BAGHDAD (AFP) – Iraq’s football federation on Saturday launched ticket sales for the 25th Gulf Cup, the first regional football competition to be hosted by the country for more than 40 years.
The Cup brings together the hosts as well as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Yemen, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. It will be held in Iraq’s southern city of Basra from January 6-19.
Hosting the event is a major challenge for Iraq, which has experienced decades of conflict and upheaval, and whose security situation remains fragile.
“Today, we are launching the sale of Gulf-25 tickets,” head of Iraq’s football federation Adnan Dirjal told a press conference in Basra on Saturday.
The federation shared a link for the ticketing website on its Facebook page, with prices ranging from USD10-USD30.
Earlier this month, Iraqi authorities announced they were scrapping visa fees for fans entering Iraq for the competition.
The move seeks to attract football fans from across the Gulf region, particularly Kuwait, whose border with Iraq lies less than 50 kilometres from Basra.
One of the city’s stadiums has a capacity of 65,000, while the second can hold 30,000 fans.
It will be inaugurated today with a friendly between clubs from Iraq and Kuwait.