The Iraqi police found themselves facing a bold decision regarding their home stadium, due to circumstances related to booking airline tickets for the team delegation heading to the Qatari capital, Doha, to face Al-Gharafa on September 29, at Khalifa International Stadium, as part of the 2025-2026 AFC Champions League.

The "Green Lyre" team represents Iraqi football in the Asian tournament as the champion of the Iraqi Premier League for the past season, marking the fourth consecutive title for the team, which presents greater challenges this season to prove its continental presence.

According to special sources, the club's management has completed all arrangements related to the delegation's travel to Qatar, including hotel bookings, training ground, and the full accommodation plan. The sources clarified that the team will depart on September 26 via Qatar Airways, but the team's flight will take off from Basra International Airport instead of Baghdad Airport, due to the unavailability of direct bookings from the Iraqi capital.

This change forced the police management to reassess their plans, especially since the team will play two important local matches before traveling, facing Duhok on September 21 and Nawruz on the 25th of the same month. These matches were supposed to be held in Baghdad, but the club decided to move them to Al-Fayha Stadium in Basra to be close to the airport from which the delegation will depart.

The sources confirmed that the decision was made for organizational reasons and to give the players additional rest before traveling, but it will deprive the team of the significant fan support that the stands of Baghdad are accustomed to providing, which could represent a moral loss in local matches.

The police hope that their current participation in the AFC Champions League will be different from the previous one, after starting their journey with a draw against Al-Sadd of Qatar 1-1 in the first round at Al-Zawraa Stadium in Baghdad.

It is worth mentioning that the competitions committee in the Iraqi Premier League had postponed the match between the police and Al-Zawraa in the first round of the local tournament, due to both teams' commitments to Asian competitions.