“Welcome to Zayed’s children” decorates the stands of Basra Stadium

The Emirati fans who were at Basra City Stadium yesterday to attend the national team’s match with Iraq, in the second leg of the Asian play-off in the qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup, received a remarkable reception and a warm welcome from the Iraqi fans who filled the stands densely.

Basra Stadium was decorated with many banners welcoming the Emirati fans, including banners bearing the phrase “Welcome to the children of Zayed,” accompanied by a symbol expressing the interlocking of hands between the two peoples, indicative of the depth of the fraternal relations that unite the two countries.

The Emirati audience also found many welcoming phrases in the stands, including: “Iraq loves the Emirates… Welcome Zayed’s Falcons.”

The Emirati public presence also formed a distinctive display in the stands, with flags, shawls and encouraging banners.

The UAE Football Association provided great facilities to the national team’s fans, as it provided eight free planes to transport the fans to Iraq.

For their part, officials from the UAE National Team Fans Association, who arrived early in Basra, were keen to distribute shawls and flags to the fans in the stands to motivate the players and encourage the team.

Basra Stadium witnessed a remarkable presence of Al-Abyad fans, in a scene that reflected the spirit of brotherhood between the two peoples. Despite the importance of the match for the two teams, the atmosphere seemed more like a celebration on the part of the Iraqi fans, welcoming the Emirati fans.

The President of the UAE National Team Fans Association, Fahd Al Mansouri, thanked the Football Association for the facilities that allowed a strong public presence in the stands.

In turn, fan Fahd Al-Sulaiti described the great warmth with which the Iraqi public received his Emirati counterpart as “more than wonderful,” stressing that this expresses the depth and strength of relations between the two brotherly countries. He pointed out that brotherhood, love and sportsmanship prevailed despite the sensitivity of the confrontation, which ended with Iraq’s 2-1 victory and its qualification to the global playoff.

Al-Sulaiti told “Emirates Today”: “A beautiful and wonderful scene adorned Basra Stadium, through the distinguished treatment and great hospitality that the UAE fans have received since their arrival in Iraq to support the team.”