Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

Iraq to host eight-nation Gulf Cup for the first time since 1979

Iraq to host eight-nation Gulf Cup for the first time since 1979

After decades of war, invasions and instability, Iraq hosts the eight-nation Gulf Cup starting on Friday for the first time since 1979. For the country’s football officials and government, success off the field will be a bigger prize than success on it.
The national teams, all from West Asia and split into two groups of four, will converge on the southern port city of Basra.

If the 25th edition of the tournament progresses smoothly then it could encourage FIFA to allow World Cup qualifiers to return to Baghdad, which has not hosted a competitive international since before the 2003 US-led invasion due to concerns over the security situation in the city.

In the past two decades just two qualifiers have taken place in the country: against Jordan in Erbil in 2011 and Hong Kong in Basra eight years later. All other competitive games involving the national team have been played in countries such as Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Baghdad was scheduled to host a 2022 World Cup qualifier against United Arab Emirates on March 24 last year but after a missile attack on Erbil 11 days before the game was to be played, the venue was switched to Saudi Arabia.

A successful Gulf Cup could bring about meaningful change.

“It is a step forward to retain Iraq’s normal position in the fields of sport, culture and society,” Basra Governor Asaad Al Eidani said. “It is a message to the whole world that we are capable.”

Iraq Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani stressed the importance of the event after a visit to Basra to review facilities in December when he called on organizers to present Iraq in the best possible light.

Iraqi Football Association official Haider Aufi wants Iraq to draw inspiration from Qatar’s hosting of the World Cup in November and December.

“Sports has become one of the most important activities in the world . . . of transmitting cultures and civilizations through hosting tournaments and competitions, and this is what we witnessed in Qatar’s organization of the 2022 World Cup,” Aufi said.

While Qatar may be the model as a host of football’s biggest tournament, Iraq wants to avoid its on-field example. Qatar lost all three games to become the first World Cup host to fail to collect a single point.

Felix Sanchez, who became coach in 2017 and led the team to the 2019 Asian Cup title, left the post after his contract ended last week.

While the QFA searches for a long-term replacement for the Spaniard, Portuguese coach Bruno Pinheiro is in charge temporarily and preparing for Group B games against defending champion Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Iraq is in Group A with Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen.

Two stadiums will be used, including the new 30,000 seat Al-Minaa Olympic Stadium.

The top two teams from each group progress to the semifinals. The final will be played on Jan. 19.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×