The first World Cup moment that Ahmed Qasem remembers — really remembers — happened when he was six years old.

It was the opening game of the 2010 tournament between South Africa and Mexico. Siphiwe Tshabalala gave the host nation the lead with a brilliant left-footed strike, a goal which would eventually be nominated for the FIFA Puskás Award, or goal of the year.

"It just stuck in my head," Qasem said.

Tshabalala's goal was all the more significant as the first goal of the first World Cup to be held in Africa —commentator Peter Drury, calling the match for BBC, famously described it as a "goal for all Africa." That the match ultimately ended in a tie is almost a footnote for fans outside of Mexico.

It was a moment that demonstrated the World Cup at its most powerful: sports as a vehicle for national pride. Now Qasem will get to experience it for himself. The Nashville SC forward was named to the Iraq national team roster for the 2026 World Cup, which will take place from June 11-July 19 in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Qasem will be the only NSC player to participate in the tournament.

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"It's the biggest thing that's happened to me," Qasem said on May 23 before he left Nashville to join Iraq's pre-tournament training camp. "... To show the Iraqi people how I play football and to play for them, to play for the nation, and to play at the World Cup is a dream."

All of this came suddenly for Qasem, who was born in Sweden and is of Iraqi and Palestinian descent and represented Sweden at youth levels but filed to switch his international allegiance to his mother's home country earlier this year. FIFA approved his switch on May 11, and a week later, coach Graham Arnold named him to Iraq's preliminary 34-man squad. Qasem earned his first cap in a friendly against Andorra on May 29, and on June 1, he was announced as one of 26 players to make the final roster for the World Cup.

Qasem said his mom cried when she found out he had made the preliminary roster.

"She was really, really happy," he said. "... It means a lot to her. She usually doesn't like football. She hates sports. I have four brothers, everyone plays soccer, so it was too much for her. But of course she's really happy for me."

Iraq isn't among the favorites to win it all, a group which includes Spain, France, England, Brazil and defending champions Argentina. The Lions of Mesopotamia are ranked No. 57 in the world and haven't appeared at a World Cup since their first trip 40 years ago. But qualification for this World Cup meant more for Iraq than the vast majority of the other 47 countries set to compete.

The national team has faced massive challenges over the last two decades due to war and political instability. They've often been unable to play matches in Iraq. Qasem was watching when they beat Bolivia in March to qualify for their first World Cup since 1986, and "all day" leading up to the match, his family was talking about it. It's difficult for him to put into words the kind of joy the team brings to Iraqis at home and abroad.

"When Iraq plays, it's a happy — I don't know how you say it in English, but you feel it, really much, and you understand," Qasem said. "Hopefully, if you see the Iraqi games, you're gonna see that how much they love it. ... It's something that's hard to describe. You need to just be there or see it on TV."

Iraq is in Group I, a challenging draw that includes France, Norway and Senegal. It will face Norway on June 16, France on June 22 and Senegal on June 26 and hope to qualify for the knockout stage. While France, Senegal and Norway are ranked No. 1, 14 and 31 in the world, respectively, Qasem believes "we are not afraid as a nation."

Whatever happens, Qasem will have plenty of positive experiences to take back to Nashville. When he returns, he'll do so to a team that leads the Supporters' Shield standings, and for which he's enjoyed a more consistent second season after an up-and-down first.

"There's a massive spotlight, there's massive pressure to get results," said Nashville coach B.J. Callaghan. "The more that we can expose players, especially young players, to really high-level environments that have high stakes, those experiences can only benefit him individually. ... So we're rooting for (Qasem) as much as we can."

Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on X/Twitter @Jacob_Shames.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville SC's Ahmed Qasem named to Iraq World Cup team