Saudi Arabia's King Salman has promised to build Iraq a football stadium in Baghdad capable of holding about 135,000 people and making it the biggest in the world.

The pledge is reported to have been made following a friendly match between the two countries last week.

The move reflects improving relations between the two countries, who have been at loggerheads for decades, starting with the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

The Middle East is having a wave of new stadiums built, particularly as Qatar prepares to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Qatar is building eight new stadiums for the tournament, including Qatar Foundation Stadium (above).

Saudi Arabia's players vie for the ball against Iraq's players during the international friendly football match between Iraq and Saudi Arabia at the Basra Sports city stadium in Basra on February 28, 2018

A general view shows the Basra Stadium- it can hold about 65,000 fans but the new stadium in Baghdad will hold double that number

Saudi Arabia is wooing Iraq as part of an effort to restrict the growing regional influence of Iran, while Baghdad is seeking the economic benefits of closer ties with Riyadh.

King Salman's offer was made in a telephone call to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Monday, following Iraq's 4-1 defeat of Saudi Arabia in a friendly - the first between the two countries for nearly four decades.

'I have received a phone call from the King of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdul Aziz,' al-Abadi said.

'He hailed Iraqi's victory (in the friendly match between the two sides last week) and expressed his preparedness and commitment to expanding positive relations between Iraq and Saudi Arabia at different levels — economical, commercial, communal, cultural - at all levels that are of interest for the two countries.

'He also offered Saudi Arabia's contribution to build a main stadium in Iraq that accommodates 100,000 people. We have welcomed the initiative and it was proposed today to the Cabinet,' Arabnews.com reported him as saying.

Al-Abadi said he has instructed his Cabinet to set up a task force to drive the build of the biggest stadium in Iraq, eclipsing the 65,000 venue at Basra Sports City.

Iraqi supporters watch their team at a training session ahead of a home friendly against Saudi Arabia in Basra on February 28, 2018

Iraq, which competed in the Gulf Cup of Nations in Kuwait City in January, hopes to convince FIFA to lift its ban on home competitive internationals

Iraqi national football team players take part in a training session on February 27, 2018 in the city of Basra

King Salman (right) is reaching out to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (right) in a bid to offset the influence of Iran (file picture)

'The Cabinet gave its directives to form a committee consisting of a group of key ministries concerned with this project,' Al-Abadi said.

'The committee will consist of the Cabinet's secretariat, the Ministry of Planning, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Higher Education, which includes the Center of Urban and Regional Planning

'It will handle developing the general framework for establishing the stadium, which will be the main stadium. 100,000 people is not a small number. We must pick a suitable location in Baghdad along with the stadium's own additional facilities.

'The stadium will be established under the supervision and guidance of a higher Iraqi-Saudi coordinating council, which will specify the location and design in addition to following up on the project's progress.

'The outcomes and progress of the committee's work will be presented to the Cabinet.'

King Salman was later reported to have promised to increase the stadium's capacity to 135,000 - more than double the current largest stadium in the country - located at Basra Sports City.

Iraq has not hosted competitive international football matches for most of the last 30 years – ever since its 1990 invasion of Kuwait triggered an embargo. It was lifted briefly in 2012, but a power outage during a match against Jordan in the Iraqi Kurdish capital of Erbil led Fifa to reinstate it. Fifa will decide whether to lift the ban later in March,thenational.ae reported.

Iraq - despite being massive underdogs - won the clash on 28 February thanks to two goals from Muhanad Ali, one from Emad Mohsin Majeed and a Saeed Awadh Al Yami own goal. But it is Saudi Arabia who have qualified for this summer's World Cup in Russia - while Iraq missed out.



