DANNY
WHAT’S IT TO YA?
July 29, 2026
Danny Astefan is a Vancouver-based creative and lifelong supporter of the Iraqi national team. Growing up in an Iraqi household, football became more than just a game—it was a connection to his culture, his family and a country he supported from afar. Through his creative work, Danny has found a way to bring together his love of storytelling and the game that has always been a part of his life. We chopped it up about his earliest football memories, watching Iraq compete on the world stage, and what it means to support the Lions of Mesopotamia.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
How were you first introduced to football?
Football was the first sport I ever played. I’ve been playing and involved in the game for as long as I can remember. I was a really active kid growing up, and being Iraqi, football is the sport we live and breathe.
I also grew up in a low-income household with a single mom, and football had the easiest barrier to entry. Other sports weren’t always affordable, but all you needed to play football was a ball and a patch of grass. You could go kick a ball around on your own or get a couple of homies together and figure it out. It’s an easy sport to fall in love with as a kid, and once I started playing, I never stopped.
What is your earliest memory of supporting the Iraqi national team?
My earliest memory—although it’s a loose one—would probably be the 2007 Asian Cup, when Iraq won the tournament. That was what made me really care about watching Iraq play.
Ever since then, I’ve tried my best to catch every game. It can be difficult in North America because Middle Eastern football isn’t always widely available to stream, but I find ways to watch, and that’s all that matters.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
How were you first introduced to football?
Football was the first sport I ever played. I’ve been playing and involved in the game for as long as I can remember. I was a really active kid growing up, and being Iraqi, football is the sport we live and breathe.
I also grew up in a low-income household with a single mom, and football had the easiest barrier to entry. Other sports weren’t always affordable, but all you needed to play football was a ball and a patch of grass. You could go kick a ball around on your own or get a couple of homies together and figure it out. It’s an easy sport to fall in love with as a kid, and once I started playing, I never stopped.
What is your earliest memory of supporting the Iraqi national team?
My earliest memory—although it’s a loose one—would probably be the 2007 Asian Cup, when Iraq won the tournament. That was what made me really care about watching Iraq play.
Ever since then, I’ve tried my best to catch every game. It can be difficult in North America because Middle Eastern football isn’t always widely available to stream, but I find ways to watch, and that’s all that matters.
What was it like watching Iraq compete at this year’s World Cup?
Honestly, the moment we stepped onto the pitch to play Norway in our first game, I felt like we had already won. I said that repeatedly, and you can ask anyone who spoke to me about it. We were placed in the group of death, but that didn’t really matter to me because we had already won our World Cup by qualifying.
We played nearly 21 matches just to qualify. To me, that showed the resilience of not only the team but also us as a people. There was nothing stopping us from reaching that World Cup but ourselves. When Aymen Hussein, our main man and striker, scored against Bolivia to send us to the tournament, I genuinely felt like we had won the whole thing.
Getting the opportunity to play against Norway, with players like Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard, France and the team they have, and Senegal, the AFCON champions, was another reward on top of simply being there.
Our people have experienced so much political, cultural and structural turmoil over the past 30 years. Going through that long qualification journey felt like the purest example of the resilience of our people. I was incredibly proud, and I cried every time we sang the national anthem. There was nothing like it. The only thing that could have made it better would have been being there in person.
Honestly, the moment we stepped onto the pitch to play Norway in our first game, I felt like we had already won. I said that repeatedly, and you can ask anyone who spoke to me about it. We were placed in the group of death, but that didn’t really matter to me because we had already won our World Cup by qualifying.
We played nearly 21 matches just to qualify. To me, that showed the resilience of not only the team but also us as a people. There was nothing stopping us from reaching that World Cup but ourselves. When Aymen Hussein, our main man and striker, scored against Bolivia to send us to the tournament, I genuinely felt like we had won the whole thing.
Getting the opportunity to play against Norway, with players like Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard, France and the team they have, and Senegal, the AFCON champions, was another reward on top of simply being there.
Our people have experienced so much political, cultural and structural turmoil over the past 30 years. Going through that long qualification journey felt like the purest example of the resilience of our people. I was incredibly proud, and I cried every time we sang the national anthem. There was nothing like it. The only thing that could have made it better would have been being there in person.
If you could photograph any member of the Iraqi national team, past or present, who would it be?
There are a couple. Among the current players, it would obviously be Aymen Hussein. He’s our main man, our striker and the player who sent us to the World Cup. Zidane Iqbal would also be incredible to photograph after the tournament he had, regardless of our results.
