Iraqi Premier League

Sharikat Naft Al-Basra won Iraq's first nationwide championship in 1949.[2] The Iraq Central FA League was a regional league for teams in central Iraq; during its 26 seasons of existence, Al-Haris Al-Maliki won seven titles, Amanat Baghdad, Al-Shorta and Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya each won five titles, Al-Athori and Al-Jaish each won one title and one season was abandoned midway through, while Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya won the National League of Clubs and Institutions in 1974.[3]

The league held its first season in 1974–75 and was originally composed of ten clubs. The first ever Iraqi Premier League goal was scored by Falah Hassan of Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya in a 1–1 draw with Al-Sinaa. The ten inaugural members of the new league were Al-Tayaran (now called Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya), Al-Shorta, Al-Naqil, Al-Samawa, Al-Jaish, Babil, Al-Baladiyat (now called Amanat Baghdad), Al-Rafidain, Al-Sinaa and Al-Muwasalat (now called Al-Minaa), and the league was won by Al-Tayaran.[4]

The format of the Iraqi Premier League has changed multiple times throughout its existence. Below are some of the notable changes to the league's format that have happened over the years:

• In the 1984–85 season, three points were awarded for a win for the first time, but this was changed back to two points for the following season.
• In the 1986–87 season, each team played each other four times in a quadruple round-robin format; this is the only time that this has happened in the league's history.
• The first time that the Iraqi Premier League was not held in a round-robin format was when it was split into four regional groups in the 1988–89 season, which were followed by another group stage, semi-finals, a third place match and a final. During this season, if a match ended in a draw, it would go to extra time and then penalties if necessary. A team would earn three points if they won a game by two goals or more (after normal or extra time). They would earn two points if they won a game by just one goal (after normal or extra time), and they would gain one point for winning a penalty shootout. Al-Rasheed won the league this season by beating Al-Talaba on penalties in the final.[5]
• The 1992–93 Iraqi National League saw each team play a huge 69 games as each team played each other three times, meaning that a total of 828 games were played in that season. Each player was only allowed to play 46 games in the season.
• In the 1994–95 season, three points were awarded to a winning team as opposed to two, but four points were awarded to a team that won a game by three goals or more in order to encourage attacking football.[6] Every season after this has seen three points awarded for a victory.
• The 2000–01 Iraqi Elite League started with a qualifying stage to decide which 16 teams would qualify for the league competition. 135 teams in total from all around Iraq competed in the qualifiers; for the first qualifying round they were split into various groups based on geographical position and the top-finishing teams from each group qualified for second qualifying round which consisted of more geographically based groups. The top-finishing teams of those groups qualified to the league which itself was a 30-round competition.
• The league had been played in a round-robin format from 1989 until 2003, but after the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, the IFA decided to change the league system into a system consisting of group stages, drawn based on geographical position. This was to make travel easier for the clubs. The group stage system remained in place from 2003–04 up until 2010–11, and the double round-robin system returned in the 2011–12 season. It lasted for only three seasons until the group stage format returned from the 2014–15 campaign, but the double round-robin format was once again reintroduced in 2016–17.

The Iraqi Premier League shield that was awarded to 2012–13 champions Al-Shorta.

The Iraqi Premier League trophy was designed by Iraq Football Association member Zuhair Nadhum and the design was implemented by Qahtan Salim. The materials used to make the trophy were imported from China.

The trophy is a flat shield, predominantly golden in colour. In the centre of the shield is a football made from golden and mirrored pieces, with a map of Iraq in the centre of the ball. Inside the map reads the word Iraq in Arabic, with the words Premier League Shield underneath (also in Arabic) completed with the season. Surrounding the football are the words Iraq Football Association written in Arabic at the top and in English at the bottom in silver text. Surrounding that text is another ring, the top half of which contains the Flag of Iraq and the bottom half of which contains 18 golden stars, representing the 18 historical provinces of Iraq. Connecting the two halves of the outer ring on both sides is the logo of the Iraq Football Association. Since the 2018–19 season, the shield has been surrounded by a silver frame, with a black ring on the outside bearing the words Premier League Shield, as well as a base which bears the name of the winning team. The underneath of the base consists of the Iraq Football Association's logo with the words Premier League Shield and the season written next to it.[7]

This shield was first used as the Iraqi Premier League's trophy in the 2009–10 season. Prior to that, the trophy had been frequently changed. During the 1990s, the trophy was a golden shield with a photograph of Saddam Hussein in the centre, while the trophy was a flat silver shield in the 2001–02 season,[8] a silver trophy in the 2004–05 season[9] and a different golden trophy in each season up to and including the 2008–09 campaign.[10]

Ever since the Iraqi Premier 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 Derby matches.

