The Manchester-born midfielder is the first player of Pakistani heritage to feature at a World Cup.

Islamabad, Pakistan – The scoreline read 4-1 to Norway. Iraq had been heavily beaten in their first World Cup match in 40 years. Manchester City striker Erling Haaland scored twice in his World Cup debut as Norway cruised to victory in Group I.

But for Pakistan, the result barely mattered.

When Zidane Iqbal crossed the touchline for Iraq at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, in the 59th minute on Tuesday, history was made. He became the first player of Pakistani heritage to appear in a FIFA World Cup.

Pakistan’s national team has never qualified for the tournament. It sits 198th in FIFA’s rankings. For decades, more than 250 million Pakistanis have watched football’s biggest event from the outside.

That changed, in its own complicated way, through a 23-year-old born in Manchester, England.

Between three nations

Zidane Ammar Iqbal was born on April 27, 2003, to a Pakistani father and an Iraqi mother. His father, Aamar, is from the city of Sahiwal in Punjab while his mother, Ayat, was born in southern Iraq.

Growing up in Manchester, Iqbal was eligible to represent England, Pakistan or Iraq. The decision he eventually made was not a calculated one.

Iraq found him the way many things happen now: through social media.

A large Instagram page tracking Iraqis around the world contacted him to ask whether rumours about his heritage were true.

Word eventually reached the Iraq Football Association, which pursued him through a series of video calls with Iqbal and his parents.

Asked by the sports news outlet The Athletic why he chose Iraq, Iqbal said: “All the love and support from the fans in Iraq and across the world and how hard the FA tried to bring me. When someone shows so much love, it’s only right that you feel it.”

He had never visited Iraq before receiving an under-23 call-up in 2021.

The culture shock, he admitted, was real. But he kept returning. Gradually, a country that had once been only part of his heritage began to feel like home.

The road not taken

Iqbal joined Manchester United’s academy at the age of eight and spent 12 years at the club. In December 2021 at 18, he became the first British South Asian player in nearly two decades to appear for United in the UEFA Champions League.

But regular first-team football never followed. He eventually moved to FC Utrecht in the Dutch Eredivisie for about 1 million euros ($1.1m).

His performances during Iraq’s gruelling 21-match qualification campaign, including a winning goal against Indonesia, kept him central to the team’s plans throughout.

The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) had monitored his progress. But it was never truly a contest.

Ali Ahsan, editor of FootballPakistan.com, said the structural gap between the two football systems was simply too wide.

“We are struggling to attract players from bigger clubs, our ranking, the lack of a professional set-up. The PFF still has no technical director or dedicated national team recruitment staff,” Ahsan told Al Jazeera.

“For Zidane, he picked Iraq to be able to play major tournaments, which he probably wouldn’t have gotten with Pakistan,” Ahsan said.

“Had he chosen Pakistan, he could have had a big impact on raising Pakistani football’s profile internationally. He was still at United at the time. He could have started a serious conversation about how football needs to be improved, inspired kids to take it more seriously. Iraq is already a well-established team with a dedicated history, structure and fanbase.”

For Iqbal, the path led elsewhere. But for Pakistan, the moment still mattered.

“I hope there are children – whether Asian, Arab, whatever you are – who watch that and think they can do it,” Iqbal told The Athletic. “It’s definitely possible. And if I’ve done it, why can’t they?”

Iraq next face France on Monday before taking on Senegal in their final group match on June 26. Few expect them to advance. But few expected them to be there at all.

Against Norway, Iraq lost. For Pakistan, history was made anyway.