'We are all brothers': UAE and Iraq fans stand together as nations compete for World Cup glory

Emirati and Iraqi football fans have vowed that their bonds of brotherhood will remain unbroken as the two nations aim to seize their last chance to keep World Cup dreams alive.

The UAE and Iraq will face off before a sold-out crowd in Abu Dhabi on Thursday in the first match of a crunch two-leg play-off.

The winner of the tie – which will be decided in Basra on Tuesday – will progress to a final qualification play-off tournament in Mexico in March.

Iraq prepare for UAE World Cup battle with knockout specialist Graham Arnold at the helm

Iraq prepare for UAE World Cup battle with knockout specialist Arnold at helm

The loser, meanwhile, will face at least another four-year wait to take part in the sport's flagship event.

While tension could understandably be high with so much at stake, the comradeship between the Gulf neighbours has been evident in the warm welcome given to the visiting Iraqi supporters.

Videos circulating on social media showed Emiratis waving UAE and Iraqi flags at the airport, chanting messages of friendship and unity.

Emirati Hussain Al Darmaki says brotherly ties between the UAE and Iraq mean each team will support the other if it qualifies. Photo: Hussain Al Darmaki

“We are all brothers. They are not our guests. They came to their land,” said Emirati Hussain Al Darmaki, 57, from Kalba, who plans to attend Thursday's opening game at Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium.

“There is no difference who qualifies. We are one nation and football brings us together.”

Mr Al Darmaki believes an Iraq side ranked 57th in the world – ten places above their opponents – will pose a considerable threat to the UAE's hopes of gracing their first World Cup since 1990.

“Our dream is to be in the World Cup and the players can do it if they start the match with pressure and attacks on Iraq,” he added.

Football fan Bader Mohammed draped in the Emirati flag. Photo: Bader Mohammed

Emirati Bader Mohammed, 45, also feels the UAE faces a formidable task and called on the team to rise to the challenge.

“It will be a thrilling match. If we play with spirit then we can qualify,” Mr Mohammed told The National.

“I hope we attack from the beginning to get two to three goals difference. I will watch the match on TV with friends as we couldn’t secure match tickets.”

He said that Emiratis will cheer on whoever wins the play-off, due to a long-standing friendship between the countries built on and off the pitch.

“We still remember the hospitality of Iraqi people in Basra and how they welcomed us during the Arab Gulf Cup in 2023. Football brings people closer," Mr Mohammed said.

“Deep inside of course I want UAE to win but we will say congratulation to the winner at the end of the match. I’m sure if UAE win, Iraqis will support us when we play in the World Cup, and we will do the same.”

Ali Khayat, an Iraqi doctor who has been living in the UAE for 25 years, praised the warm relations between the countries. Photo: Ali Khayat

Iraqi Ali Khayat, 49, is a family and aesthetic doctor and owner of Muraqabat Medical Centre in Dubai. He said bitter defeat for both teams would serve to forge even closer links.

Both the UAE and Iraq were 90 minutes away from sealing World Cup qualification, only to miss out to Saudi Arabia and Qatar respectively.

“Hosting the previous matches in Saudi Arabia for Iraq and Qatar for UAE was unfair and this created a close feeling for both nations as they suffer from that decision,” Dr Khayat told The National.

“I’m a resident in UAE for the last 25 years and we are used to the warm hospitality from the Emiratis. It’s my home and there is a strong bond between the two countries.

“It doesn’t matter who will win at the end. If UAE qualify for the World Cup then Iraqis will be the first supporters for them in this global event.”

Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

Skoda Superb Specs

Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol

Power: 190hp

Torque: 320Nm

Price: From Dh147,000

Available: Now

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

Key facilities

Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

Stats at a glance:

Cost: 1.05 billion pounds (Dh 4.8 billion)

Number in service: 6

Complement 191 (space for up to 285)

Top speed: over 32 knots

Range: Over 7,000 nautical miles

Length 152.4 m

Displacement: 8,700 tonnes

Beam: 21.2 m

Draught: 7.4 m

Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site

The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed

Rating: 1/5

Trump v Khan

2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US

2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks

2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit

2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”

2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency

July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”

Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.

Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”

Ready Player One
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Rylance

What is Reform?

Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.

It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.

Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.

After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.

Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.

The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.