Iraq Stars League
| Current champions | Al-Shorta (6th title) (2022–23) |
|---|---|
| Most championships | Al-Zawraa (14 titles) |
| Top goalscorer | Amjad Radhi (180) |
| TV partners | Al-Iraqiya TV Al-Rabiaa Sport |
| Current: 2023–24 Iraq Stars League | |
The 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 79 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 (6) and Al-Talaba (5), who together contest the Baghdad derbies. The current champions are Al-Shorta, who won the title in 2022–23.
History
Origins
Up until 1973, leagues in Iraq were played at a regional level.
Foundation
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]
|
"Stars League" formation
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]
"Baghdad's Big Four" dominance
| Season | QWJ | SHR | TLB | ZWR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989–90 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| 1990–91 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 1991–92 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| 1992–93 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 1993–94 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 |
| 1994–95 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| 1995–96 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| 1996–97 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 1997–98 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| 1998–99 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 1999–2000 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| 2000–01 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| 2001–02 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Top four | 11 | 8 | 10 | 13 |
| out of 13 | ||||
| League champions | ||||
Ever since the league began, it has been dominated by the four biggest clubs in
Competition format
Competition
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 number of wins and then goals scored.[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 team at the bottom of the table is relegated to the Iraqi Premier Division League, while the 18th and 19th-placed teams compete in a two-legged play-off to determine the second team to be relegated. Meanwhile, the top two teams in the Premier Division League are promoted to the Stars League. Each club must register a squad of 35 players and can use up to five players from their youth team. Each club is allowed a maximum of seven foreign outfield players in their squad. 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]
Clubs
2023–24 season
Twenty clubs are competing in the 2023–24 Iraq Stars League, including two promoted from the Premier Division League:
| 2023–24 Club |
2022–23 Position |
First season in the league |
Seasons in the league |
First season of current spell in the league |
Titles | Most recent title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Hudood | 13th | 2008–09 | 12 | 2022–23 | 0 | – |
| Al-Kahrabaa | 5th | 2004–05 | 19 | 2014–15 | 0 | – |
| Al-Karkh | 12th | 1990–91 | 28 | 2018–19 | 0 | – |
| Al-Minaa | 1st (PDL) | 1975–76 | 46 | 2023–24 | 1 | 1977–78 |
| Al-Naftb | 16th | 1985–86 | 39 | 1985–86 | 0 | – |
| Al-Najafb | 7th | 1987–88 | 37 | 1987–88 | 0 | – |
| Al-Qasimb | 17th | 2019–20 | 5 | 2019–20 | 0 | – |
| Al-Quwa Al-Jawiyaa, b | 2nd | 1974–75 | 50 | 1974–75 | 7 | 2020–21 |
| Al-Shortaa, b | 1st | 1974–75 | 50 | 1974–75 | 6 | 2022–23 |
| Al-Talabab | 4th | 1975–76 | 49 | 1975–76 | 5 | 2001–02 |
| Al-Zawraab | 3rd | 1975–76 | 49 | 1975–76 | 14 | 2017–18 |
| Amanat Baghdad | 2nd (PDL) | 1977–78 | 27 | 2023–24 | 0 | – |
| Duhok | 9th | 1988–89 | 21 | 2022–23 | 1 | 2009–10 |
| Erbil | 6th | 1987–88 | 32 | 2018–19 | 4 | 2011–12 |
| Karbala | 8th | 1992–93 | 22 | 2022–23 | 0 | – |
| Naft Al-Basra | 15th | 2004–05 | 19 | 2012–13 | 0 | – |
| Naft Al-Wasatb | 18th | 2014–15 | 10 | 2014–15 | 1 | 2014–15 |
| Naft Maysan | 11th | 2009–10 | 13 | 2013–14 | 0 | – |
| Newrozb | 10th | 2021–22 | 3 | 2021–22 | 0 | – |
| Zakho | 14th | 2002–03 | 19 | 2019–20 | 0 | – |
a: Founding member of the league
b: Never been relegated from the league
Map
