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Association football league in Iraq From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Iraq Stars League (Arabic: دوري نجوم العراق, romanized: Dawrī Nujūm Al-'Irāq), is the highest level of the Iraqi football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Iraqi Premier Division League. It is governed by the Iraqi Pro League Association.
| |
| Organising body | Iraqi Pro League Association |
|---|---|
| Founded | 18 August 1974 |
| Country | Iraq |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Number of teams | 20 (since 2014–15) |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Iraqi Premier Division League |
| Domestic cup(s) | Iraq FA Cup Iraqi Super Cup |
| International cup(s) | AFC Champions League Elite AFC Champions League Two Arab Club Champions Cup AGCFF Gulf Club Champions League |
| Current champions | Al-Shorta (7th title) (2023–24) |
| Most championships | Al-Zawraa (14 titles) |
| Top goalscorer | Amjad Radhi (181) |
| TV partners | Al-Iraqiya TV Al-Kass Sports Al-Rabiaa Sports |
| Current: 2024–25 Iraq Stars League | |
The league was formed by the Iraq Football Association in 1974 as the Iraqi National Clubs League, the first nationwide league of clubs in Iraq, and later became known as the Iraqi Premier League. In 2023, the competition was transformed into a professional league under the name Iraq Stars League. The current format sees 20 teams playing 38 matches each (playing each team in the league twice, home and away), totalling 380 matches in the season.
Of the 80 teams to have competed since the inception of the league in 1974, eleven have won the title. Al-Zawraa are the most successful club with 14 titles, followed by Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (7), Al-Shorta (7) and Al-Talaba (5), who together contest the Baghdad derbies. The current champions are Al-Shorta, who won their third consecutive title in 2023–24.
Up until 1973, leagues in Iraq were played at a regional level.[1] The Central FA League, the Basra League and the Kirkuk League were all founded in 1948,[2] while the Mosul League was founded in 1950.[3] The first nationwide league to be held in the country was in the 1973–74 season when the Iraqi National First Division was formed,[4] with Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya being crowned champions.[5] The IFA then decided to replace the competition with a new National Clubs League which would only be open to clubs and not institute-representative teams.[6]
The league held its first season in 1974–75 and was originally composed of ten clubs.[7] The league's first ever goal was scored by Falah Hassan of Al-Tayaran (now known as Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya) in a 1–1 draw with Al-Sinaa.[8] Al-Tayaran were crowned champions of the inaugural season which featured the following teams:[9]
On 4 June 2023, Iraq Football Association (IFA) signed a three-year partnership agreement with Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional (LaLiga) to transform the Iraqi Premier League into a professional league from the 2023–24 season. The competition is named the Iraq Stars League and is designed to meet the licensing criteria set down by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). A new association named the Iraqi Pro League Association, chaired by Javier Jiménez Sacristán and Matteo Mantovani, was formed to operate the competition and supervise the associated youth leagues.[10] An Iraqi management team is also being trained by LaLiga to take control of the committee once the partnership deal ends.[11] A start date of 26 October 2023 was set for the first Stars League season.[12]
Ever since the league began, it has been dominated by the four biggest clubs in Baghdad: Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Al-Shorta, Al-Talaba and Al-Zawraa, who together contest the Baghdad derbies.[13] From the 1989–90 season until the 2005–06 season, the league was won by one of the four Baghdad teams every time.[6] After the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, players started to leave the Baghdad-based clubs and join clubs in the North such as Erbil and Duhok due to the economic instability and security issues in the capital city.[14] This led to a shift in the dominance of the "Big Four" as Erbil won three consecutive league titles from 2007 to 2009 with Duhok winning the league in 2010.[15] In the 2008–09 season, none of Baghdad's Big Four clubs finished in the top four and this is the only time that this has happened in the history of the league; the top four spots were occupied by Erbil, Al-Najaf, Duhok and Al-Amana.[16] However, Baghdad's Big Four have since returned to dominating the league, having won all titles since 2015–16.
