2019 WAFF Championship
In-game article clicks load inline without leaving the challenge.
The 2019 West Asian Football Federation Championship, also called Asiacell WAFF Championship Iraq 2019 due to sponsorship by Asiacell, was the 9th edition of the WAFF Championship, an international tournament for member nations of the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF). It was hosted in Iraq for the first time, in the cities of Karbala and Erbil.
The tournament was meant to be held from 8 to 17 December 2017 in Amman, Jordan, but was postponed to a later date, and subsequently moved to Iraq on 21 May 2018. It was then expected to be held in November 2018, but yet again postponed to July–August 2019.
All WAFF members, excluding title holders Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, participated in the competition. Of the nine teams, seven had also appeared in the previous tournament in 2013. A total of 17 matches were played in two venues across two cities. The final took place on 14 August at the Karbala Sports City in Karbala, between hosts Iraq and Bahrain. Bahrain won the match 1–0 to claim their first WAFF Championship title, marking the second consecutive title won by a Gulf team.
Teams
Participants
A total of nine teams participated in the competition. All WAFF members, other than Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, agreed to take part in the tournament.
| Team | Appearance | Last appearance | Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bahrain | 4th | 2013 | Third place |
| Iraq | 8th | 2013 | Winners |
| Jordan | 9th | 2013 | Runners-up |
| Kuwait | 4th | 2013 | Winners |
| Lebanon | 7th | 2013 | Group stage |
| Palestine | 9th | 2013 | Group stage |
| Saudi Arabia | 3rd | 2013 | Group stage |
| Syria | 8th | 2012 | Winners |
| Yemen | 3rd | 2012 | Semi-finals |
Draw
The teams were distributed on 26 June 2019 in Erbil according to their requests. The nine teams were drawn into two groups: Group A with 5 teams and Group B with 4. While the draw was intended to be held between 18 and 20 July 2019, some teams requested the organizing committee to play in Erbil, therefore placing them in Group B, with the rest of the teams being placed in Group A to play in Karbala. The two group winners directly advanced to the final.
The draw for the group fixtures was held on 20 July 2019 at the Iraq Football Association headquarters in Baghdad.
Squads
Each team had to register a squad of 23 players, three of whom must be goalkeepers.
Officiating
| Referees Iraq Wathik Al-Baag (Iraq) Iraq Mohammed Al-Noori (Iraq) Jordan Mohammad Arafah (Jordan) Saudi Arabia Turki Al-Khudhayr (Saudi Arabia) Bahrain Ali Al-Samaheeji (Bahrain) Kuwait Saad Khalefah (Kuwait) Syria Wissam Rabie (Syria) Lebanon Mohamad Issa (Lebanon) Palestine Sameh Al-Qassas (Palestine) Oman Mahmood Al-Majarafi (Oman) Yemen Haitham Al-Walidi (Yemen) | Assistant Referees Iraq Muayad Mohamed Ali (Iraq) Iraq Jihad Dawood (Iraq) Jordan Mahmoud Abu-Thaher (Jordan) Saudi Arabia Khalaf Al-Shammari (Saudi Arabia) Bahrain Salah Janahi (Bahrain) Kuwait Humoud Al-Sahli (Kuwait) Syria Abdullah Kanaan (Syria) Lebanon Ali Mokdad (Lebanon) Palestine Amin Shaban Halabi (Palestine) Oman Hamed Al-Ghafri (Oman) Yemen Ali Al-Hasani (Yemen) |
Venues
| Karbala | KarbalaErbil | Erbil |
|---|---|---|
| Karbala Sports City (Karbala International Stadium) | Franso Hariri Stadium | |
| Capacity: 30,000 | Capacity: 25,000 | |
Group stage
The WAFF announced the tournament schedule on 20 July 2019. The group winners advance to the final.
All times are local, AST (UTC+3).
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iraq (H) | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 10 | Advances to final |
| 2 | Palestine | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 7 | |
| 3 | Yemen | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 4 | |
| 4 | Lebanon | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4 | |
| 5 | Syria | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 2 |
| Palestine | 4–3 | Syria |
|---|---|---|
| Batran 45+3' Dabbagh 60' (pen.), 61' Yameen 89' | Mobayed 3' Al-Khatib 66' (pen.) Mardikian 73' |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bahrain | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 7 | Advances to final |
| 2 | Jordan | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 | |
| 3 | Kuwait | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | |
| 4 | Saudi Arabia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 1 |
| Jordan | 0–1 | Bahrain |
|---|---|---|
| Abdullatif 69' |
| Jordan | 3–0 | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| Murjan 59' Al-Rawashdeh 90+3' Shelbaieh 90+9' (pen.) |
| Kuwait | 0–1 | Bahrain |
|---|---|---|
| Abdullatif 80' |
Final
Statistics
Goalscorers
There have been 34 goals scored in 17 matches, for an average of 2 goals per match.
3 goals
2 goals
- Bahrain national football team Ismail Abdullatif
- Palestine national football team Islam Batran
- Palestine national football team Oday Dabbagh
- Syria national football team Firas Al-Khatib
- Yemen national football team Abdulwasea Al-Matari
1 goal
- Bahrain national football team Isa Moosa
- Iraq national football team Mohannad Abdul-Raheem
- Iraq national football team Ibrahim Bayesh
- Jordan national football team Salem Al-Ajalin
- Jordan national football team Saeed Murjan
- Jordan national football team Yousef Al-Rawashdeh
- Jordan national football team Feras Shelbaieh
- Kuwait national football team Faisal Ajab
- Kuwait national football team Hussain Al-Musawi
- Kuwait national football team Faisal Zayid
- Lebanon national football team Mohamad Kdouh
- Lebanon national football team Nader Matar
- Lebanon national football team Hassan "Moni" Chaito
- Palestine national football team Yaser Hamed
- Palestine national football team Mohammed Yameen
- Saudi Arabia national football team Rabee Sufyani
- Syria national football team Ahmad Al Douni
- Syria national football team Mardik Mardikian
- Syria national football team Khaled Mobayed
- Yemen national football team Emad Mansoor
- Yemen national football team Mohsen Qarawi
Final ranking
As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Final result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bahrain | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 10 | Champions |
| 2 | Iraq | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 10 | Runners-up |
| 3 | Palestine | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 7 | Eliminated in the Group stage |
| 4 | Jordan | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 | |
| 5 | Kuwait | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | |
| 6 | Yemen | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 4 | |
| 7 | Lebanon | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4 | |
| 8 | Syria | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 2 | |
| 9 | Saudi Arabia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 1 |
Prize money
Prize money amounts were announced in 2019.
| Position | Amount (USD) |
|---|---|
| Champions | 100,000 |
| Runner-up | 50,000 |
| Total | 150,000 |
Broadcasting rights
The WAFF sold the broadcasting rights for the 2019 WAFF Championship to the following broadcasters.
| Country | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
| Iraq | Al Iraqiya Sports Duhok Sport |
| Jordan | Jordan Sport |
| Kuwait | KTV Sports |
| Lebanon | Télé Liban |
| Syria | Syrian Drama TV |