At least one person died and several were injured after a crush at Iraq's Basra International Stadium before the Gulf Cup final.

Thousands of fans walked to the stadium on Thursday morning ahead of the Iraq-Oman match, but were prevented from entering.

Hamza Adnan Ahmed, 26, from Baghdad, died after being caught up in the incident, his brother Omar told The National. He had been in Basra since the beginning of the tournament. His brother, cousin and friend were injured.

A video posted on social media, apparently from the scene, showed fans crying for help as others were pushed along by the moving crowd.

It came hours after Governor of Basra Asaad Al Eidani called on fans not to gather outside the stadium, especially those who did not have tickets.

"This could lead to stampede and [the] perfect image of our country, hosting this event, could be tarnished only few hours before the final ceremony," Mr Al Eidani said late on Wednesday.

The eight-team tournament kicked off on January 6, bringing together teams from the six Gulf Co-operation Council states — the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar — as well as Iraq and Yemen.

Iraq is hosting the biennial regional competition for the first time in more than four decades during which the country endured wars and diplomatic isolation as well as instability after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.