BAGHDAD, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- The FIFA on Tuesday confirmed its approval that Iraq can play the 2022 World Cup qualification matches held in the country's southern city of Basra.
"After evaluation of the situations, Basra can be considered as home venue for the official qualification matches for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022," said a FIFA letter sent to the Iraqi Football Association, which was shown by the Photo Exhibition of Iraqi Football on its Facebook page.
However, this approval still waits for "further notice" and is subject to the security situation if it is deteriorated at any time, the letter added.
Former Iraqi Sports Minister Abdul Hussein Abttan congratulated Iraqis on his Facebook page, saying "FIFA's approval to hold the World Cup qualifiers at the stadium of the sports city of Basra is a victory."
Last week, a committee from FIFA visited Iraq's stadiums in the cities of Erbil, Karbala and Basra to examine Iraq's readiness to host the national teams for the matches in the qualifiers for the World Cup Qatar 2022.
In March, FIFA announced lifting a nearly three-decade ban on Iraqi stadiums hosting international football matches, which was imposed over security concerns following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