Of the four teams, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya have earned more top-four finishes (34) than any other side over the 43 completed seasons, meanwhile Al-Zawraa have won the league title 14 times, far more than any of the other sides. Al-Shorta have retained the league more recently than any of the other three teams having been crowned champions in both the 2012–13 and 2013–14 seasons, and Al-Talaba are the most recent team to have won the Double (Premier League and FA Cup) which they achieved in 2001–02.

From the 1989–90 season until the 2005–06 season, the league was won by one of the four Baghdad teams every single time and this was the greatest period of dominance that the four clubs enjoyed. Even before and after this period, the league title was usually won by one the clubs.

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 in order to escape the danger of the capital city. This led to a shift in the structure of the "Big Four" and Erbil won the league three times in a row between 2007 and 2009 with Duhok winning the league in 2010. 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 ever happened in the history of the league; the top four spots were occupied by Erbil, Al-Najaf, Duhok and Amanat Baghdad.[11] Baghdad's Big Four have returned to dominating the league in recent seasons though, winning six out of the last seven league titles.

There are 20 clubs in the Iraqi Premier 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, all matches between Baghdad's Big Four clubs are played at the neutral venue of Al-Shaab Stadium to accommodate more spectators). 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 goal difference, and then goals scored. 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. The two lowest-placed teams are relegated into the Iraq Division One, and the top two teams from the Iraq Division One are promoted in their place. Each club is allowed a maximum of four foreign players in their squad. 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).

At present, the winners of the Iraqi Premier League qualify for the AFC Champions League group stage, and the league runners-up qualify for the AFC Champions League preliminary round 2 alongside the winners of the Iraq FA Cup. The winners of the Iraqi Premier League also qualify for the Arab Club Champions Cup alongside the league runners-up, while the league's third place is admitted into the Arab Club Champions Cup preliminary round.

Collectively, Iraqi clubs have reached thirteen finals of major continental club competitions. Al-Shorta were the first team to do so when they reached the Asian Club Championship final in 1971, defeating holders Taj Tehran 2–0 in the semis. They were set to face Maccabi Tel Aviv in the final but refused to play the game in protest at the Israeli occupation of Palestine; they were widely considered by the Arab media as the champions of the tournament with the subsequent expulsion of Israel from the Asian Football Confederation. Eleven years later, Al-Shorta were successful in another continental tournament, winning the Arab Club Champions Cup in 1982 by defeating Al-Nejmeh 4–2 on aggregate in the final.

Meanwhile, Al-Rasheed won the Arab Club Champions Cup three times in a row in 1985, 1986 and 1987. Al-Rasheed also became the second Iraqi team to reach the final of the Asian Club Championship in 1989 but they lost a two-legged final on away goals to Al-Saad of Qatar. Al-Talaba reached the final of the 1995 Asian Cup Winners' Cup but they lost it 2–1 to Bellmare Hiratsuka, and five years later, Al-Zawraa lost the final of the same competition 1–0 to Shimizu S-Pulse in 2000. Erbil reached the final of Asia's second-tier tournament, the AFC Cup, twice (in 2012 and 2014) but lost both times (to Al-Kuwait and Al-Qadsia respectively). Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya finally ended the succession of defeats two years later when they edged past Indian club Bengaluru FC 1–0 in the 2016 AFC Cup Final, and they won the competition for the second consecutive season in 2017 by beating FC Istiklol by the same scoreline. They earned a record third AFC Cup title in a row with a 2–0 defeat of Altyn Asyr in 2018.

76 teams have taken part in at least a single round of the Iraqi Premier League since its first season in 1974–75 up until the 2019–20 season (not counting the qualifying rounds of the 2000–01 season). The teams in bold are competing in the Iraqi Premier League in the 2019–20 season. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya and Al-Shorta are the only teams to have played in every single one of the 46 Iraqi Premier League seasons.

The following 20 clubs are competing in the Iraqi Premier League during the 2019–20 season.

