Basra International Stadium (Basra Sports City)

The building took its name from a nickname before it took one from a sponsor: locals call it Jath an-Nakhl , the palm trunk. It stands inside the wider Basra Sports City complex south of the centre, close to the Shatt al-Basra waterfront, and it opened without ever carrying an older name of its own — there was no previous stadium on the site to replace.

The opening night, on 12 October 2013, went wrong before the football did. Zamalek and Al-Zawraa drew 1-1 in front of some 65,000 people, but the ground had no backup generators, and seating gave way in places; a spectator died after falling from damaged stands. The venue carried that association for years afterwards, through Iraq's long stretch without a home fixture.

January 2023 brought the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup, and with it another crowd tragedy: a crush outside the gates ahead of the Iraq–Oman final left people dead and dozens injured before the match had even kicked off.

Club tenancy has thinned out since. Al-Mina'a shifted its home matches to the newly built Al-Mina'a Olympic Stadium in January 2024, and Naft Al-Janoob now splits its fixtures with the smaller Al-Faihaa. The national side remains the venue's anchor tenant.