Akram was instrumental in Iraq's victory at the continental championship but after being drawn in a qualifying group that features Australia, China and Qatar, the Al Ain midfielder is aware of the challenge facing the team that has a war-torn homeland.

"I don't think it's going to be easy," he said. "Winning the Asian Cup makes it more difficult for us. I don't think there is another team in the region who has more players playing abroad than Iraq because the situation there is difficult.

"It's no guarantee because we are the Asian Cup winners that we can qualify easily for the World Cup.

"It's not easy to predict the result but we will try to prepare very well for the matches. That's football. You have winners and losers and we will try to do our best."

Iraq have only qualified for the World Cup finals once, when they appeared in Mexico in 1986, but the current crop of players is seen as one of the most talented in the nation's history.

Akram, along with compatriot Younis Mahmoud and Saudi Arabia's Yasser Al Qahtani, is on the final shortlist for the Asian Player of the Year award, which will be presented at a gala function in Sydney on Wednesday evening.

The central midfielder was a key member of the Asian Cup winning team while Mahmoud, who scored the only goal of the game in the 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia in the final, was the tournament's joint top scorer and Most Valuable Player.

On their way to the Asian Cup title, the Iraqis downed pre-tournament favourites Australia 3-1 in the group phase and Akram is hoping his team can seize on the Socceroos' plans to play a domestic-based side in some of the qualifiers.

"As a player you are always looking for weaknesses in your opponent and this competition is being played home and away so we always try to gain points in the away games," he said. "The aim is to get three points.

"I don't know why Australia did not show a good performance at the Asian Cup. They have top players playing in Europe and I didn't understand why they didn't do well.

"But the Iraq team will try to do the same as we did at the Asian Cup and we will try to win against Australia again."

While China are seen as the team most likely to challenge the Iraqis and Australians for the two berths in the next phase of the competition, Mahmoud dismissed suggestions that Qatar would be the group's weakest team.

"I don't think Qatar is a weak team, just as Iraq made it and no one gave us a chance," said the striker, who plays his club football with Qatari club side Al Gharafah.

"They play football at a very high pace and the national team is good.

"These qualifiers are played home and away and you aim to win the games on your home ground and you look for three points The home team has an advantage so there is no weak team in this group."