There are currently 20 clubs in the Iraq Stars League. During the course of a season, each club plays the others twice (a double round-robin system), once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, for a total of 38 games (however, matches between Baghdad's Big Four clubs are played at the neutral venue of Al-Shaab Stadium to accommodate more spectators).[17]
Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then head-to-head points, then head-to-head goal difference, then total goal difference, then goals scored and then number of wins.[17] If still equal, teams are deemed to occupy the same position. If there is a tie for the championship, for relegation, or for qualification to other competitions, a play-off match at a neutral venue decides rank.[17]
The two teams at the bottom of the league table are relegated to the Iraqi Premier Division League, while the top two teams in the Premier Division League are promoted to the Stars League. The 18th-placed team in the Stars League competes in a play-off with the 3rd-placed team from the Premier Division League for a place in the following season's Stars League. Each club must register a 25-man squad for the season, but are not required to register players who have been registered for their reserve or youth teams. Each club is allowed a maximum of six foreign outfield players in their squad, however this restriction does not apply to Yemeni players and to a maximum of one Syrian player. Only six foreign players including Yemeni and Syrian players can play at any given time, and no more than two players from countries ranked below 90th in the FIFA Men's World Ranking can play at any given time. A maximum of five substitutions are available per match for each team.[18]
The winners of the league qualify for the Iraqi Super Cup, a match played against the winners of the Iraq FA Cup (if the league winners also win the Iraq FA Cup, they play the league runners-up instead).[19]
Twenty clubs are competing in the 2024–25 Iraq Stars League, including two promoted from the Premier Division League:
| 2024–25 Club |
2023–24 Position |
First season in the league |
Seasons in the league |
First season of current spell in the league |
Titles | Most recent title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Hudood | 9th | 2008–09 | 13 | 2022–23 | 0 | – |
| Al-Kahrabaa | 13th | 2004–05 | 20 | 2014–15 | 0 | – |
| Al-Karkh | 15th | 1990–91 | 29 | 2018–19 | 0 | – |
| Al-Karmab | 2nd (PDL) | 2024–25 | 1 | 2024–25 | 0 | – |
| Al-Minaa | 12th | 1975–76 | 47 | 2023–24 | 1 | 1977–78 |
| Al-Naftb | 11th | 1985–86 | 40 | 1985–86 | 0 | – |
| Al-Najafb | 4th | 1987–88 | 38 | 1987–88 | 0 | – |
| Al-Qasimb | 17th | 2019–20 | 6 | 2019–20 | 0 | – |
| Al-Quwa Al-Jawiyaa, b | 2nd | 1974–75 | 51 | 1974–75 | 7 | 2020–21 |
| Al-Shortaa, b | 1st | 1974–75 | 51 | 1974–75 | 7 | 2023–24 |
| Al-Talabab | 8th | 1975–76 | 50 | 1975–76 | 5 | 2001–02 |
| Al-Zawraab | 3rd | 1975–76 | 50 | 1975–76 | 14 | 2017–18 |
| Diyala | 1st (PDL) | 1975–76 | 15 | 2024–25 | 0 | – |
| Duhok | 6th | 1988–89 | 22 | 2022–23 | 1 | 2009–10 |
| Erbil | 14th | 1987–88 | 33 | 2018–19 | 4 | 2011–12 |
| Karbala | 16th | 1992–93 | 23 | 2022–23 | 0 | – |
| Naft Al-Basra | 18th | 2004–05 | 20 | 2012–13 | 0 | – |
| Naft Maysan | 10th | 2009–10 | 14 | 2013–14 | 0 | – |
| Newrozb | 7th | 2021–22 | 4 | 2021–22 | 0 | – |
| Zakho | 5th | 2002–03 | 20 | 2019–20 | 0 | – |
a: Founding member of the league
b: Never been relegated from the league
Since its first season in 1974–75 up until the 2024–25 season (not counting the qualifying rounds of the 2000–01 season), 80 teams have taken part in at least a single round. The teams in bold are competing in the Iraq Stars League in the 2024–25 season. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya and Al-Shorta are the only teams to have played in every single one of the 51 seasons.
| Club | Titles | Winning seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Zawraa | 14 | 1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1990–91, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2005–06, 2010–11, 2015–16, 2017–18 |
| Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | 7 | 1974–75, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1996–97, 2004–05, 2016–17, 2020–21 |
| Al-Shorta | 7 | 1979–80, 1997–98, 2012–13, 2018–19, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24 |
| Al-Talaba | 5 | 1980–81, 1981–82, 1985–86, 1992–93, 2001–02 |
| Erbil | 4 | 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2011–12 |
| Al-Rasheed | 3 | 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89 |
| Al-Minaa | 1 | 1977–78 |
| Salahaddin | 1 | 1982–83 |
| Al-Jaish | 1 | 1983–84 |
| Duhok | 1 | 2009–10 |
| Naft Al-Wasat | 1 | 2014–15 |
The champions of the Iraq Stars League qualify for the subsequent season's AFC Champions League Elite league stage, while the winners of the Iraq FA Cup qualify for the AFC Champions League Two group stage. If the same team wins the Stars League and the FA Cup, the Stars League runners-up qualify for the AFC Champions League Two group stage. The number of places allocated to Iraqi clubs in AFC competitions is dependent upon the position the country holds in the AFC Club Competitions Ranking, which is calculated based upon the performance of teams in AFC competitions in the previous four years.[20]
