Iraqi Premier Division League
Founded1974 (1974)
CountryIraq
Number of teams22
Level on pyramid2
Promotion toIraq Stars League
Relegation toIraqi First Division League
Domestic cup(s)Iraq FA Cup
International cup(s)AFC Champions League 2
(via Iraq FA Cup)
Current championsAl-Minaa (3rd title)
(2022–23)
Most championshipsAl-Minaa (3 titles)
TV partnersAl-Iraqiya Sports
Current: 2023–24 Iraqi Premier Division League

The Iraqi Premier Division League is the second-highest division of the Iraqi football league system after the Iraq Stars League. The league is contested by 22 clubs and is operated by the Iraq Football Association (IFA). It will be governed by the Iraqi Pro League Association from the 2024–25 season. Each season, the two top-finishing teams in the Premier Division League are automatically promoted to the Stars League. The four lowest-finishing teams are relegated to First Division League.

The number of clubs in the league have changed throughout history, most recently in the 2023–24 season, when the number of clubs decreased from 24 to 22 and the competition's name was changed from First Division League to Premier Division League.

In the 2022–23 season, Al-Minaa won the title and were promoted alongside runners-up Amanat Baghdad.[1][2] Thus, Al-Minaa was considered the record holder in the tournament (won 3 titles).[3]

League structure

In November 2020, The Iraq FA announced that the number of teams will decrease from 28 to 24 in total starting from 2021 to 2022 season. To make these changes possible, the Iraq FA announced that in 2020–21 season, The top teams in each group are directly promoted to the top-tier, while 8 teams in total are directly relegated to third-tier.[4]

On April 8, 2023, the promotion and relegation mechanism was changed, and the Football Association announced the promotion of the winning team in each group directly to the top-tier, and the relegation of the last two teams in the standings in each group to the third-tier, as a result, two teams are promote and 4 teams are relegate.[5][6]

Competition name

Name history

Period Name
1974–1995National Clubs Second Division
1995–1999First Division League
1999–2000Second Division League
2000–2002First Division League
2002–2003Second Division League
2003–2023First Division League
2023–presentPremier Division League

In the media

Iraqi Premier Division League is called in the media by the name of Dawri Al-Madhaleem (Oppressed League), because the media, the Football Association, and the Referees Committee do not care about it, and the teams that play in it suffer from poor financing, and their stadiums are in a bad shape. However, the league includes very talented players, and the competition in it is so strong that it exceeds the competition in the Stars League.[7][8][9][10]

List of champions

No. Season Champion
11974–75Al-Zawraa
21975–76Al-Ittihad
31976–77Al-Thawra or Salahaddin
41977–78Al-Shabab
51978–79Al-Bahri
61979–80Al-Adhamiya
71980–81Al-Ittihad
81981–82Al-Mosul
91982–83Wahid Huzairan[lower-alpha 1]
101983–84Al-Rasheed
111984–85Al-Naft or Al-Sulaikh
121985–86Al-Bahri
131986–87Al-Minaa
141987–88Multiple groups
151988–89Samarra
161989–90Al-Minaa
171990–91Al-Amana[lower-alpha 2]
No. Season Champion
181991–92Saad
191992–93Multiple groups
201993–94No promotion
211994–95No promotion
221995–96Al-Sulaikh
231996–97Diyala
241997–98Duhok
251998–99Erbil
261999–2000No promotion
272000–01Kirkuk
282001–02Al-Mosul
292002–03Multiple groups
302003–04Abandoned
312004–05Multiple groups
322005–06Multiple groups
332006–07Multiple groups
342007–08Multiple groups
No. Season Champion
352008–09Multiple groups
362009–10Peshmerga[lower-alpha 3]
372010–11Al-Shirqat
382011–12Sulaymaniya
392012–13Al-Karkh
402013–14Multiple groups
412014–15Al-Samawa
422015–16Al-Hussein
432016–17Al-Diwaniya
442017–18Al-Karkh
452018–19Al-Qasim
462019–20Abandoned
472020–21Al-Sinaa
482021–22Al-Hudood
492022–23Al-Minaa
502023–24TBD
  1. ↑ Now known as Kirkuk.
  2. ↑ Now known as Amanat Baghdad.
  3. ↑ Now known as Peshmerga Sulaymaniya.

Multiple winners

Club Titles Winning seasons
Al-Minaa 3 1986–87, 1989–90, 2022–23
Al-Ittihad 2 1975–76, 1980–81
Al-Bahri 2 1978–79, 1985–86
Kirkuk 2 1982–83, 2000–01
Al-Mosul 2 1981–82, 2001–02
Al-Karkh 2 2012–13, 2017–18

See also

References

  1. ↑ "الميناء بطلا لدوري الدرجة الأولى بعد فوزه على الامانة". shafaq.com (in Arabic). 2 June 2023.
  2. ↑ "بالصور.. الميناء يتوج بلقب دوري الدرجة الأولى على حساب بغداد". kooora.com (in Arabic). 2 June 2023.
  3. ↑ "الميناء يحرز لقب دوري الدرجة الاولى للموسم 2022/ 2023". al-mirbad.com (in Arabic). 2 June 2023.
  4. ↑ "اعتماد تصنيف وآلية وموعد انطلاق دوري الدرجة الأولى". ifa.iq (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-08-10.
  5. ↑ "تغيير في آلية التأهل والهبوط بالدرجة الاولى". almaalomah.me (in Arabic). 8 April 2023.
  6. ↑ "بالوثيقة.. تغيير آلية الصعود والهبوط في الدوريين الممتاز والأول". baghdadtoday.news (in Arabic). 8 April 2023.
  7. ↑ "دوري الدرجة الاولى دوري مظاليم بإمتياز". ipoa.me (in Arabic). 19 May 2021.
  8. ↑ "دوري المظاليم.. قوة وتحدٍّ وإصرار". magazine.imn.iq (in Arabic). 30 May 2023.
  9. ↑ "المظاليم أولى بالاهتمام". alsabaah.iq (in Arabic). 31 May 2023.
  10. ↑ "تنظيم جيد لدوري المظاليم لكنه بحاجة إلى المزيد من الأضواء". azzaman-iraq.com (in Arabic). 7 June 2023.
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