Officially.. Riyadh will host the UAE-Iraq match in the World Cup qualifiers

The match between Iraq and the UAE in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, which was moved from the capital, Baghdad, to a neutral ground for security reasons, will be held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, next Thursday, according to what the Asian Confederation announced today.

The Continental Federation said in a statement that it was decided to transfer the match "from Al-Madina International Stadium in Baghdad to Riyadh" to King Fahd International Stadium, justifying this by "recent events in Iraq and broader shifts in global security in recent weeks. A reassessment of the security and safety situation was carried out in Iraq by the AFC and FIFA.

"Based on the evaluation, and to ensure the highest standards of safety and security for all relevant stakeholders, it has been decided to move the match to a neutral venue."

The Iraqi team relied a lot on holding the match on its home soil and among its fans, hoping to win a victory that would keep it in the Asian supplement race leading to the 2022 World Cup, before meeting its Syrian counterpart four days after facing the Emirates in Dubai.

Iraq occupies the fifth place before last in the first group with five points from eight matches, while its UAE counterpart occupies the third place with nine points, noting that the three groups in the third round meet in an Asian supplement, and the winner between them meets the fifth of South America in an international supplement.

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