Iraq’s World Cup return fuels Erbil nightlife
Shafaq News- Erbil
The 2026 World Cup is turning cafés and entertainment venues in Erbil from ordinary gathering places into small football terraces, drawing fans deep into the night for matches watched with stadium-like noise and emotion.
Across the Kurdistan Region’s capital, cafés are competing for crowds with large screens, stronger sound systems, wider seating areas, and special preparations for high-profile matches that begin late because of the time difference with North America. Streets that usually slow after midnight now echo with commentary, lineup debates, goal celebrations, and the silence that follows a missed chance.
Read more: Baghdad cafes and restaurants ride Iraq’s World Cup wave
Mohammed Raskas, who owns a café in Erbil, explained that preparations for the World Cup began early to bring customers closer to the feel of a stadium. “We made sure to install a large screen, a modern sound system, expand the seating area, and provide services for customers,” he told Shafaq News. “Turnout this year is exceptional, and some fans arrive hours before the major matches.”
For many supporters, cafés have become social spaces where debates, analysis, and collective reactions are part of the match itself, including Barzan Khoshnaw, who said, “Gathering with friends and cheering together gives the match a different energy. We do not come only to watch, we come to live the event among crowds that make it more exciting.”
On Popular Housing Street, the tournament has taken an even more open form: outdoor screens have been set up, and dozens of young people gather to watch matches, turning the area into an open-air viewing platform that stays active late into the night.
Kamran Ahmed, 40, noted that the street atmosphere brings spectators closer to the action. “Here, you feel that you are inside the match. Every attack excites everyone, and the discussions and analysis among those present make the match unforgettable.”
For younger fans, the gatherings are also a break from daily pressures and a space that brings together people of different ages, according to Sirwan Hamza, 22. “Even joy after a win or sadness after a loss becomes easier when we share it together.”
World Cup 2026 is the largest edition in history, with 48 teams, 104 matches, and games spread across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. For Iraqis, the tournament carries added weight. Iraq is back at the World Cup for the first time since 1986 and opens its Group I campaign against Norway at 1:00 AM Baghdad/Erbil time on Wednesday before facing France and Senegal.
Read more: Stage set for Iraq’s World Cup return against Norway
