Other names Iran vs Iraq | Locale Asia Meetings total 25 | |
First meeting 1 June 1962(55 years ago) Latest meeting Iran 3–3 Iraq2015 AFC Asian Cup(23 January 2015) | ||
The Iran and Iraq national football teams are sporting rivals who have played each other since 1962.
Contents
According to The Malay Mail, "Emotions are always high when Iran and Iraq meet on the football pitch".
The most recent match between the two teams was the quarter-final of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup where Iraq knocked Iran out on penalties. Iran were knocked out at the quarter-final stage for the third time in a row, whereas Iraq reached the semi-final for the second time in the past three editions of the tournament.
Origins
The rivalry is not such a football-inspired ill-feeling between the two, but more of geography, religion and history. Iran and Iraq are neighbouring countries, sharing a long history. In contemporary era, especially during the reign of Saddam Hussein, the two countries had bad relations and fought the Iran–Iraq War for 8 years.
In 2001, for the first time in decades, an Iran-Iraq match was not held at a neutral venue.