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There are a wide variety of sports played and followed inIraq.Football is the most popular sport and hobby in Iraq. Football is a considerable uniting factor, following years of war and unrest.Basketball,swimming,weightlifting,bodybuilding,taekwondo,boxing,kickboxing, ultimate frisbee andtennis are also popular sports and hobbies.
Sport was only recently popular in Iraq and this was the case due to theBaath regime, which assumed power in 1968. It was primarily focused on establishing its authority by forcing society to adopt its ideology and sports did not reflect this radical orientation.[1] In the latter part of the 1970s, however, sports began to attract attention. Due to an increasing wealth brought in by the uptick in oil prices, sports facilities have been built in different parts of the country. Particularly, football flourished after domestic football was launched and the country also hosted international competitions, drawing the participation of international football clubs. The popularity of the sport did not dampen the Iraqi enthusiasm even during the outbreak of theIran-Iraq War in the 1980s when young Iraqis had to serve the armed forces.[1] The field of sports did suffer duringSaddam Hussein's regime, when many athletes fled the country due to reports of abuse and torture, particularly by his son,Uday Hussein.
Recent developments in the sports field have been positive for Iraq especially football and basketball. These attract strong following, with fans crowding stadiums in cities likeBaghdad.[1]
Football is the most popular sport in Iraq. Today, it is not uncommon to find many Iraqi villages having their own football teams.[2] TheIraq national football team were the2007 AFC Asian Cup champions after defeatingSaudi Arabia in the final, held inJakarta,Indonesia. In 2006, Iraq reached the football final of the2006 Asian Games inDoha,Qatar, after defeatingSouth Korea and eventually finished as runners-up, winningsilver. Thefootball tournament at the2004 Summer Olympics inAthens,Greece, saw Iraq finish in fourth place, withItaly claimingbronze from a single goal.
TheIraq Football Association is the governing body of football in Iraq, controlling theIraq national football team and theIraq Stars League. It was founded in 1948, and has been a member ofFIFA since 1950, and theAsian Football Confederation since 1971.[3]
Some of Iraq's top clubs includeAl-Shorta,Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya,Al-Zawraa,Erbil SC,Duhok SC,Al Talaba andNajaf FC. While most athletes in Iraq are men, the country has already opened to female playing soccer, basketball, and volleyball. Recently, for instance, Iraq fielded its first national women's soccer team.[4]
Ultimate Frisbee
Ultimate Frisbee is emerging as a popular sport in the Kurdistan region of Iraq with established communities in Erbil, Duhok, Sulaymaniyah, and Mosul. As a self-refereed sport that encourages spirit of the game and incorporates both genders, ultimate frisbee is gaining a reputation as not only a sport contributing to physical health and wellness, but overall community and personal development.
Tournaments have been held in several cities across the Kurdistan Region and on December 13, 2024, the largest Ultimate Frisbee game in Middle Eastern history was held during the Discmas event in Erbil, Iraq, resulting in Team Santa winning with 125 points over Team Elves with 113 points. The game incorporated over forty players and lasted more than five hours.
Basketball is a popular sport in Iraq. There are at least two leagues, theIraq Basketball Association, the country's professional organization, runs a number of adult and youth leagues, and theIraqi Premier League, for elite players.[5]
Riyadh Al-Azzawi is an Iraqi undefeated professional kickboxer who became the 2008 World Kickboxing Network (WKN) World Champion.
Iraqi professionalwrestlerAdnan Al-Kaissie is known as General Adnan.
On 7 September 2024, Najlah Imad, an Iraqi Paralympic won gold in Table Tennis at theParis 2024 Paralympic Games, becoming Iraq’s first female Paralympic gold medalist.[6] She was listed in the 2024 edition ofForbes Middle East 30 under 30 list of Sports and Entertainment personalities.[7]
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