Top 10 Stadiums in Iraq
Football is the overwhelming national passion in Iraq, a country whose 2007 Asian Cup triumph remains one of the most emotional stories in the sport's history. After decades in which conflict and sanctions kept the national team playing "home" matches abroad, Iraq has built modern stadiums and gradually returned to hosting international football on its own soil, most notably with the 2023 Gulf Cup in Basra. Every stadium below is on the map.
1. Basra International Stadium, Basra
Capacity: around 65,000. Iraq's largest and most modern stadium, in the southern port city of Basra, opened in 2013. Its striking exterior, designed to resemble a palm frond, makes it one of the most distinctive grounds in the Middle East. It hosted the 2023 Arabian Gulf Cup, a landmark moment in Iraq's return to hosting major tournaments, and is a principal home of the national team.
2. Basra Sports City (second stadium), Basra
Capacity: around 30,000. Part of the same major Basra Sports City complex, this secondary stadium supports the large-capacity main ground and reflects the scale of investment in the southern city's sporting infrastructure.
3. Al-Madina International Stadium (Baghdad)
Capacity: around 30,000 (in development/expansion). A modern stadium project in the capital Baghdad, part of the wider rebuilding of Iraq's football infrastructure after years in which the national team could not play at home. Baghdad's grounds are central to the country's footballing identity.
4. Al-Shaab Stadium, Baghdad
Capacity: around 34,000. The historic national stadium of Iraq, in Baghdad, opened in 1966. For decades it was the principal home of Iraqi football and the national team, and it carries deep historical significance despite the rise of newer, larger grounds. It remains an important venue in the capital.
5. Franso Hariri Stadium, Erbil
Capacity: around 30,000. The main ground of Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq, home to Erbil SC. The relative stability of the Kurdistan Region meant that, during the most difficult years, northern grounds sometimes hosted football when much of the country could not.
6. Duhok Stadium, Duhok
Capacity: around 25,000. A ground in the northern Kurdistan Region city of Duhok, home to Duhok SC. It is part of the football infrastructure of the relatively secure north, which has produced strong clubs in the Iraqi league.
7. Karbala International Stadium, Karbala
Capacity: around 30,000. A modern stadium in the holy city of Karbala in central Iraq, part of the wave of new grounds built to modernise the country's football and bring international fixtures back home.
8. Al-Najaf International Stadium, Najaf
Capacity: around 30,000. A modern ground in the city of Najaf, another of the new stadiums constructed across Iraq in the 2010s to rebuild the national footballing infrastructure.
9. Al-Sadeer / Baghdad club grounds
Capacity: varies. Baghdad hosts a cluster of club grounds used by the capital's major sides — Al-Zawraa, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (Air Force Club) and Al-Shorta (Police) — who dominate the Iraqi Stars League and represent the country in Asian club competition.
10. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya / Air Force Club Stadium, Baghdad
Capacity: varies. The home of Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, one of Iraq's most successful clubs and a multiple winner of the AFC Cup. The Baghdad club grounds collectively anchor the domestic league and the fierce capital rivalries.
The 2007 Asian Cup miracle
Iraq's greatest footballing moment came in 2007, when the national team won the AFC Asian Cup against the odds, beating Saudi Arabia in the final. The victory, achieved by a squad drawn from across Iraq's communities during a period of intense internal conflict, became a symbol of national unity and is remembered as one of the most emotional triumphs in football history. The team could not play at home during that era, making the achievement all the more remarkable.
Rebuilding football at home
For many years, war and security concerns meant Iraq's national team played its "home" fixtures in neutral countries, and FIFA restrictions limited international football on Iraqi soil. The construction of modern stadiums — Basra, Karbala, Najaf, Erbil — and the gradual lifting of restrictions allowed the return of major football, culminating in the successful staging of the 2023 Gulf Cup in Basra, a powerful symbol of normalisation.
Visiting Iraqi grounds
Iraq's principal stadiums are spread across the country: Basra in the south, Baghdad in the centre, the holy cities of Karbala and Najaf, and Erbil and Duhok in the northern Kurdistan Region. Security and travel conditions vary significantly by region. The map shows the full distribution of Iraq's rebuilt football infrastructure from the southern port to the northern mountains.