Soccer fans win as Iraq-Kuwait World Cup qualifier tests post-Saddam ties
STORY: For the first time in 34 years, busloads of excited Iraqi soccer fans rolled over the border into Kuwait for a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday (September 10).
They haven't been allowed at the neighboring country's events since former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded the emirate in 1990.
"I can’t describe how I feel. I haven't seen Kuwait in more than 30 years. Kuwait is close to us. There were wars and problems, but God willing, the situation will get better and better."
"A match between brothers, God willing, and I hope that the legacy of the previous regime dies with this conscious generation, because the world has become a small village and all people have come to know that the Iraqi people are not to blame for what happened because of Saddam Hussein."
The match takes place at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait City, with Iraq leading Group B of the region's qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup.
Iraq has been leveraging soccer diplomacy to mend ties with Arab Gulf states, after decades of conflict.
The country ended its most recent war, against Islamic State, at the end of 2017.
It hosted the Gulf Cup in its oil port city of Basra last year for the first time since 1979, a milestone in regional reintegration.
Yousif Faal, spokesperson for the Iraqi soccer federation, said he hopes the rivalry, once considered the Arab world's greatest, stays on the pitch.
"It's a sporting competition, we should not insert politics into this," Faal said, adding that it's unfair to involve the young players, whether Iraqi or Kuwaiti, in old conflicts they were not a part of.
"This generation cannot pay the price of previous generations," he said.
Saddam invaded and briefly annexed Kuwait in August 1990, before being ousted by a U.S.-led coalition in the Gulf War.
Iraq was then placed under severe sanctions and required to pay over $52 billion in war reparations, completed in 2022.
Early on, there were tensions over whether Kuwait would allow Iraqi fans to attend the event.
But it was later confirmed that 5,000 supporters could join, with specific passport and vehicle requirements.
Despite improving relations since Saddam's 2003 ouster, challenges remain, such as issues over maritime borders.
Abdulaziz Alanjeri, founder of Kuwait-based think tank Reconnaissance Research, said Iraq must prove it has the intention to resolve the looming political issues.
But he called the match a good initiative, saying it's opened the door to discussions on Kuwaiti-Iraqi relations.
For Iraqi soccer fans, getting to see the match is already a win.
This man's banner says: "Thank you from Iraq to the Kuwaiti government and people."
