Iraq and Saudi Arabia are two fierce rivals of the Arab world.

The main reasons for this rivalry are political differences, and historical grievances.

During the Gulf War in the 1990s, Iraq invaded Kuwait, an ally of Saudi Arabia, and both fought a short but bloody war that would continue to have a major impact on their relations.

[2] Due to the Gulf War of 1991, Saudi Arabia and Iraq had no official diplomatic relations, resulting in the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification matches between the two nations being held on neutral grounds of Bahrain and Jordan.

Recently, accusations from Iraq that Saudi Arabia is instigating terrorist groups, like ISIS and Al-Qaeda, further deepened enmity between the two nations.