The Iraqi Football Association intends to organise a four-team friendly tournament in Basra province in the south of the country next November, part of the national team's preparation programme for the 2027 Asian Cup finals, which Saudi Arabia will host.
Ahmed Al-Moussawi, a member of the Iraqi Football Association, revealed in statements to the Iraqi "Shafaq News" agency that the association had officially contacted the national teams of Iran, Uzbekistan and Jordan, along with a number of other Asian teams, aiming to secure strong participation in the tournament.
Iran confirms
According to the current data, Iraq and Iran will officially take part, while contacts continue with the Uzbek association and a fourth Asian team to complete the list. Jordan remain strongly among the options on the table.
The tournament, Al-Moussawi pointed out, represents a golden opportunity for the national team to test its technical and physical readiness against strong Asian sides, part of a long build-up towards the upcoming continental competitions, chief among them the 2027 Asian Cup finals.
Those opponents lend the event real weight. All four teams nominated to take part played at the 2026 World Cup finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico, handing Iraq a valuable chance to face rivals who have tasted the atmosphere of global competition.
Basra has form here. The province has already hosted a number of international matches and regional tournaments, and boasts the sporting infrastructure to stage such events. That makes it an ideal choice for a friendly tournament the Iraqi Football Association is counting on to sharpen the "Lions of Mesopotamia" ahead of the major continental competitions.