Iraq and Kuwait's head-to-head history

Friday 25-09-2026

Aboudi

The sports community is eagerly anticipating a heavyweight clash between the Iraq national team and their Kuwaiti counterparts tomorrow, Saturday, at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah as part of the second round of the Gulf Cup 27. This match is considered one of the oldest and most prestigious derbies in the region, with roots dating back to the mid-1970s.

Historically, the two teams have met in 43 official and Friendlies matches, with the numbers indicating a clear advantage for the Lions of Mesopotamia, who have won 18 matches compared to 12 victories for Kuwait, while 13 matches ended in a draw. In terms of goals, the Iraqi national team has scored 54 goals compared to 44 for Kuwait.

The first match between the two sides took place on November 13, 1964, in the Arab Cup in Kuwait, ending with Iraq winning by a goal to nil. Since then, a beautiful football rivalry has begun.

At the top of the scoring charts, Iraqi star Ali Kazem remains in the lead with 5 goals, followed by Hussein Saeed with 4 goals. From Kuwait, Jassim Yaqoub and Abdoul Aziz Al-Anbari share the lead, each having scored 5 goals.

Kuwait achieved its biggest victories by a two-goal margin on three occasions, most notably a 2-0 win in the Gulf Cup 3 in 1974, a 3-1 win in the Gulf Cup 6 in 1982, and a 2-0 win in a Friendly in 2008. Meanwhile, the highest-scoring match remains the final of the Gulf Cup 4 in 1976 when Kuwait won 4-2 in an unforgettable historic match.

The last five encounters between the two teams confirm the superiority of the Lions of Mesopotamia, as Iraq have not lost since 2018. They drew 2-2 in Basra on March 20, 2025, in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and played to a goalless draw 0-0 in Kuwait on September 10, 2024, in a match that saw the red card of Rebin Solaka. Iraq won 1-0 in a friendly on December 30, 2022, won 2-1 on January 27, 2021, and drew 2-2 on September 10, 2018.

Tomorrow's match is a must-win, as the Iraq national team aims for its 19th victory in derby history following a draw with Oman, while the Kuwait national team is looking for its 13th win to break the recent years' curse after losing to Saudi Arabia.