16th minute, finishing a move involving Borja Iglesias. Merchas Doski, the Iraqi defender, scored with a stunning strike in the 27th minute to level the scores.
Spain dominated possession for much of the encounter with their understrength lineup, which included Gavi’s return to the starting lineup. Still, Iraq defended resiliently and limited further chances in a match that remained balanced after the early exchanges.
Spain, ranked second in the latest FIFA men’s world rankings, used the fixture as preparation without several key players.
Spain will face Peru on June 8 in Puebla, Mexico.