Iraq Stars League


The Iraq Stars League 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.
The league was formed by the Iraq Football Association in 1974 as the Iraqi National Clubs First Division League, the first nationwide league of clubs in Iraq, and later became known as the Iraqi Premier League. In 2023, the competition was rebranded as the Iraq Stars League and transitioned into a fully professional competition. The current format sees 20 teams playing 38 matches each, totalling 380 matches in the season.
Of the 81 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-Shorta, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya and Al-Talaba ; these four clubs together contest the Baghdad derbies. The current league champions are Al-Shorta, who won their fourth consecutive title in the 2024–25 season.

History

Origins

Up until 1973, leagues in Iraq were contested at a regional level. The Central FA League, the Basra League and the Kirkuk League were all founded in 1948, while the Mosul League was founded in 1950. The first nationwide league to be held in the country was in the 1973–74 season when the Iraqi National First Division League was formed, with Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya being crowned champions. The IFA then decided to replace the competition with a new National Clubs First Division League which would only be open to clubs and not institute-representative teams.

Foundation

The league held its first season in 1974–75 and was originally composed of ten clubs. The league's first ever goal was scored by Falah Hassan of Al-Tayaran in a 1–1 draw with Al-Sinaa. Al-Tayaran were crowned champions of the inaugural season which featured the following teams:

"Stars League" formation

On 4 June 2023, Iraq Football Association signed a three-year partnership agreement with Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional 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. 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. In addition, LaLiga began training an Iraqi management team to assume full operational control of the league once the partnership concludes. A start date of 26 October 2023 was set for the first Stars League season.

"Baghdad's Big Four" dominance

Since the league's inception, 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. From the 1989–90 season until the 2005–06 season, the league was won by one of the four Baghdad teams every time.
After the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, players started to leave the Baghdad-based clubs and join clubs in northern Iraq such as Erbil and Duhok due to the economic instability and security issues in the capital city. This migration of talent 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. 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. However, Baghdad's Big Four have since returned to dominating the league, having won all titles since 2015–16.

Competition format

Competition

There are currently 20 clubs in the Iraq Stars League. Over the course of a season, each club plays the others twice, once at home and once away, for a total of 38 games.
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, followed by head-to-head points, head-to-head goal difference, total goal difference, goals scored and number of wins. If teams remain level after all these criteria, 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 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 winner of the play-out round between the 3rd and 4th-placed teams 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, and can register one additional foreign player of Yemeni nationality provided that the player has represented the Yemen national team in the past three years. Only six foreign players including Yemeni 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.
The winners of the league qualify for the Iraqi Super Cup, a match played against the winners of the Iraq FA Cup.

Clubs

2025–26 season

Twenty clubs are competing in the 2025–26 Iraq Stars League, including three promoted from the Premier Division League:
2025–26
Club		2024–25
Position		First season in
the league		Seasons
in the
league		First season of
current spell in
the league		TitlesMost
recent title
Al-Gharrafb2nd 2025–2612025–260–
Al-Kahrabaa13th2004–05212014–150–
Al-Karkh15th1990–91302018–190–
Al-Karmab8th2024–2522024–250–
Al-Minaa16th1975–76482023–2411977–78
Al-Mosul1st 1982–83212025–260–
Al-Naftb6th1985–86411985–860–
Al-Najafb14th1987–88391987–880–
Al-Qasimb10th2019–2072019–200–
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiyaa, b5th1974–75521974–7572020–21
Al-Shortaa, b1st1974–75521974–7582024–25
Al-Talabab4th1975–76511975–7652001–02
Al-Zawraab2nd1975–76511975–76142017–18
Amanat Baghdad4th playoffs
1977–78282025–260–
Diyala17th1975–76162024–250–
Duhok7th1988–89232022–2312009–10
Erbil12th1987–88342018–1942011–12
Naft Maysan11th2009–10152013–140–
Newrozb9th2021–2252021–220–
Zakho3rd2002–03212019–200–

a: Founding member of the league

b: Never been relegated from the league

Map


Seasons

Since its first season in 1974–75 up until the 2025–26 season, 81 teams have participated in at least one season of the top division. Teams in bold are competing in the Iraq Stars League in the 2025–26 season. Teams in italics represent defunct teams. The year in parentheses represents the most recent year of participation at this level. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya and Al-Shorta are the only teams to have competed in every season.