Iraqi First Division League
Season2022–23
Dates18 November 2022 – 2 June 2023
ChampionsAl-Minaa
(3rd title)
PromotedAl-Minaa
Amanat Baghdad
RelegatedAl-Hawija
Al-Jinsiya
Al-Samawa
Al-Sulaikh
Matches played243
Goals scored518 (2.13 per match)
Top goalscorerMohammed Hassan
(13 goals)
Biggest home winAl-Minaa 5–0 Al-Sulaikh
(27 April 2023)
Biggest away winMasafi Al-Junoob 0–3 Amanat Baghdad
(23 November 2022)
Al-Nasiriya 0–3 Diyala
(13 February 2023)
Al-Hawija 1–4 Samarra
(20 April 2023)
Afak 0–3 Al-Minaa
(21 April 2023)
Al-Hawija 1–4 Maysan
(1 May 2023)
Masafi Al-Wasat 0–3 Al-Minaa
(2 May 2023)
Highest scoringAl-Difaa Al-Madani 4–4 Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya
(1 March 2023)
Longest winning run5 matches
Al-Minaa
Diyala
Longest unbeaten run11 matches
Al-Minaa
Longest winless run8 matches
Al-Hawija
Al-Difaa Al-Madani
Longest losing run5 matches
Al-Hawija
Al-Sulaikh
2023–24
(Iraqi Premier Division League) →

The 2022–23 Iraqi First Division League was the 49th season of what is now called the Iraqi Premier Division League, the second tier of the Iraqi football league system, since its establishment in 1974. The number of clubs in the league have varied throughout history for various reasons. The top two teams are promoted to the Iraq Stars League, while the bottom two teams in each group are directly relegated to the Iraqi Second Division League.[1]

In the last round of the league, in the Group 1, Amanat Baghdad was able to topped the group after achieving 38 points, while in the Group 2, Al-Minaa topped the group after achieving 46 points. Both teams were promoted to the Stars League,[2][3] and it was decided that the final match between the two teams will be held in Baghdad on May 26, 2023 to determine the league champion.[4][5] The Al-Minaa administration demanded that the match be transferred to Basra due to the large number of fans of the Al-Minaa, so that the match would be more attended,[6] and the Amanat Baghdad administration agreed to that.[7] Later, the Football Association decided that the match would be held on 2 June in Al-Fayhaa Stadium.[8]

In the final, Al-Minaa was able to defeat Amanat Baghdad, 2–1, and win the title. The goals of Al-Minaa were scored by Sajjad Alaa (6') and Salem Ahmed (37'), while the goal of Amanat Baghdad was scored by Karrar Ali Bari (53').[9][10]

Al-Jinsiya (who withdrew from the start) and Al-Hawija from Group 1, and Al-Sulaikh and Al-Samawa from Group 2 were relegated to the Iraqi Second Division League after finishing in the bottom positions in the standings.[11]

Team changes

The following teams have changed division since the 2021–22 season:

Overview

Changes

In November 2020, The Iraq FA announced that the number of teams will decrease from 28 to 24 in total starting from 2021-2022 season. To make these changes possible, the Iraq FA announced that in 2022–23 season, a two teams are promoted to the Premier League, where the winner and runner-up of each group will play a play-off match, so that the winners will be promoted directly to the Premier League, while 6 teams in total are directly relegated to Second Division League.[12]

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 Premier League, and the relegation of the last two teams in the standings in each group to the Second Division League, as a result, two teams are promote and 4 teams are relegate.[13][14]

Developments

On December 27, 2022, the Iraq Football Association decided to stop the championship matches, starting from the ninth round, due to the holding of the Arabian Gulf Cup in Iraq, and decided that the championship would resume after the end of the Arabian Gulf Cup.[15][16] Indeed, the ninth round of the championship resumed on January 18, 2023.[17]