When I think about former players, Younis Mahmoud immediately comes to mind. He captained Iraq to the 2007 Asian Cup title, which is a memory embedded in my brain. His name is etched into Iraqi football history forever because of that trophy and what it meant at the time.
Throughout the 2000s, the Iraqi people were going through so much. For the team to bring something like that home amid the war, the U.S. invasion and everything else happening in Iraq made it one of the most meaningful trophies our country could ever win—at least at that moment.
Another person who would be particularly meaningful to my family is Ammo Baba. I don’t know as much about him from watching him play because he played in the 1950s before later becoming our coach, but he is a cultural landmark in Iraqi football. He was a renowned striker, and my parents knew who he was. They watched him play and coach. Whenever you ask people from their generation to name someone from Iraqi football, Ammo Baba is one of the first names that comes up. Rest in peace to him. He would have been an incredible person to meet and photograph.
There are a couple. Among the current players, it would obviously be Aymen Hussein. He’s our main man, our striker and the player who sent us to the World Cup. Zidane Iqbal would also be incredible to photograph after the tournament he had, regardless of our results.
When I think about former players, Younis Mahmoud immediately comes to mind. He captained Iraq to the 2007 Asian Cup title, which is a memory embedded in my brain. His name is etched into Iraqi football history forever because of that trophy and what it meant at the time.
Throughout the 2000s, the Iraqi people were going through so much. For the team to bring something like that home amid the war, the U.S. invasion and everything else happening in Iraq made it one of the most meaningful trophies our country could ever win—at least at that moment.
Another person who would be particularly meaningful to my family is Ammo Baba. I don’t know as much about him from watching him play because he played in the 1950s before later becoming our coach, but he is a cultural landmark in Iraqi football. He was a renowned striker, and my parents knew who he was. They watched him play and coach. Whenever you ask people from their generation to name someone from Iraqi football, Ammo Baba is one of the first names that comes up. Rest in peace to him. He would have been an incredible person to meet and photograph.
What does the Iraqi national team mean to you?
It means everything. I’ve always been incredibly proud to be Iraqi. In some ways, that pride felt countercultural when I was growing up. A lot of people tried to hide the fact that they were Middle Eastern because it wasn’t associated with many positive things due to how we were portrayed in the West.
For me, being Iraqi is one of the things I will be proudest of forever. When I have children, I hope to pass that same pride, energy and culture on to them. Being Iraqi is the reason I am the way I am today. There are so many cultural nuances in how I grew up that shape how I relate to other people and their experiences.
Believe it or not, I’m 100 percent Iraqi. I know I don’t necessarily look like it, but I think there’s beauty in that. When I bring it up in conversation, I can literally watch people’s tension disappear when they realize I’m Middle Eastern. It’s a really interesting experience watching people discover for the first time that I’m Iraqi. The language is beautiful, the culture is beautiful, and the national team is everything to me.
I know we aren’t the best, but we work hard. That isn’t only a reflection of us as a footballing country; it reflects who we are as a people. We may not always be the brightest, strongest or best, but we will work hard—there’s no doubt about that. There’s nothing that gives me more pride than being an Iraqi football supporter.
Photos & Interview: Tagwa Moyo
It means everything. I’ve always been incredibly proud to be Iraqi. In some ways, that pride felt countercultural when I was growing up. A lot of people tried to hide the fact that they were Middle Eastern because it wasn’t associated with many positive things due to how we were portrayed in the West.
For me, being Iraqi is one of the things I will be proudest of forever. When I have children, I hope to pass that same pride, energy and culture on to them. Being Iraqi is the reason I am the way I am today. There are so many cultural nuances in how I grew up that shape how I relate to other people and their experiences.
Believe it or not, I’m 100 percent Iraqi. I know I don’t necessarily look like it, but I think there’s beauty in that. When I bring it up in conversation, I can literally watch people’s tension disappear when they realize I’m Middle Eastern. It’s a really interesting experience watching people discover for the first time that I’m Iraqi. The language is beautiful, the culture is beautiful, and the national team is everything to me.
I know we aren’t the best, but we work hard. That isn’t only a reflection of us as a footballing country; it reflects who we are as a people. We may not always be the brightest, strongest or best, but we will work hard—there’s no doubt about that. There’s nothing that gives me more pride than being an Iraqi football supporter.
Photos & Interview: Tagwa Moyo