^a: Founding member of the Iraqi Premier League
^b: Never been relegated from the Iraqi Premier League

Titles

• Most titles: 14, Al-Zawraa
• Most consecutive title wins: 3 – joint record:
  • Al-Zawraa twice (1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96 and 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01)
  • Al-Rasheed (1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89)
  • Erbil (2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09)
• Biggest title-winning margin: 17 points, 1995–96 (22 rounds); Al-Zawraa (55 points) over Al-Najaf (38 points)
• Smallest title-winning margin: 0 points, 0 GD and 2 wins – 1980–81 (11 rounds); Al-Talaba (8 wins) over Al-Shorta (6 wins). Both finished on 17 points and +14 goal difference, but Al-Talaba won the title due to having won two more games than Al-Shorta.
• Worst defence of a title: Duhok (champions in 2009–10, 12th place in 2010–11)

Wins

• Most wins in a season: 46, Al-Talaba (1992–93, 69 rounds)
• Most consecutive wins in a season: 11, Al-Shorta (1997–98)
• Most consecutive wins from beginning of season: 9 – joint record:
  • Erbil (2 November 2008 – 2 January 2009)
  • Al-Zawraa (20 November 2017 – 16 January 2018)
• Fewest wins in a season: 0 – joint record:
  • Al-Rafidain (1974–75, 18 rounds)
  • Al-Hilla (1976–77, 11 rounds)
  • Babil (1977–78, 13 rounds)
  • Al-Bahri (1979–80, 22 rounds)
  • Al-Adhamiya (1980–81, 11 rounds)
  • Salahaddin (2004–05, 16 rounds)
  • Al-Sulaikh (2005–06, 12 rounds)
  • Amanat Baghdad (2005–06, 12 rounds)
  • Al-Kadhimiya (2005–06, 12 rounds)
  • Al-Jaish (2006–07, 6 rounds)
  • Zakho (2007–08, 14 rounds)

Losses

• Most losses in a season: 52, Al-Sulaymaniya (1992–93, 69 rounds)
• Fewest losses in a season: 0 – joint record:
  • Al-Zawraa four times (1976–77 (11 rounds), 1978–79 (12 rounds), 2005–06 (19 rounds), 2015–16 (24 rounds))
  • Al-Talaba (1976–77, 11 rounds)
  • Al-Minaa (1977–78, 13 rounds)
  • Al-Shorta (1980–81, 11 rounds)
  • Salahaddin (1982–83, 22 rounds)
  • Al-Jaish (1983–84, 24 rounds)
• Longest unbeaten run: 39 games – joint record:
  • Al-Zawraa (1993–1994)
  • Al-Shorta (21 May 2018 – 23 May 2019)

Draws

• Most draws in a season: 30, Al-Naft (1992–93, 69 rounds)

Attendances

• Highest attendance, single game: 68,000, Al-Shorta v. Al-Zawraa (at Al-Shaab Stadium, 13 December 1991)

Goals

• Most goals scored in a season: 134, Al-Zawraa (1992–93, 69 rounds)
• Fewest goals scored in a season: 1 – joint record:
  • Al-Jaish (2006–07, 6 rounds)
  • Al-Adala (2006–07, 8 rounds)
• Most goals conceded in a season: 162, Al-Sulaymaniya (1992–93, 69 rounds)
• Fewest goals conceded in a season: 5 – joint record:
  • Al-Shorta (1977–78, 13 rounds)
  • Al-Talaba (1980–81, 11 rounds)
• Most consecutive matches without conceding a goal: 14, Erbil (16 July 2009 – 20 March 2010)
• Best goal difference in a season: 96, Al-Talaba (1992–93, 69 rounds)
• Most goals scored in a season by a relegated team: 71, Karbalaa (1994–95, 46 rounds)
• Fewest failures to score in a match in a season: 0 (scored in every game) – joint record:
  • Al-Zawraa (1976–77, 11 rounds)
  • Al-Minaa (1977–78, 13 rounds)
  • Al-Shorta (1997–98, 30 rounds)

Points

• Most points in a season: 120, Al-Zawraa (1994–95, 46 rounds)
• Fewest points in a season: 1 – joint record:
  • Babil (1977–78, 13 rounds)
  • Al-Adhamiya (1980–81, 11 rounds)
  • Al-Jaish (2006–07, 6 rounds)
• Most points in a season without winning the league: 110 – joint record:
  • Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (1999–2000, 50 rounds)
  • Al-Shorta (1999–2000, 50 rounds)
• Fewest points in a season while winning the league: 17, Al-Talaba (1980–81, 11 rounds)

Amjad Kalaf became the youngest player in Iraqi Premier League history when he made his debut in the 2004–05 season.

