North and West Kurdistan Rally Behind Zakho Fans: ‘Your Victory Is a Victory for Us All’
Kurdish clubs and teams from North, West Kurdistan, and abroad are uniting to support Zakho SK's fans, nominated for the 2025 FIFA Best Fans Award for donating 30,000 toys to sick children.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – An unprecedented wave of Kurdish solidarity has swept across the region as clubs, national teams, and diaspora communities from North and West Kurdistan publicly declared their support for Zakho SK’s fans, nominated for the FIFA Best Fans Award 2025. The nomination, announced on 6 November 2025, recognizes the supporters’ humanitarian act during last season — an initiative that FIFA described as reflecting “a humanitarian spirit recognized in Kurdistan, Iraq, and Asia.”
According to FIFA, on 13 May, before their match against Al-Hudud Club, Zakho supporters threw nearly 30,000 children’s toys onto the pitch. All the toys were later collected and distributed as gifts to sick children. The act resonated across Iraq and the wider region, turning the Zakho fanbase into an international symbol of communal compassion.
The announcement has triggered a powerful emotional response across Kurdish regions, where sporting achievements are often perceived as extensions of the broader Kurdish identity, unity, and social cohesion.
Amedspor, one of North Kurdistan’s most well-known football clubs, issued an official message on its verified X account, urging all its supporters to vote for Zakho’s fanbase.
“As Amedspor, we wish success to Zakhospor and its supporters in the 2025 FIFA Best Fans Award competition.
We call on our supporters, friends, and beloved community to stand with our sisters and brothers.”
The Rojava national team (Rojava Football association) participating in the CONIFA World Cup also released a statement of support, emphasizing the shared significance of Zakho’s nomination.
“Any sporting achievement made by Kurds in Rojava (western Kurdistan), Rojhilat (Eastern Kurdistan), Bakur (Northern Kurdistan), or Bashur is an achievement for all of us.”
“we are certain that the 2025 Best Fans Award will belong to Zakho, the Kurdish club. We salute everyone who lifts the name of Kurdish athletes and pushes them to advanced positions.””
The Afrin national team in the diaspora joined the movement, framing it as a moment requiring full Kurdish unity.
“We in the Afrin national team in the diaspora believe that the strength of Kurdish football begins with our unity and support for one another. We declare our full support for Zakho FC’s fans, chosen by FIFA among the nominees for Best Fans in the World 2025.”
Support for Zakho’s supporters extended into Europe, where Dalkurd — the Kurdish-founded Swedish club — published its own message:
“We are all with the people of Zakho, Let’s show the world the pride, passion, and loyalty found among Zakho’s supporters.”
The campaign has also captured the attention of non-Kurdish football fans. Influencers from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria shared posts encouraging their audiences to vote for Zakho, praising the humanitarian initiative that earned the nomination.
This cross-border support highlights how the gesture of throwing toys for sick children resonated far beyond Zakho, turning the club’s supporters into a regional symbol of community-driven compassion.
For many Kurds, the FIFA nomination reflects something deeper than a sporting milestone. The act of unity — from Amedspor to Rojava’s athletes, Afrin’s exiled players, Dalkurd, and fans across the Middle East — illustrates a shared sense of pride and identity.
As voting continues, supporters across the four parts of Kurdistan remain determined to help Zakho secure what they describe as a historic collective victory.
The voting Link: https://www.fifa.com/the-best-fifa.../en/fifa-fan-award
