World Cup qualifiers
Basra prepares for upcoming Iraq-Vietnam showdown
BASRA — Basra Sports City has completed its preparations for the upcoming football match between the Iraqi national team and Vietnam, scheduled for Tuesday, June 11. The match is part of the joint qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
Lutfi Al-Jazaeri, director of Basra Sports City, which hosts Basra’s main stadium, told 964media that maintenance work on the football field, including repairing the grass and seating areas, has been completed.
“We have reached the final stages of preparation, and the main stadium has been ready for a week. Training fields are also in use by both teams,” Al-Jazaeri said. He added that all gates of the sports city will be opened and urged fans to maintain cleanliness within the venue.
Adel Ghafur, Director of Al-Manara Sports Marketing Company, announced the launch of match tickets for the Iraq-Vietnam game through 18 outlets across Basra. “There are nine additional outlets in Baghdad and other governorates. Ticket prices range from 15,000 dinars to 100,000 Iraqi dinars ($11 to $76),” Ghafur explained.
Basra Sports City features 10 gates for fan entry, a gate for referees and officials, a gate for journalists, and the main gate for VIPs.
In the last match between Iraq and Vietnam on Jan. 24, 2024, Iraq won 3-2.
The Iraqi team held its first training session in Basra on Friday in preparation for the match against Vietnam. This match marks the conclusion of the second stage of the joint qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
All players who participated in the recent match against Indonesia were present for the training session. The team’s administrative director decided to keep the training session closed to the public, allowing journalists only 15 minutes to take photographs.
Iraq clinched a decisive win in an away match of the 2026 World Cup and 2027 Asian Cup joint qualifiers against Indonesia, with a commanding 2-0 victory on Thursday.
Al-Sudani affirms ongoing support for Iraqi national team during visit
