Depoliticizing Iraq-Gulf Relations Through Soccer
Iraq is hosting the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup between January 6 and January 19. The last time Iraq hosted the tournament was in 1979. It was suspended after the invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and only resumed after 2003. Gulf crisis of 2017–2021 saw the event moved from Qatar to Kuwait. Gulf Cooperation Council countries have previously refused to host the Cup in Iraq due to security concerns and lack of infrastructure. However, in recent years, the relationship between Iraq and GCC countries has improved. They share social and cultural similarities.
Gulf soccer federations usually justify hosting the tournament with concerns over security and preparedness.
The Gulf Cup is a football tournament that mirrors the status quo of Iraq-Gulf relations. The toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003 presented an opportunity to rebuild Iraq and Gulf relations, but the relationship deteriorated during the Nouri al-Maliki's premiership. In 2008, local authorities in Basra approached Gulf soccer associations to host the tournament for the first time, and Iraq was close to hosting it in 2013 and 2014, before the 2013 tournament was moved to Bahrain and the 2014 iteration was held in Saudi Arabia. The decision to move the Cup to Saudi was taken under pressure from Saudi and Qatari soccer federations.
Iraq-Gulf relations have improved since the end of Maliki's second term in 2014.
This year's Gulf Cup is being held in Basra. It's being organized to de-politicize the tournament. Iraq has been hosting various international conferences related to security, politics, and religion. Pope Francis' visit to Iraq in 2021 broke down stereotypes about Iraq being a war zone. Gulf Arab states have invested in and developed their own industries, sports markets, tourism and entertainment sectors. Iraq's has a larger consumer market in most of these sectors than its Gulf neighbors. The two sides should find common interests on which to build partnerships.
Both Iraq and GCC states are de-politicizing the soccer tournament.
