Kurdistan Region to host CONIFA World Cup 2024

The Region will welcome 16 men’s football teams from various regions around the world to the tournament.

Kurdistan 24 2023/04/24 21:01

Aerial footage of Franso Hariri Stadium during the Erbil Sport Club's match against Al-Zawraa, which is part of the Iraqi Premier League, April 16, 2022. (Photo: Jamal Yad/Kurdistan 24)

Kurdistan CONFIFA Erbil Kurdistan Region Sports Football

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region’s stadiums are set to host the CONIFA World Cup 2024, a tournament for the football associations outside FIFA, the government announced on Sunday.

The right to host the tournament was granted after a delegation from the Confederation of Independent Football Associations (CONIFA), composed of 38 member teams around the globe, visited the Kurdistan Region and its stadiums last month.

The Region will welcome 16 men’s football teams from various regions around the world to the tournament, expected to take place in the 2024 summer, a statement from the government said.

The stadiums in Erbil, Sulaimani, Duhok, and Zakho are ready to host the fourth edition of the tournament, Shwan Aziz, the spokesperson for Kurdistan Olympics Committee, told the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) media.

Iraq’s Kurdish region has previously taken part in the previous tournaments organized by the association and its former version, known as Viva. It hosted the prototype of the tournament in 2012.

At least 18 European teams are part of the federation while only seven comes from Asia.

Headquartered in Sweden’s Norrbotten County, CONFIFA was established in 2013, organizing tournaments for both male and female football teams.

Additional reporting by Kurdistan 24 sports editor Soran Luqman