Teams

A total of 24 teams are contesting the league, including 17 sides from the 2021–22 season and the 3 relegated sides from the Iraqi Premier League and the 4 promoted sides from the Iraqi Second Division League, because of the recent changes necessary to adjustment to having 24 teams possible this season. The teams were divided into two groups, and the draw was held on October 27, 2022,[18][19] and it was decided that the championship will start on November 18, 2022.[20]

2022–23 season

Team Manager Location Stadium Capacity
Afak Iraq Hussein Mohie Al-Qādisiyyah Al-Kifl Stadium 8,000
Al-Bahri Iraq Ahmed Rahim Basra (Al-Jubaila) Al-Bahri Stadium 7,000
Al-Difaa Al-Madani Iraq Adel Ajer Baghdad (Al-Shaab) Al-Taji Stadium 5,000
Al-Etisalat Iraq Ahmed Hassan Abdul-Sahib Baghdad (Al-Mansour) Al-Taji Stadium 5,000
Al-Hawija Iraq Ali Abboud Kirkuk Al-Hawija Stadium 5,000
Al-Hussein Iraq Sahl Naeem Baghdad (Sadr City) Five Thousand Stadium 5,000
Al-Jinsiya (withdrew) vacant Baghdad (Al-Mashtal) Al-Jinsiya Stadium 5,000
Al-Jolan Iraq Mustafa Karim Al-Anbar (Al-Fallujah) Al-Fallujah Stadium 7,000
Al-Kufa Iraq Maitham Jaber Najaf Najaf Stadium 30,000
Al-Minaa Iraq Fareed Majeed Basra (Al-Maqal) Al-Minaa Olympic Stadium 30,000
Al-Muroor Iraq Rashid Sultan Baghdad (Sadr City) Al-Walaa Stadium 5,000
Al-Nasiriya Iraq Aqeel Mohammed Dhi Qar An Nasiriya Stadium 10,000
Al-Ramadi Iraq Jumaa Jadeea Al-Anbar (Al-Ramadi) Al Ramadi Stadium 15,000
Al-Samawa Iraq Ali Jawad Muthanna Al-Samawah Stadium 15,000
Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya Iraq Mohammed Ali Karim Baghdad (Al-Wazireya) Al-Sinaa Stadium 5,000
Al-Shirqat Iraq Farhan Hamad Saladin (Al-Shirqat) Al-Shirqat Stadium 5,000
Al-Sulaikh Iraq Muthana Khalid Baghdad (Al-Sulaikh) Al-Sulaikh Stadium 5,000
Amanat Baghdad Iraq Wissam Talib Baghdad (Al-Nahdha) Amanat Baghdad Stadium 5,000
Diyala Iraq Sadeq Hanoon Diyala Diyala Stadium 10,000
Masafi Al-Junoob Iraq Abdul Yemma Warwar Basra (Shaibah) Masafi Al-Junoob Stadium 5,000
Masafi Al-Wasat Iraq Ali Majeed Baghdad (Al-Dura) Al-Masafi Stadium 5,000
Maysan Iraq Mizher Rahim Maysan Maysan Stadium 25,000
Peshmerga Sulaymaniya Iraq Qusay Hashim Sulaymaniyah Peshmerga Stadium 10,000
Samarra Iraq Ali Wahab Saladin (Samarra) Samarra Stadium 10,000

