Iraq invites Russia to play friendly football match in Baghdad
The Iraqi football national team. Photo: FIFA
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – A press report mentioned that the Iraq Football Association (IFA) sent three invitations on Saturday to the football teams of Russia, Bolivia and Uzbekistan, to face the Iraqi national team in friendly matches in Baghdad, during the international break next March.
A source in the IFA told Kooora that invitations have been sent to the football associations of Russia, Bolivia and Uzbekistan to play against one of them on March 25.
The source explained that the correspondences included holding a friendly match in the capital, Baghdad, as part of the IFA plan to adopt the city’s international stadium as a venue for its official matches in the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, along with the Basra International Stadium.
The IFA sent an invitation to its Russian counterpart to hold a friendly match with the Lions of Mesopotamia, taking advantage of the team’s presence in Tehran next month, the source elaborated.
Both FIFA and UEFA decided in late February 2022 to exclude the Russian national team and clubs from participating in all international competitions because of the Russian military operation in Ukraine.