Mo Al-Taay has been called up to the Iraq national team for the first time.
The Phoenix midfielder has been named in Iraq’s 26-strong squad for their upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Indonesia and Vietnam.
Al-Taay has been rewarded for his consistent performances during the Nix’s record-breaking Isuzu UTE A-League campaign.
He featured in all but two of their 29 matches in his first season in Wellington, making 17 starts.
Al-Taay was born in Australia after his parents fled from Iraq in the mid-1990s and has dreamed of playing for the national team since Iraq won the Asian Cup in 2007.
Iraq will head to Jakarta to play Indonesia on Thursday, June 6 before returning home to host Vietnam in Basra on Tuesday, June 11.
They top group F in the second round of Asian qualifying, having won their first four matches.