Managerial changes

Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in the group Incoming manager Date of appointment
Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya Iraq Safaa Adnan Sacked 2 November 2022 Pre-season Iraq Mudhafar Jabbar 2 November 2022
Al-Ramadi Iraq Thair Jassam Sacked 24 November 2022 11th Iraq Mohammed Hammad 24 November 2022
Al-Samawa Iraq Aqeel Ghani Sacked 26 November 2022 10th Iraq Haider Hussien 26 November 2022
Samarra Iraq Nihad Ghazi Sacked 2 December 2022 9th Iraq Zahed Qasim 2 December 2022
Al-Nasiriya Iraq Dhiaa Abdul-Nabi Sacked 6 December 2022 12th Iraq Mubarak Matar 6 December 2022
Masafi Al-Junoob Iraq Nasser Talla Dahilan Sacked 14 December 2022 11th Iraq Abdul Yemma Warwar 14 December 2022
Al-Samawa Iraq Haider Hussien Sacked 15 December 2022 12th Iraq Ali Jawad 19 December 2022
Al-Sulaikh Iraq Hazem Saleh Sacked 19 December 2022 11th Iraq Muthana Khalid 2 January 2023
Al-Jolan Iraq Ali Wahab Sacked 26 December 2022 5th Iraq Mustafa Karim 4 January 2023
Samarra Iraq Zahed Qasim Sacked 3 January 2023 11th Iraq Ali Wahab 3 January 2023
Al-Nasiriya Iraq Mubarak Matar End of interim spell 12 January 2023 12th Iraq Mohsin Abdul-Nabi 12 January 2023
Al-Hawija Iraq Adel Khudhair Sacked 21 January 2023 10th Iraq Ali Abboud 21 January 2023
Afak Iraq Haider Abbas Sacked 22 January 2023 10th Iraq Haider Hussein 22 January 2023
Al-Ramadi Iraq Mohammed Hammad Sacked 1 February 2023 5th Iraq Sadeq Hanoon 1 February 2023
Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya Iraq Mudhafar Jabbar Mutual consent 11 February 2023 5th Iraq Mohammed Ali Karim 11 February 2023
Al-Nasiriya Iraq Mohsin Abdul-Nabi Mutual consent 4 March 2023 11th Iraq Aqeel Mohammed 8 March 2023
Afak Iraq Haider Hussein Sacked 13 March 2023 8th Iraq Hussein Mohie 13 March 2023
Al-Ramadi Iraq Sadeq Hanoon Mutual consent 16 March 2023 7th Iraq Jumaa Jadeea 17 March 2023
Al-Jolan Iraq Mustafa Karim Mutual consent 20 March 2023 1st Iraq Hazem Saleh 20 March 2023
Al-Etisalat Iraq Hamza Dawood Mutual consent 30 March 2023 10th Iraq Ahmed Hassan Abdul-Sahib 1 April 2023
Al-Jolan Iraq Hazem Saleh Mutual consent 1 April 2023 2nd Iraq Mustafa Karim 1 April 2023
Diyala Iraq Ali Abdullah Sacked 1 April 2023 3rd Iraq Sadeq Hanoon 2 April 2023
Al-Minaa Iraq Basim Qasim Sacked 20 May 2023 1st Iraq Fareed Majeed 20 May 2023

League table

Group 1

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Amanat Baghdad (P) 20 11 5 4 26 9 +17 38 Promotion to the Iraq Stars League
2 Peshmerga Sulaymaniya 20 9 6 5 31 22 +9 33
3 Al-Ramadi 20 8 6 6 20 19 +1 30[lower-alpha 1]
4 Maysan 20 9 3 8 26 23 +3 30[lower-alpha 1]
5 Samarra 20 8 4 8 23 21 +2 28[lower-alpha 2]
6 Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya 20 6 10 4 27 24 +3 28[lower-alpha 2]
7 Al-Bahri 20 7 6 7 22 20 +2 27
8 Al-Etisalat 20 7 4 9 18 23 −5 25
9 Masafi Al-Junoob 20 6 6 8 22 32 −10 24
10 Al-Difaa Al-Madani 20 5 8 7 20 22 −2 23
11 Al-Hawija (R) 20 3 4 13 20 40 −20 13 Relegation to Iraqi Second Division League
12 Al-Jinsiya[lower-alpha 3] (R) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Updated to match(es) played on 1 May 2023. Source: IFA official website
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) goal difference; 5) number of wins; 6) number of goals scored.
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. 1 2 Al-Ramadi finished ahead of Maysan on head-to-head points: Al-Ramadi 2–0 Maysan, Maysan 1–0 Al-Ramadi.
  2. 1 2 Samarra finished ahead of Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya on head-to-head points: Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya 0–0 Samarra, Samarra 2–1 Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya.
  3. ↑ Al-Jinsiya withdrew from the tournament.