Appearances

• Youngest player: Amjad Kalaf, 13 years and 101 days (for Al-Kut v. Al-Basra, 14 January 2005)
• First ever non-Iraqi players to play in the league: Ismaël Bangoura (Guinea) for Erbil, Yousef Saeed Meziyan (Palestine) for Zakho and Soualio Bakayoko (Benin) for Zakho (2 January 2010)

Titles

• Most Premier League titles: 7 – joint record:
  • Salam Hashim (three with Al-Rasheed in 1986–87, 1987–88 and 1988–89 and four with Al-Zawraa in 1990–91, 1993–94, 1994–95 and 1995–96)
  • Mohamed Jassim Mahdi (seven with Al-Zawraa in 1990–91, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01)
  • Hussein Abdul-Wahid (two with Al-Zawraa in 2005–06 and 2015–16, two with Erbil in 2008–09 and 2011–12 and three with Al-Shorta in 2012–13, 2013–14 and 2018–19)
• Most Premier League titles as captain: 3 – joint record:
  • Hazem Jassam (three with Al-Zawraa in 1975–76, 1976–77 and 1978–79)
  • Ahmed Radhi (one with Al-Rasheed in 1988–89 and two with Al-Zawraa in 1990–91 and 1998–99)

Goals

• First Premier League goal: Falah Hassan (for Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya v. Al-Sinaa, 4 October 1974)
• Most Premier League goals: Sahib Abbas (177)
• Most Golden Boot awards: 4, Karim Saddam (1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1992–93)
• Most consecutive Golden Boot awards: 3 – joint record:
  • Rahim Hameed (1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88)
  • Karim Saddam (1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91)
• Most consecutive Premier League matches scored in: 15, Ahmed Radhi (for Al-Zawraa, 1992–93)
• Most goals in a season: 36, Younis Abid Ali (1993–94, 50 rounds)
• Most goals in a single game: 6 – joint record:
  • Shakir Mohammed Sabbar (for Al-Ramadi v. Kirkuk, 15 May 1995)
  • Sahib Abbas (for Al-Zawraa v. Al-Karkh, 18 October 1996)
  • Alaa Kadhim (for Al-Talaba v. Al-Mosul, 1997–98)
• Fastest goal: 7 seconds, Alaa Abdul-Sattar (for Al-Zawraa v. Al-Kadhimiya, 25 January 2002)
• First non-Iraqi player to score a hat-trick: Jean Michel N'Lend (for Al-Shorta v. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, 18 November 2012)
• First goalkeeper to score a goal: Raad Hammoudi (for Al-Shorta v. Al-Samawa, 1975–76)
• First goalkeeper to score a goal from his own half: Ahmed Obaid (for Al-Karkh v. Al-Sulaikh, 21 February 1997)

All-time top scorers[12]

Rank	Player	Period	Club(s)	Goals
1	Sahib Abbas	1988–1989, 1991–1998, 2001–2002, 2004–2006, 2007–2011	Al-Jamahir, Salahaddin, Al-Zawraa, Al-Talaba, Karbalaa, Al-Sinaa, Al-Hindiya	177
2	Ali Hashim	1987–1998, 2000–2001, 2002–2004	Al-Najaf, Al-Karkh	170
3	Karim Saddam	1979–1986, 1987–1996	Al-Sinaa, Al-Jaish, Al-Rasheed, Al-Zawraa, Al-Shorta	166
4	Hussein Abdullah	1991–2010	Al-Sinaa, Al-Naft, Diyala, Duhok, Erbil, Kirkuk, Peris	158
5	Amjad Radhi	2006–2015, 2016–present	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Erbil	157
6	Younis Abid Ali	1983–1993, 1993–2001	Al-Shorta, Al-Rasheed, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Al-Difaa Al-Jawi	151
7	Ahmed Radhi	1981–1993, 1997–1999	Al-Zawraa, Al-Rasheed	144
	Alaa Kadhim	1988–1993, 1996–1998, 1998–2007	Al-Sinaa, Al-Talaba
9	Hammadi Ahmad	2004–present	Salahaddin, Samaraa, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	135
10	Waleed Dhahid	1991–2007	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	126
	Alaa Abdul-Zahra	2004–2006, 2012–2014, 2014–present	Al-Zawraa, Duhok, Al-Shorta

