Basra Corniche is abuzz with Iraqis enjoying evenings lit up by fireworks and traditional music, just days before football's Arabian Gulf Cup comes to town.
Fans sail in wooden boats on the Shatt Al Arab waterway, the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers on which the southern port of Basra stands. Flags of the Gulf states decorate the vessels, from which songs welcoming teams blare.
The Gulf Cup is returning to Iraq on Friday, for the first time since 1979.
In the four decades or so that followed, the country has endured war and diplomatic isolation, then political and security instability after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
Iraq will be joined by the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Yemen in the 25th Gulf Cup, which will run from January 6 to 19 in Basra.
For Iraqis, hosting the biennial event — first held in Bahrain in 1970 — will turn a new page in the troubled history of their country, boost relations with Gulf neighbours and represent a crucial move towards recovery.
“It is an indescribable feeling, we are so thrilled to have the tournament here in Basra and to host our dear brothers from the Gulf states after all these years,” Mustafa Mohammed, 30, tells The National.
Mr Mohammed strolls along the Corniche with his son Ibrahim, 6, who asks his father to snap pictures of him next to the flags and signs of welcome.
“Football has the power to bring people together and having the tournament here means a lot, not only for Basra but for all Iraq,” Mr Mohammed says.
“It will change the picture of Iraq from an unsecure land with killing in every corner to a stable country with peaceful people”.
“The event will help opening up Iraq to tourists and investment.”
However, he admits that “it still needs a few more years for full recovery”.
Former champions
When the tournament was staged in Baghdad in 1979, the hosts were crowned champions. Iraq also won in 1984 and 1988.
Following the 1990 invasion of Kuwait that led to severing ties between Baghdad and other Gulf states, the Iraqi team was banned from taking part in the competition.
It returned in 2004, a year after Saddam Hussein was removed from power.
After 2010, Iraq pushed for hosting the event, but the fragile security situation in many parts of the country, political upheaval and a lack of sports infrastructure discouraged the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation.
To meet requirements, Iraq over the past few years has built modern sports facilities and hotels.
It constructed the Basra International Stadium with a capacity of 65,000. It is also called the Trunk of the Palm because its design is inspired by the palm trees for which Basra is famed.
It also built Al Minaa Olympic Stadium, which can accommodate 30,000 spectators. New five-star hotels have sprung up in the city.
Festive mood
A few days ahead of the competition, the city is in a festive mood with preparations in full swing.
Workers apply fresh paint to the pavements and plant flowers and trees. Bulldozers remove rubbish and debris from main streets.
The flags of the Gulf States hang from electricity poles and tall buildings. Billboards welcoming the teams and their fans dot the city, next to posters of militiamen killed in the fight against ISIS between 2014 and 2017.
“Welcome Gulf people!” reads one banner on the main road linking Basra International Airport to the city.
“Basra is your home,” says another, next to the mascot for the tournament, Sinbad the Sailor — one of the region’s legendary characters.
With hotels fully booked, tribal chieftains have offered their mudhifs — public halls where tribes mainly welcome guests and settle community affairs — to host the Gulf fans.
Volunteers have launched a website for residents who want to host visitors. Fans can also apply if they need a place to stay.
Iraq has even waived visa fees and tariffs on cars for Gulf fans.
“I’m confident the championship will be the most successful one,” Basra Governor Asaad Al Eidani told state TV on Monday.
“The post-championship Iraq will be different from the pre-championship one.
“It is a step forward to retain Iraq’s normal position in the fields of sport, culture and social. It is a message to the whole world that we are capable.”
Missed opportunities
Despite its oil wealth — about 70 per cent of Iraq’s proven reserves of 153.1 billion barrels are found in Basra province — the city is plagued by broken infrastructure, poverty and violence.
Piles of rubbish are strewn on dusty streets where donkeys, stray dogs, sheep and goats roam. Rivers running through the city are filled with sewage and rubbish.
Armed tribal disputes often break out inside Basra itself and its outskirts. In August, clashes between Shiite militias erupted, amid months-long political wrangling to form the country's government.
Informal settlements can be found near the stadiums and main streets, as well as in the city's outskirts.
Authorities are erecting metal screens and wooden panels so these are hidden from visitors.
“It's as if we are expecting guests at home, but we can’t clean it, so we put a carpet to cover the dirt,” says taxi driver Aziz Mohammed, laughing as he dodges potholes.
Like some Basrawis, Mr Mohammed says the tournament is not a priority.
“They should have spent these funds on improving public services and find solutions for those living in slums, instead,” he says.
Walls
Louis Tomlinson
3 out of 5 stars
(Syco Music/Arista Records)
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
ICC T20 Team of 2021
Jos Buttler, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, David Miller, Tabraiz Shamsi, Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mustafizur Rahman, Shaheen Afridi
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
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US PGA Championship in numbers
1 Joost Luiten produced a memorable hole in one at the par-three fourth in the first round.
2 To date, the only two players to win the PGA Championship after winning the week before are Rory McIlroy (2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational) and Tiger Woods (2007, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational). Hideki Matsuyama or Chris Stroud could have made it three.
3 Number of seasons without a major for McIlroy, who finished in a tie for 22nd.
4 Louis Oosthuizen has now finished second in all four of the game's major championships.
5 In the fifth hole of the final round, McIlroy holed his longest putt of the week - from 16ft 8in - for birdie.
6 For the sixth successive year, play was disrupted by bad weather with a delay of one hour and 43 minutes on Friday.
7 Seven under par (64) was the best round of the week, shot by Matsuyama and Francesco Molinari on Day 2.
8 Number of shots taken by Jason Day on the 18th hole in round three after a risky recovery shot backfired.
9 Jon Rahm's age in months the last time Phil Mickelson missed the cut in the US PGA, in 1995.
10 Jimmy Walker's opening round as defending champion was a 10-over-par 81.
11 The par-four 11th coincidentally ranked as the 11th hardest hole overall with a scoring average of 4.192.
12 Paul Casey was a combined 12 under par for his first round in this year's majors.
13 The average world ranking of the last 13 PGA winners before this week was 25. Kevin Kisner began the week ranked 25th.
14 The world ranking of Justin Thomas before his victory.
15 Of the top 15 players after 54 holes, only Oosthuizen had previously won a major.
16 The par-four 16th marks the start of Quail Hollow's so-called "Green Mile" of finishing holes, some of the toughest in golf.
17 The first round scoring average of the last 17 major champions was 67.2. Kisner and Thorbjorn Olesen shot 67 on day one at Quail Hollow.
18 For the first time in 18 majors, the eventual winner was over par after round one (Thomas shot 73).
Trump v Khan
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2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