Results

Home \ Away BAH DFM ETI HAW JIN RAM SNK AMB MSJ MAY PES SAM
Al-Bahri — 1–0 0–1 4–1 — 0–0 1–1 2–1 3–0 1–1 2–3 3–1
Al-Difaa Al-Madani 1–1 — 3–0 2–1 — 2–0 4–4 0–0 1–1 0–1 2–1 1–1
Al-Etisalat 0–1 2–1 — 0–1 — 1–0 2–2 0–1 0–1 1–1 2–1 2–1
Al-Hawija 1–1 2–1 0–1 — — 2–3 0–0 0–0 3–2 1–4 0–0 1–4
Al-Jinsiya[lower-alpha 1] — — — — — — — — — — — —
Al-Ramadi 1–0 2–0 0–0 2–1 — — 2–1 0–0 2–2 2–0 3–1 2–1
Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya 1–0 1–1 2–1 2–1 — 0–0 — 2–0 0–1 2–1 2–2 0–0
Amanat Baghdad 2–0 0–0 2–1 3–0 — 1–0 2–1 — 3–0 3–0 0–0 2–0
Masafi Al-Junoob 0–1 0–0 2–1 3–2 — 1–1 2–2 0–3 — 2–2 2–1 2–0
Maysan 4–1 2–0 0–1 2–1 — 1–0 1–2 2–1 2–0 — 1–2 1–0
Peshmerga Sulaymaniya 1–0 2–0 1–1 5–2 — 3–0 1–1 1–0 2–1 2–0 — 1–1
Samarra 0–0 0–1 3–1 1–0 — 2–0 2–1 0–2 3–0[lower-alpha 2] 1–0 2–1 —
Updated to match(es) played on 1 May 2023. Source: IFA official website
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Notes:
  1. ↑ Al-Jinsiya withdrew from the tournament.
  2. ↑ The Samarra–Masafi Al-Junoob match was awarded as a 3–0 win to Samarra, as Masafi Al-Junoob involved an unregistered player for the team in the game,[21] and the actual match score was a 1-1 draw.[22]

Group 2

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Al-Minaa (C, P) 22 13 7 2 38 15 +23 46 Promotion to the Iraq Stars League
2 Diyala 22 13 6 3 25 11 +14 45
3 Al-Jolan 22 9 8 5 29 19 +10 35
4 Masafi Al-Wasat 22 9 7 6 17 15 +2 34
5 Al-Muroor 22 7 11 4 22 18 +4 32
6 Al-Kufa 22 6 10 6 22 19 +3 28
7 Afak 22 6 5 11 21 27 −6 23[lower-alpha 1]
8 Al-Hussein 22 5 8 9 16 20 −4 23[lower-alpha 1]
9 Al-Shirqat 22 5 8 9 21 29 −8 23[lower-alpha 1]
10 Al-Nasiriya 22 5 7 10 17 31 −14 22
11 Al-Sulaikh (R) 22 4 8 10 19 31 −12 20 Relegation to Iraqi Second Division League
12 Al-Samawa (R) 22 3 9 10 16 28 −12 18
Updated to match(es) played on 2 May 2023. Source: IFA official website
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) goal difference; 5) number of wins; 6) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. 1 2 3 Afak finished ahead of Al-Hussein, and Al-Hussein finished ahead of Al-Shirqat, on head-to-head points: Afak 7, Al-Hussein 5, Al-Shirqat 4.

