Transport Ministry provides free transportation for 25th Gulf Cup fans
An aerial view of Basra International Stadium. Photo: AFP
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Ministry of Transport announced the allocation of three trains to transport Gulf Cup fans from different Iraqi governorates to Basra, in addition to 50 buses inside the city to transport the fans for free.
An official in the Iraqi Ministry of Transport explained that the transportation in Basra governorate to the stadiums where the 25th Gulf Cup matches are played will be free of charge, and the fans will be transported from Iraqi governorates to Basra in cooperation with private companies at reduced prices.
The official indicated that 50 buses will wait in certain points due to the security measures taken in conjunction with the Prime Minister’s visit to the governorate.
The official added that the Iraqi Ministry of Transport allocated three trains, passing through all governorates between Baghdad and Basra, to transport the fans, in addition to daily flights between the two cities.
The 25th version of the Arabian Gulf Cup is scheduled to be held between January 6 and January 19, 2023, in the Al-Menaa Olympic Stadium and Basra International Stadium.
The tournament will be 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 opening match will be between the national team of the hosting country, Iraq, and Oman at 6:45 p.m. local time in Basra International Stadium, and later on the same day, the national teams of Saudi Arabia and Yemen will play their match scheduled at 9:30 p.m.
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.
Kuwait is the most successful team in the tournament’s history with ten titles, while Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Iraq won the event three times each. Oman and the UAE came first in two editions each.
Iraq will host 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.