Iraqi players in action during a training session ahead of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2023 AFC Asian Cup joint qualifiers. Pic: Twitter/ @IRAQFA
Doha: Doha will host Iraq's joint qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, the Qatar Football Association (QFA) has announced.
The QFA has approved the request made by the Iraq Football Association (IFA) to host their Group A matches, it was announced yesterday.
The IFA had earlier posted on their official twitter handle that Al Gharafa Stadium will be the host venue for the upcoming matches.
The Group A teams which will play against Iraq are South Korea, Syria, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon.
Iraq's first match will be against the South Korean team in Seoul on Sept. 2. Its second match will be against Iran in Doha on Sept. 7.
The Iraqi team qualified for the third round after finishing second in the third group which was led by the Iranians with 18 points.
Iraq had earned 17 points to finish second and make it to the decisive third round of the qualifiers. The decision to host the matches comes in light of the strong brotherly relations between QFA and IFA, and in accordance with the cooperation agreements signed between the two sides. The move also reflects Qatar’s ability in successfully hosting major international events in the past amidst the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to Iraq's matches, Qatar will also host China’s qualifier against Japan on Sept. 7.
The Asian Football Confederation announced on Friday that the decision to host the Group B match between China and Japan at a neutral venue was made due to the challenges faced by the Chinese Football Association (CFA) in organising its home matches in light of the travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The AFC is now working in close partnership with the CFA, Japan Football Association as well as the QFA to ensure the safe passage and wellbeing of all stakeholders, the Asian football governing body announced.
In addition to the World Cup qualifiers, Qatar will also host the AFC Asian Champions League Round of 16 match between Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr and Iran's Tractor SC.
The match will be played at Khalifa International Stadium on Sept. 14.