Results

Home \ Away AFK HUS JOL KUF MIN MUR NAS SMA SRQ SUL DIY MWT
Afak — 0–0 2–1 1–0 0–3 1–2 3–0[lower-alpha 1] 0–0 4–1 1–2 0–0 0–1
Al-Hussein 0–1 — 0–1 1–0 0–0 1–1 1–0 2–1 3–0[lower-alpha 2] 2–0 0–0 1–2
Al-Jolan 2–0 2–2 — 1–1 0–0 3–0[lower-alpha 3] 3–0 0–0 2–1 3–0 2–3 1–1
Al-Kufa 1–0 1–1 1–2 — 1–1 2–0 0–0 2–0 3–1 2–2 1–1 1–0
Al-Minaa 1–1 1–0 1–0 0–0 — 3–2 3–0 2–1 5–2 5–0 1–2 1–0
Al-Muroor 1–1 2–0 1–1 0–0 1–1 — 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–0 2–0 0–0
Al-Nasiriya 1–0 1–0 0–1 3–2 1–1 0–0 — 3–0 1–1 2–2 0–3 2–1
Al-Samawa 2–1 1–1 3–2[lower-alpha 4] 1–2 0–2 0–0 1–1 — 1–1 0–0 1–0 0–1
Al-Shirqat 4–1 0–0 0–1 2–1 0–2 1–2 3–0 2–0 — 1–1 0–0 0–0
Al-Sulaikh 2–3 3–0 1–1 1–0 1–2 1–3 1–0 1–1 0–0 — 0–1 0–0
Diyala 2–1 2–1 0–0 0–0 3–0 1–0 3–1 2–1 0–1 1–0 — 1–0
Masafi Al-Wasat 1–0 2–1 2–0 1–1 0–3 0–0 1–0 2–1 0–0 2–1 0–1 —
Updated to match(es) played on 2 May 2023. Source: IFA official website
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Notes:
  1. ↑ The Afak–Al-Nasiriya match was awarded as a 3–0 win to Afak, as Al-Nasiriya fans rioted.[23]
  2. ↑ The Al-Hussein–Al-Shirqat match was awarded as a 3–0 win to Al-Hussein, as Al-Shirqat involved an unregistered player for the team in the game,[24] and the actual result of the match was a 1–2 victory for Al-Shirqat.[25]
  3. ↑ The Al-Jolan–Al-Muroor match was awarded as a 3–0 win to Al-Jolan, as Al-Muroor withdraw from the game.[26]
  4. ↑ The Al-Samawa–Al-Jolan match was awarded as a 0–3 win to Al-Jolan, as Al-Samawa involved an unregistered player for the team in the game, and the actual result of the match was a 3–2 victory for Al-Samawa.[21] However, the appeals committee later overturned the ruling, reinstating the actual result.[27]

Final

Al-Minaa2–1Amanat Baghdad
Alaa 6'
Ahmed 37'		 Report Bari 53'
Referee: Mohannad Manaf
Al-Minaa
Amanat Baghdad

Season statistics

As of 2 June 2023

Top scorers

Rank Player Club Goals
1 Iraq Mohammed Hassan Maysan 13
2 Iraq Omar Attallah Al-Shirqat 12
3 Iraq Salem Ahmed Al-Minaa 11
4 Ivory Coast Ismaël Mohamed Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya 8
Iraq Ali Karim Diyala
6 Brazil Dioguinho Al-Minaa 7
Iraq Saleh Motlaq Peshmerga Sulaymaniya
Iraq Aba-Thar Abdul-Sada Masafi Al-Wasat
9 Nigeria Michael Ohanu Al-Bahri 6
Iraq Sajjad Alaa Al-Minaa
Iraq Mohammed Abbas Peshmerga Sulaymaniya
Nigeria Donatus Edafe Al-Jolan

Hat-tricks

PlayerForAgainstResultDate
Iraq Abdullah Ammar Al-Difaa Al-Madani Al-Etisalat 3–0 (H) 18 December 2022
Iraq Mohammed Hassan Maysan Al-Hawija 4–1 (A) 1 May 2023
Notes

