Iraq has requested to move its World Cup qualifier against Palestine next month from the Jordanian capital, Amman, after rejecting a Palestinian proposal to play the match just outside Jerusalem.
The last international football match held in the Palestinian territories was in October 2019. Since then, Palestine has played its "home" fixtures at neutral venues in Qatar, Jordan, Kuwait and Malaysia.
Palestine is set to host Iraq in a Group B match for the third round of Asian qualifying on March 25. After the proposal to play in the Palestinian territories was rejected, FIFA suggested Amman as the neutral venue.
The Iraqi Football Association (IFA) said in a statement Thursday that it had written to football’s world governing body asking for the match to be moved to another city, as playing in Amman would breach FIFA’s own rules on neutral venues.
"This decision raises serious questions about the integrity and fairness of the competition, given the highly competitive nature of Group B," the IFA statement read.
"Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine are direct competitors in the group, and the gap between Iraq and Jordan in the standings is currently very close."
Iraq is in second place in the group with 11 points, leading Jordan in third by two points and trailing leaders South Korea by three points.
The top two teams in the group progress directly to the 2026 World Cup finals in North America.
The Palestine Football Association (PFA) released a statement Thursday regretting Iraq’s decision not to allow the match to go ahead at Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium in Al-Ram, Jerusalem.
The PFA said FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) had inspected the stadium and agreed the match could be played there, but only with the agreement of the Iraqis.
"We were surprised to learn that our colleagues in the Iraqi Football Association had unilaterally decided to decline playing in Palestine and directly communicated this to the AFC and FIFA without consulting the PFA," the statement said.
"Despite this decision, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to reclaiming our right to host matches on our home soil – a right we have fought tirelessly to secure and uphold over the years."
The IFA said "despite our keenness to hold the match in beloved Palestine, and to stand with Palestinian sports at this time," the body had decided to refuse because of the lack of VAR technology in the stadium.
Reuters has contacted FIFA and the AFC for comment.
Palestine is bottom of Group B with three points after six matches. Neither Palestine nor Jordan has previously qualified for the World Cup finals, while Iraq lost all three games in its one appearance in Mexico in 1986.
