Younis Mahmoud: The World Cup is an "Exceptional Global Carnival"

Younis Mahmoud, the former Iraqi national team star and ambassador for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, confirmed that football fans in the world are on a date with an unprecedented football festival during the World Cup, praising what Qatar has accomplished on the road to preparing to host the first edition of the World Cup in the region.

Mahmoud said that hosting the World Cup in the Arab world is a dream that Qatar has succeeded in achieving, pointing out that organizing the tournament in the region is of great importance, as it represents an opportunity to introduce the world to Arab culture, and shed light on the ancient heritage of the region in every home in Europe, America, Australia, and others. In light of the role that football plays in bringing people together.

The former leader of the Euphrates Lions team referred to the announcement in 2010 of Qatar's success in obtaining the right to organize the 2022 World Cup and said: "The announcement of Qatar winning the right to host the World Cup was a historic moment for us as Arabs. Qatar and the Qatari leadership confirmed from the beginning that this is a World Cup for all Arabs, which is a great pride for us.

The World Cup ambassador, who played for Iraqi, Qatari, Emirate and Saudi clubs, added: "When Qatar was announced as winning the right to host the World Cup, the Iraqi team was playing in the semi-finals of the Gulf Cup in Yemen against Kuwait, and the match had reached a penalty shootout, then the stadium fell into a sudden silence, and the huge screen announced that Qatar had won the right to host the 2022 World Cup. At that moment, joy prevailed throughout the stadium, and cheers erupted from everyone from Kuwaitis, Yemenis, and Iraqis.

Younis continued, "All Iraqis love football, and they love watching the World Cup in particular. Qatar has given us the opportunity to attend the World Cup competitions, which is being held for the first time near us. Now, residents of the region can drive their cars to Qatar to attend the World Cup matches, whether from Iraq or Jordan, Syria, or Saudi Arabia, and enjoy watching the best players in the world.

Younis believes that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will play a major role in improving the level of football in the region.

He said, "There are strong teams in the region that did not qualify for the World Cup, such as Algeria, Egypt and Iraq, and there is no doubt that each of them did their utmost to participate in the tournament and win the opportunity to play in the World Cup in front of their fans."