On Saturday, the third Diplomatic Football Championship began at the Real Madrid Academy in Erbil, with 16 teams participating.

The opening ceremony was attended by senior government officials, a large number of consuls and diplomats, consulate staff, and other guests.

The tournament was organized by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Department of Foreign Relations. 

Safeen Dizayee, Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations, underlined in a speech at the event that the championship aims to bring diplomatic delegations and representatives of foreign countries in the Kurdistan Region closer together and create a special atmosphere away from the pressures and demands of their daily work.

He added that the tournament was an annual tradition organized by the department and thanked the organizers and sponsors for their contributions to the event.

In the opening match, the team representing the KRG Department of Foreign Relations faced the Hungarian Consulate team. The department’s players delivered a strong performance, securing a 7–0 victory.

The second match was played between the Chinese Consulate General team and a team representing Poland, the Czech Republic, Armenia, and Bulgaria. The latter team won 10–6.

This is the third edition of the championship, which follows a single-elimination format. Matches are held daily at the Real Madrid Club Academy in the Erbil Avenue area.

In a press release, the Department of Foreign Relations said that the tournament is considered an important opportunity to strengthen friendly relations and promote sporting competition among diplomatic missions and foreign country representatives in the Kurdistan Region.