Long banned from hosting soccer matches abroad, war-torn Iraq relied on the Gulf Cup to polish its symbol, but had already been forced to do so by organizational flaws.
The latest attack was still able to take position on Thursday night and ended with an Iraqi victory.
Thousands of fans, many without tickets, had gathered since dawn outdoors at the 65,000-seat stadium in Basra, the main city in southern Iraq, hoping to watch the duel between Iraq and Oman.
“There was one death and dozens of minor injuries,” a doctor said.
An outgoing Interior Ministry official gave the same assessment. “Since then a lot of fans, many without tickets, had accumulated to get in and out,” the official said.
An AFP photographer said the turnstiles were still closed at the time of the crash. Sirens sounded as ambulances arrived to take the injured to hospital.
Images posted on social media showed a sea of other people outside the stadium.
Fans began arriving in the afternoon as calm returned to Basra International Stadium, Interior Ministry spokesman Saad Maan said.
The doors closed after enthusiasts entered the facility, many waving Iraqi flags before the final match.
The home team triumphed 3-2 in time to win the tournament.
Across the country, plagued by unemployment, corruption and deteriorating infrastructure, victory is an opportunity to celebrate, with horns and fireworks.
In the capital, Baghdad, many cheerful people gathered in Tahrir Square waving their country’s flag.
“We Iraqis needed to feel that joy,” said Mansour Zamil, a supporter in Basra.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani had previously chaired an assembly with key ministers and the governor of Basra to discuss “special measures for the Gulf Cup final,” he said.
The Iraqi leader visited Basra to monitor the terrain, he added.
The army called on enthusiasts to respect the orders of the workers’ security forces regarding access to the stadium so that the championship can be carried out “in a civilized manner that honors Iraq. “
Iraq has been the scene of fatal stampedes in the past, most recently in Karbala the 2019 Ashura commemorations, where another 31 people died.
Football is the most-watched game in Iraq and the rare opportunity to watch home matches abroad has attracted thousands of fans.
Thousands more crossed from neighboring Kuwait to watch the games in Basra, more than 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the border.
The Gulf Cup was contested through Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen, as well as Iraq.
This year marked its 25th edition, but it is the first time Iraq has hosted the tournament since 1979, the same year Saddam Hussein took power.
Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990 triggered a ban on Iraq through world soccer’s governing body, FIFA.
Other bans followed sporadically until early last year due to years of war and instability in Iraq.
Iraq was forced to apologize to neighboring Kuwait after a fight in the VIP segment prevented its boss’s representative from attending the opening ceremony.