Iraq to raise largest UAE, Iraqi flags ahead of World Cup Play-off clash

Dubai: Iraq’s National Olympic Committee announced plans to raise the largest Emirati and Iraqi flags ever unfurled inside a stadium, Al Khaleej newspaper reported. 

The flags will be displayed on Tuesday at Basra’s Palm Trunk Stadium during the highly anticipated Asian playoff match between Iraq’s national football team, the “Lions of Mesopotamia,” and the UAE’s “Whites,” a key step on the road to the 2026 World Cup intercontinental playoff.

In a statement, the committee said the initiative reflects “a spirit of mutual respect and an effort to strengthen sporting ties between the two nations,” adding that fans are awaiting “a festive atmosphere” ahead of the regional showdown between the two sides.

A delegation from the Iraqi committee has already arrived in Basra to launch a parallel campaign titled “Our Stadium Is White,” aimed at rallying support for the Iraqi team while also extending a warm welcome to the visiting UAE squad.

As part of the effort, the committee is distributing thousands of T-shirts and posters featuring the flags of both countries, symbolising the “deep and longstanding relationship” between Iraq and the UAE.

The committee said the initiative follows direct directives to coordinate crowd-mobilization efforts and ensure that Basra International Stadium appears “in its finest form” for the match, which has drawn intense interest among Iraqi football fans.