BAGHDAD, Feb, 27 (Xinhua) -- Iraq announced on Sunday that it will host the 2022 World Cup qualifier in the capital of Baghdad after the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) lifted its ban on matches in the war-torn country.

Adnan Dirjal, Iraqi minister of Youth and Sports, said in a statement that "with the support of the Asian Football Confederation, our communication with FIFA has paid off, promoting the return of international matches to Baghdad successfully."

"Baghdad and all Iraqi cities are ready to welcome brothers and friends from all over the world," Dirjal said, stressing that the Iraqi national team will play with the national team of the United Arab Emirates in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

Iraqi football teams have been prevented from playing at home since the Iraqi invasion of neighboring Kuwait in 1990.

The ban was briefly lifted in 2018 for friendly matches in Iraq's cities of Basra, Erbil and Karbala, but the ban was reinstated after protests that spread in the country in 2019.