Iraq in UAE to play World Cup qualifying tie

Dubai: Dubai will play hosts to the Iraq team when they commence their World Cup qualifying campaign against China tomorrow.

The war-torn country will welcome the Chinese at Rashid Stadium at Al Ahli Club in Dubai for their home leg because of the dangerous conditions in their country.

Iraq and China will be hoping to emulate the achievements of South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Iran who were the representatives of Asia in the last World Cup finals in Germany in 2006.

Australia - with a host of English Premier League stars in their ranks - also played in the finals but they were not a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) at the start of the qualifiers.