Basra governorate gives day off for 25th Gulf Cup semi-finals
People walk along the Shatt al-Arab river waterfront ahead of the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup in Basra. Photo: AFP
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The southern Iraqi governorate of Basra announced on Sunday that the next day, Monday, where the 25th Gulf Cup semi-finals are scheduled, will be an official day off.
“It was decided that tomorrow, Monday, will be an official holiday to allow football fans attend the semi-finals of the 25th Gulf Cup championship in Basra International Stadium,” a brief statement from the governorate mentioned.
The Iraqi national team will play its match against its Qatari counterpart at 3:15 p.m., and the Bahraini national team will play against the Omani team at 7:15 p.m.
The 25th version of the Arabian Gulf Cup is held between January 6 and January 19, 2023, in the Al-Menaa Olympic Stadium and Basra International Stadium, in the southern Iraqi city of Basra.
The tournament is held with the participation of eight teams divided into two groups. The first group includes Iraq, Oman, Yemen and Saudi Arabia, while the second group includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE.
The Arabian Gulf Cup was launched in 1970 and is organized every two years. The first edition was held in Bahrain in 1970 and the recent one in Qatar in 2019.
Iraq is hosting the tournament for the second time in its history after the first in 1979, when it hosted the fifth edition in the capital, Baghdad, at the Al-Shaab International Stadium, and was crowned with its title.