Mosul FC faces stadium uncertainty ahead of new season

MOSUL — Mosul Football Club has yet to secure a stadium to host its home matches for the upcoming Iraqi Premier League season, set to begin next month, as all three major stadiums in the city remain incomplete.

Construction on the Mosul Olympic Stadium has stalled with only 68% of the project finished. The Local Administration Stadium is still in early infrastructure development, and the University of Mosul Stadium, initially considered a temporary venue, requires natural grass, a VAR system, and additional seating. Club officials estimate those upgrades could take at least two months.

“I don’t yet have a clear answer about where our league matches will be played,” club president Raed Al-Obaidi told 964media. “We are currently in the bottleneck phase when it comes to forming the team and preparing, but the core problem remains the absence of a stadium.”

Al-Obaidi suggested the team could use the stadium in Hamdaniya district, which seats 2,000 and would only need a surface replacement. “It can be completed within two months, but the decision isn’t in my hands,” he said. “We will try to convince the relevant authorities until the University of Mosul Stadium is ready.”

Financial difficulties are compounding the challenges. Al-Obaidi said clubs have not yet received the 4 billion Iraqi dinars (about $2.86 million) allocated to them. “Our financial situation is difficult,” he said. “But the governor of Nineveh has promised to support our signings. We hope to be a strong contender in the coming season.”

Head coach Jasib Sultan said the absence of a stadium remains the team’s most pressing concern. “The stadium is a fundamental piece we are missing,” he said. “We’ve added six foreign players from African countries and one from Yemen.”

Sultan said the squad has undergone a roughly 70% overhaul compared to last season, but gaps remain in key areas. “We won’t compete for the title this year. Our goal is to finish between 10th and 15th,” he said.

He also highlighted rising player salaries as a major obstacle. “We were shocked by the rise in wages, which have jumped from 10 million to 30 million dinars per month [roughly $7,140 to $21,430]. Signing four top-tier players could cost the club around 1.5 billion dinars [about $1.07 million] for the season,” he said.

By comparison, Sultan said, top-tier clubs spent far more this offseason: Al-Shorta spent 9 billion dinars (around $6.43 million), while Al-Najaf spent 6 billion (about $4.29 million). Institution-backed clubs typically spent between 6 billion and 8 billion dinars ($4.29 million to $5.71 million).

“We might be able to bring in one or two players at 300 million dinars each [around $214,000], but even that is a major challenge,” he said.

Club administrative director Munir Ismail told 964media that the team prefers to play in Nineveh governorate but acknowledged the University of Mosul Stadium won’t be ready in time. “We ask the governor to expedite the project,” he said. “If that’s not possible, we’ll request to play in Zakho, Duhok, or Erbil as alternatives.”

He said the Iraq’s soccer federation will make the final decision after evaluating the available stadiums.