Although the Assyrian population of Iraq has declined dramatically this century, to below one per cent of the population, five of the 26-member national football squad that qualified for the soccer-mad country's first World Cup since 1986 are Assyrian Christians.

In last week's culminating 2-1 play-off victory against Bolivia, in the neutral venue of Monterrey, Mexico, midfielder Aimar Sher started, while Kevin Yakob came off the bench. Two other Christians, Rebin Sulaka and Marko Farji, played in a significant number of matches in Iraq's gruelling 21-game qualifying run. Peter Gwargis, Sydney-born but now playing his club football in Iraqi Kurdistan, rounded out the squad's Christian quintet. The other four were either born in Scandinavia or moved there as children.

Christians have the finest of pedigrees in Iraqi football history. A notably devout Christian, Ammo Baba, scored Iraq's first ever international goal, against Morocco, in 1957, then coached the side to its first and most recent World Cup in 1986. He was also famous for publicly snubbing Saddam Hussein's son Uday, a notoriously interfering president of the Iraqi Football Association, at the height of his powers, resulting in brief spells of imprisonment in terrible conditions. Ammo Baba remains an Iraqi national hero across religious divisions -- but, today, most of his family live in Chicago.

Fr Tony Malham, Parish Priest of St Mary's Cathedral of the Assyrian Church of the East, in Ealing, says that West London's Assyrian social club was packed, even though the play-off against Bolivia kicked off at 4 a.m. British Summer Time.

"People were in tears of happiness," Fr Malham said. "All Iraqis are happy at our first World Cup for 40 years, whether they are Christians, Arabs, or Kurds."

Fr Malham also declared that there was continued Christian influence in Iraq -- despite shrinking numbers -- in journalism and politics, including two Iraqi ambassadors, as well as members of both the national parliament and the Kurdistan regional parliament.

"Although people are still emigrating every day," he said, "we are managing to maintain our roots. The Patriarch of our Church was born in Chicago, but lives in a strongly Christian area of Iraqi Kurdistan.

"At the moment, we are praying intently for peace in the context of the Iran-USA war."