National football teams of Iran and Iraq are slated to lock horns on November 14 at Basra International Stadium in 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian AFC Cup qualifications.
Public protests in Iraq have cast the shadow of doubt on holding the match in the country. Earlier, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced that matches of Group A of U19 Championship qualification from Nov. 2 to 10, which was slated to be held in Iraq, has been postponed until further notice.
To further review the conditions, an Iranian delegation led by Mohammad Reza Saket, Secretary-General of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Football Federation, left Tehran for Iraq on Wednesday morning. The federation will mull over requesting for postponing or holding the game in another venue after the visit.
Also, the Iranian federation announced that the head of the Iraqi Football Federation, Abdul-Khaliq Masoud, will visit Tehran on Saturday to hold talks with his Iranian counterpart, Mehdi Taj.
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