Iraq's World Cup group stage ends as Shias navigate Muharram
Iraqi supporters in Toronto reconcile celebrating their national team with the holy month's religious observance.
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Iraq's participation in the 2026 World Cup has stirred conflicting emotions for many supporters, especially this year when the tournament falls during Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar.
For Shia Muslims, Muharram is a month of mourning and extreme grief marking the killing of Imam Husayn ibn Ali nearly 1,400 years ago. His shrine near Karbala, Iraq, is visited by millions of pilgrims each year and is considered one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam.
Iraq's Toronto match against Senegal—a 6-0 loss—took place a day after Ashura, the day of Husayn's killing. All three of Iraq's group-stage games fell within the holy month. "On one hand, we haven't made it in 40 years. We would like to celebrate the team," said Hassan Jaber, an Iraqi-Canadian, speaking to CBC News from Toronto. "On the other hand, we're kind of limited on how much we can celebrate. We have this guilt inside of us."
Sayed Moustafa Al-Qazwini, one of North America's most prominent Shia scholars, offered clarity to worshippers facing the dilemma. "We cannot undermine any one of them. One of them is a national duty, if you will. The other is religious duty. And both of them are important, and there is no contradiction between them," he said.
Soccer is deeply woven into Iraqi culture—so much so that even the country's highest religious authorities watch football matches. This was demonstrated by a recent call from Sayed Muqtada Al-Sadr, a leading Shia scholar in Iraq, urging Iraqis to back the national team during the World Cup.
