Portal:Iraq/Selected article

Al Shaab Stadium (ملعب الشعب) also known as The People's Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Baghdad, Iraq. It is used mostly for football (soccer) matches and is the home of the Iraq national football team. The stadium has seating for 40,000 fans. It was built in 1966. The opening match featured Iraq and Benfica, for whom Eusébio was playing.

Al Shaab Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium (Olympic) in Baghdad, Iraq. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium was a gift to the Iraqi government from the Gulbenkian Foundation. Mr.Calouste Gulbenkian was a Turkish-born Armenian businessman who was a key person in Iraqi oil trade in the 1930s and 1940s. Al Shaab stadium is the home ground of the Iraqi football National team, and it was opened in 1966, the opening game was between Iraq national team and Benfica Football Club from Portugal for whom the legendary Eusébio was playing at those days and he was part of the team during the match.

The Iraqi National team did not play in the stadium any international fixture for more than two decades due to security reasons (80’s Iraq- Iran war, 1990 till mid 1990’s embargo and other sanctions on Iraq, 2003 till date Otc. 2008 USA invasion); in 2003 USA invasion to Iraq the stadium was turned to an army base by the United States Army and the stadium was re-qualified in 2007 and national football fixture started taking place since 2007 (FIFA nor any other international organization inspect the stadium to approve it due to security reasons). In 2007 – 2008 Season the League final was between Zawra’a and Arbeel, the match had a record attendance for the new century of 80,000 and ended up with Arbeel winning the title.

The Stadium has experienced multiple accidents one of which was the collapse of an exterior wall while fans were trying to climb it to enter a game between two famous local teams (one of them was Al Zawra’a). Some of the fans died in that incident. Al-Zawraa, one of the most successful football clubs in Iraq, also use the stadium for some of their home matches. The stadium is also the final resting place of Ammo Baba, who requested that he be buried there before his death.