Collectively, Iraqi teams have reached nine finals of Asian club competitions. Before the foundation of the national league, Aliyat Al-Shorta were the first Iraqi team to participate in the Asian Champion Club Tournament in 1971 and they reached the final, but they refused to play Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv and took the runner-up spot.[21] Al-Rasheed reached the final of the Asian Club Championship in 1989 but they lost a two-legged final on away goals to Al-Saad of Qatar.[21] Al-Talaba reached the final of the 1995 Asian Cup Winners' Cup but they lost it 2–1 to Bellmare Hiratsuka,[22] and five years later, Al-Zawraa lost the final of the same competition 1–0 to Shimizu S-Pulse in 2000.[23] Erbil reached the final of Asia's secondary tournament, the AFC Cup, twice in 2012 and 2014 but lost both times to Al-Kuwait and Al-Qadsia respectively.[14] Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya managed to win the AFC Cup when they beat Indian club Bengaluru FC 1–0 in the 2016 final, and they won the competition for the second consecutive season in 2017 by beating FC Istiklol by the same scoreline. They earned a joint-record third AFC Cup title with a 2–0 defeat of Altyn Asyr in 2018.[24]
Iraqi clubs also participate in the Arab Club Champions Cup and the AGCFF Gulf Club Champions League, which are organised by the Union of Arab Football Associations and the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation respectively. Al-Shorta won the inaugural Arab Club Champions Cup in 1982 by defeating Al-Nejmeh 4–2 on aggregate in the final.[25] Meanwhile, Al-Rasheed won the Arab Club Champions Cup three times in a row in 1985, 1986 and 1987 and are the competition's joint-most successful side.[26]
The league was founded as the National Clubs League and has been renamed several times, with the current Stars League name remaining in place since 2023. The competition has had title sponsorship rights sold to three companies, which were Zain Iraq in the 2009–10 season,[27] Asiacell in the 2010–11 and 2011–12 seasons[28] and Fuchs in the 2015–16 season.[29]
| Period | Sponsor | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1974–1988 | No sponsor | National Clubs League |
| 1988–1989 | Pan-National Clubs League | |
| 1989–1995 | National Clubs League | |
| 1995–1996 | Advanced League | |
| 1996–1999 | Premier League | |
| 1999–2000 | First Division League | |
| 2000–2002 | Elite League | |
| 2002–2003 | First Division League | |
| 2003–2009 | Premier League | |
| 2009–2010 | Zain Iraq | Zain Iraq League |
| 2010–2012 | Asiacell | Asiacell Elite League |
| 2012–2013 | No sponsor | Elite League |
| 2013–2015 | Premier League | |
| 2015–2016 | Fuchs | Fuchs Premier League |
| 2016–2023 | No sponsor | Premier League |
| 2023–present | Stars League |
| Rank | Player | Goals | First app | Last app | Club(s) (goals) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Amjad Radhi |
181 | 2007 | present | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (98), Erbil (75), Al-Najaf (8) |
| 2 | Sahib Abbas |
177 | 1988 | 2012 | Salahaddin (42), Al-Zawraa (62), Al-Talaba (18), Karbala (50), Al-Sinaa (5) |
| 3 | Karim Saddam |
171 | 1979 | 1996 | Al-Sinaa (23), Al-Jaish (11), Al-Rasheed (4), Al-Zawraa (127), Al-Shorta (6) |
| 4 | Ali Hashim |
170 | 1987 | 2004 | Al-Najaf (149), Al-Karkh (21) |
| 5 | Hussein Abdullah |
167 | 1991 | 2010 | Al-Sinaa (32), Al-Naft (16), Diyala (40), Duhok (58), Erbil (14), Kirkuk (2), Peris (5) |
| 6 | Hammadi Ahmed |
163 | 2005 | 2023 | Samarra (19), Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (144) |
| 7 | Alaa Abdul-Zahra |
158 | 2004 | present | Al-Zawraa (54), Duhok (26), Al-Shorta (78) |
| 8 | Younis Abid Ali |
157 | 1983 | 2000 | Al-Shorta (135), Al-Rasheed (15), Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (3), Al-Difaa Al-Jawi (4) |
| 9 | Ahmed Radhi |
146 | 1981 | 1999 | Al-Zawraa (103), Al-Rasheed (43) |
| 10 | Alaa Kadhim |
145 | 1988 | 2007 | Al-Sinaa (8), Al-Talaba (137) |
Bold denotes players still playing in the Iraq Stars League.
The current Iraq Stars League trophy was revealed on 13 July 2024 and was sculpted by the Iraqi painter and sculptor Ahmed Albahrani. The trophy is predominantly silver in colour, and features a silver and golden football at the top. The trophy has a silver base with the words "Iraq Stars League" written in English and Arabic, alongside the logo of the competition and the season.[30]
The following managers have won multiple titles:[47]
| Manager | Club(s) | Wins | Winning seasons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayoub Odisho |
Al-Talaba, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (2), Al-Zawraa | 4 | 1992–93, 1996–97, 2017–18, 2020–21 |
| Jamal Salih |
Al-Talaba, Al-Rasheed (2) | 3 | 1981–82, 1987–88, 1988–89 |
| Thair Ahmed |
Al-Talaba, Erbil (2) | 2001–02, 2007–08, 2008–09 | |
| Basim Qasim |
Duhok, Al-Zawraa, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | 2009–10, 2015–16, 2016–17 | |
| Saadi Salih |
Al-Zawraa | 2 | 1975–76, 1976–77 |
| Ammo Baba |
Al-Talaba, Al-Zawraa | 1980–81, 1993–94 | |
| Amer Jameel |
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Al-Zawraa | 1989–90, 1998–99 | |
| Adnan Hamad |
Al-Zawraa | 1995–96, 1999–2000 | |
| Sabah Abdul-Jalil |
Al-Zawraa, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | 2000–01, 2004–05 | |
 Moamen Soliman |
Al-Shorta | 2021–22, 2023–24 |
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