Historical encounters between Iraq and Oman

The history of matches between Iraq and Oman extends to nearly 50 years since their first official encounter in 1976, and their games are always characterized by excitement and high competitiveness, especially in the Gulf Cup tournaments and World Cup qualifiers. Both teams are preparing to kick off their journey in the Gulf Cup 27 in Saudi Arabia next Wednesday at the Prince Abdullah bin Faisal Stadium in Jeddah. Throughout history, the two teams have met in 31 official and friendly matches, with Iraq winning 15 times compared to 7 victories for Oman, while 9 matches ended in a draw. The Lions of Mesopotamia scored 51 goals against Oman's 26. As for the biggest results in their history, Iraq's largest victory was 7-0 in Gulf Cup 5 in Baghdad in 1979, when the legend Hussein Saeed scored four goals, Falah Hassan added two, and Adil Khudhair scored one. Meanwhile, Oman's biggest win was 4-0 in Gulf Cup 19 in Muscat in 2009, the tournament in which Oman claimed its first title. The most important and popular match in the history of both teams remains the final of Gulf Cup 25 on January 19, 2023, at Basra International Stadium, a match described as a crazy scenario after it extended to extra time following a 1-1 draw in regular time, before Iraq managed to clinch it 3-2 and secure their fourth Gulf title amidst a historic celebration.