Golden Boot award

Season	Top scorer	Club	Goals
1974–75	Thamer Yousif	Al-Naqil	12
1975–76	Thamer Yousif	Al-Zawraa	13
1976–77	Zahrawi Jaber	Al-Shorta	6
1977–78	Jalil Hanoon	Al-Minaa	11
1978–79	Falah Hassan	Al-Zawraa	7
1979–80	Ali Hussein Mahmoud	Al-Shorta	18
1980–81	Hussein Saeed	Al-Talaba	11
1981–82	Thamer Yousif	Al-Zawraa	14
1982–83	Hussein Saeed	Al-Talaba	17
1983–84	Ali Hussein Mahmoud	Al-Jaish	18
1985–86	Ahmed Radhi	Al-Rasheed	9
	Hussein Saeed	Al-Talaba
	Rahim Hameed	Al-Jaish
1986–87	Rahim Hameed	Al-Jaish	14
1987–88	Rahim Hameed	Al-Jaish	15
1988–89	Karim Saddam	Al-Zawraa	22
1989–90	Majid Abdul-Ridha	Al-Shabab	13
	Karim Saddam	Al-Zawraa
1990–91	Karim Saddam	Al-Zawraa	20
1991–92	Ahmed Radhi	Al-Zawraa	34
1992–93	Karim Saddam	Al-Zawraa	35
1993–94	Younis Abid Ali	Al-Shorta	36
1994–95	Muayad Joudi	Al-Karkh	30
1995–96	Hussam Fawzi	Al-Zawraa	11
	Ali Hassan	Al-Karkh
1996–97	Ali Hashim	Al-Najaf	19
1997–98	Mahmoud Majeed	Al-Shorta	22
1998–99	Ahmed Khudhair	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	19
	Hashim Ridha	Al-Shorta
1999–2000	Haidar Ayad	Al-Nasiriya	28
2000–01	Hussein Abdullah	Duhok	22
2001–02	Hashim Ridha	Al-Shorta	32
2002–03	Husham Mohammed	Al-Zawraa	22
2004–05	Mustafa Karim	Al-Kahrabaa	16
2005–06	Sahib Abbas	Karbalaa	17
2006–07	Ahmad Salah	Erbil	11
2007–08	Asaad Abdul-Nabi	Al-Kahrabaa	14
2008–09	Ahmad Salah	Erbil	15
2009–10	Amjad Radhi	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	31
2010–11	Luay Salah	Erbil	17
2011–12	Hammadi Ahmad	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	27
2012–13	Amjad Radhi	Erbil	25
2013–14	Ali Salah	Al-Talaba	14
2014–15	Marwan Hussein	Al-Shorta	15
2015–16	Hammadi Ahmad	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	12
	Mohannad Abdul-Raheem	Al-Zawraa
2016–17	Alaa Abdul-Zahra	Al-Zawraa	23
2017–18	Wissam Saadoun	Naft Maysan	24
2018–19	Alaa Abdul-Zahra	Al-Shorta	28

Scorelines

• Biggest win: joint record:
  • Al-Naqil 11–0 Al-Shorta (12 October 1974)
  • Al-Ramadi 11–0 Kirkuk (15 May 1995)

Titles

Manager	Club(s)	Wins	Winning years
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
Ayoub Odisho	Al-Talaba, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Al-Zawraa		1992–93, 1996–97, 2017–18
Saadi Salih	Al-Zawraa	2	1975–76, 1976–77
Ammo Baba	Al-Talaba, Al-Zawraa		1980–81, 1993–94
Amer Jamil	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Al-Zawraa		1989–90, 1998–99
Adnan Hamad	Al-Zawraa		1995–96, 1999–2000
Abdelilah Abdul-Hameed	Al-Shorta		1997–98, 2002–03
Sabah Abdul-Jalil	Al-Zawraa, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya		2000–01, 2004–05
Abdelilah Mohammed Hassan	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	1	1974–75
Jamil Hanoon	Al-Minaa		1977–78
Anwar Jassam	Al-Zawraa		1978–79
Douglas Aziz	Al-Shorta		1979–80
Wathiq Naji	Salahaddin		1982–83
Munthir Al-Waadh	Al-Jaish		1983–84
Yahya Alwan	Al-Talaba		1985–86
Nasrat Nassir	Al-Rasheed		1986–87
Falah Hassan	Al-Zawraa		1990–91
Adil Yousef	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya		1991–92
Hadi Mutanish	Al-Zawraa		1994–95
Salih Radhi	Al-Zawraa		2005–06
Akram Salman	Erbil		2006–07
Radhi Shenaishil	Al-Zawraa		2010–11
Nizar Mahrous	Erbil		2011–12
Thair Jassam	Al-Shorta		2012–13
Lorival Santos	Al-Shorta		2013–14
Abdul-Ghani Shahad	Naft Al-Wasat		2014–15
Nebojša Jovović	Al-Shorta		2018–19