(MENAFN- The Peninsula) AFP
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraq’s soccer federation on Saturday unveiled ticket sales for the 25th Gulf Cup, the country’s first regional soccer festival in more than 40 years.
The Cup brings together the hosts, as well as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Yemen, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. It will be held in the southern Iraqi city of Basra from January 6 to 19.
Organizing this occasion is a major challenge for Iraq, which has experienced decades of confrontation and turmoil, and whose security remains fragile.
“Today we launched Gulf 25 ticket sales,” Adnan Dirjal, president of the Iraqi federation, told a news conference in Basra on Saturday.
The federation shared a link to ticketing on its Facebook page, with costs ranging from $10 to $30.
Earlier this month, the Iraqi government announced that it would not charge visa fees for Iraq enthusiasts for competition.
The move is aimed at attracting soccer enthusiasts from across Kuwait’s Gulf region, whose border with Iraq is less than 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Basra.
One of the city’s stadiums holds 65,000 spectators, while the current one can accommodate 30,000 fans and will open on Monday with a friendly between two local clubs from Iraq and Kuwait.
Earlier this year, soccer’s governing body, FIFA, lifted a ban on competitions in Iraq that had been in place for years due to security concerns.
In January, Baghdad’s packed Al-Madina stadium hosted a friendly match between the Iraqi national team and Uganda, the first in the capital since 2013, FIFA said at the time.
Iraq first hosted the Gulf Cup in Baghdad in 1979, when it also won the tournament. The country intended to host the 2014 edition of the Cup, but instead transferred to Saudi Arabia.
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