Halfway around the world, something strange is going on.

In Baghdad, men, women and children are filling the streets, wrapped in national flags and celebrating with each other in unadulterated peace and joy.

Sunnis and Shiites are dancing together, putting their differences aside to share the euphoria.

And in Jakarta, Indonesia, 15 soccer players and their coach are still basking in the honor and pride that they brought to their nation in capturing the Asian Cup, Iraq’s first title ever. With a goal by captain Younis Mahmoud in the 71st minute, the Iraqis sealed victory against 3-time champion Saudi Arabia this past Sunday.

The game was emblematic of the rest of the tournament; Iraq came in as a huge underdog against the heavily favored Saudis. But playing with the weight of a broken nation on their shoulders, the Iraqis relied on tenacious defense and timely scoring to stun their opponents.

“This is such a moment of joy and pride for the entire nation,” Iraq goalkeeper Noor Sabri said to The Scotsman. “The entire country celebrated, leaving aside all their prejudices.

“What does this mean? The people of Iraq pushed us to this win and we owe this to them.”

The team’s inspiration wasn’t exclusive to Sunday, though. Iraq shocked tournament favorite Australia in the preliminary rounds, 3-1. The team also beat Vietnam 2-0 in the quarterfinals and came out on top against South Korea in a 0-0 semifinal match that was won 4-3 on penalty kicks. Despite their status as heavy underdogs coming into the Asian Cup, the Iraqis didn’t lose a single game over the span of the tournament.

The team had to battle with more than just its opponents, too. Just four days before its 1-0 win over the Saudis, a suicide bombing in Baghdad killed 51 fans celebrating the previous win over South Korea. This weighed on the minds of the players as they brought glory to their country.

Sunday’s victory over Saudi Arabia restored national pride and unity to a people in desperate need of just that, at least for the time being. Because when it comes to soccer, it’s not about black and white, Sunni, Shiite or Kurd — it’s not about who you are; it’s about what you do. And for the past few weeks, it was about the efforts of 15 men, putting together everything that they had in competing for their country.

And for many back in homeland Iraq, it was more than just that. It was about hope.

I’m not here to talk about politics or the current situation in Iraq. What’s done is done. But in the meantime, it’s easy to forget about the living and breathing people that the current situation has drastically affected. Facing threats of violence, suicide bombers and general unrest, Iraqis have it hard. And despite the currently bleak outlook for the country, things are probably going to get a lot worse before they get a lot better.

But a glimmer of hope made its way into the streets on Sunday. Not worrying about the terror, the violence or their religious and ethnic affiliations, Iraqis were able to celebrate the improbable triumph of their beloved team. Forgetting the atrocities they face on a day-to-day, moment-by-moment basis, for one time the people of Iraq were able to express themselves in primal screams of ecstasy and joy, rather than of rage and terror.

Soccer might be just a sport: a simple game based around a ball, 11 players on a team and two goalposts. As this weekend showed, though, it’s more than just that. It’s about a country and its people. It’s about having the hope and strength to move forward in times of turmoil and death.

With all the bad and disheartening things that have clouded the forefront of the sports world in the last few weeks, it’s refreshing to finally hear a story that didn’t involve Michael Vick, Bud Selig or Tim Donaghy.

But I’m not the one to talk on all of this. I write this piece worlds away from war and chaos, sitting in the suburban strongholds of Los Angeles, Calif. I’ll leave the last few words of this column to Iraq coach Jorvan Vieira, who put it best:

“This is not just about football ... this is more important than that,” he said to The Scotsman. “This has brought great happiness to a whole country.

“This is not about a team, this is about human beings.”

Jack Salisbury is a rising sophomore. Contact him at jack24@stanford.edu.