(H) – Home team
(A) – Away team

References

  1. ↑ "المسابقات تعلن مواعيد منهاجها الكروي للموسم المقبل". الاتحاد العراقي لكرة القدم (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  2. ↑ "أمانة بغداد يعود إلى منافسات الدوري الممتاز". alsumaria.tv (in Arabic). 1 May 2023.
  3. ↑ "رسمياً.. الميناء يعود الى الدوري الممتاز في الموسم المقبل". baghdadtoday.news (in Arabic). 2 May 2023.
  4. ↑ "اتحاد الكرة يحدّد موعد مباراة نهائي دوري الدرجة الأولى". imn.iq (in Arabic). May 16, 2023.
  5. ↑ "المسابقات تحدد موعد نهائي دوري الدرجة الأولى". almaalomah.me (in Arabic). May 16, 2023.
  6. ↑ "السفّانة يعلن بقاء مدربه ويوجه دعوة لإقامة لقائه الأخير في ملعب البصرة". shafaq.com (in Arabic). May 4, 2023.
  7. ↑ "أمانة بغداد يختار ملعب منافسه لاستضافة النهائي". kooora.com (in Arabic). May 17, 2023.
  8. ↑ "تحديد موعد إقامة نهائي دوري الدرجة الأولى لكرة القدم". ina.iq (in Arabic). May 28, 2023.
  9. ↑ "الميناء يتوج بطلا لدوري الدرجة الاولى بكرة القدم". ninanews.com (in Arabic). 2 June 2023.
  10. ↑ "الميناء يحرز لقب دوري الدرجة الاولى للموسم 2022/ 2023". al-mirbad.com (in Arabic). 2 June 2023.
  11. ↑ "تنظيم جيد لدوري المظاليم لكنه بحاجة إلى المزيد من الأضواء". azzaman-iraq.com (in Arabic). 7 June 2023.
  12. ↑ "اعتماد تصنيف وآلية وموعد انطلاق دوري الدرجة الأولى". الاتحاد العراقي لكرة القدم (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-08-10.
  13. ↑ "تغيير في آلية التأهل والهبوط بالدرجة الاولى". almaalomah.me (in Arabic). 8 April 2023.
  14. ↑ "بالوثيقة.. تغيير آلية الصعود والهبوط في الدوريين الممتاز والأول". baghdadtoday.news (in Arabic). 8 April 2023.
  15. ↑ "لجنة المسابقات تقرر تأجيل مباريات دوري الدرجة الأولى بسبب كأس الخليج". earthiq.news (in Arabic). December 27, 2022.
  16. ↑ "باستثناء مباراة واحدة.. اتحاد الكرة يعلن تأجيل دوري الدرجة الاولى". nnciraq.com (in Arabic). December 27, 2022.
  17. ↑ "أربعة انتصارات في دوري الدرجة الأولى لكرة القدم". shafaq.com (in Arabic). January 27, 2023.
  18. ↑ المسابقات تحدد موعد إجراء قرعة دوري الدرجة الأولى وكأس العراق (in Arabic). shafaq.com. 17 October 2022.
  19. ↑ تعرف على نتائج قرعة دوري الدرجة الأولى العراقي (in Arabic). shafaq.com. 27 October 2022.
  20. ↑ تحديد موعد انطلاق دوري الدرجة الأولى (in Arabic). earthiq.news. 7 November 2022.
  21. 1 2 "لجنة الانضباط تعاقب فريقين من دوري الدرجة الأولى لكرة القدم". shafaq.com (in Arabic). February 5, 2023.
  22. ↑ "انتصاران و3 تعادلات بدوري دوري الدرجة الأولى المؤهلة للممتاز". shafaq.com (in Arabic). November 18, 2022.
  23. ↑ "ايقاف من سنة إلى 5 سنوات.. عقوبات شديدة بحق مشرف نادي النجف وعبد الغني شهد". shafaq.com (in Arabic). April 3, 2023.
  24. ↑ "لجنة الانضباط تصدر جملة من القرارات + الترتيب الجديد لدوري الدرجة الاولى". forum.kooora.com (in Arabic). February 6, 2023.
  25. ↑ "صلاح الدين يتأهل لدوري الدرجة الثانية و3 انتصارات و3 تعادلات في الدرجة الاولى". shafaq.com (in Arabic). January 28, 2023.
  26. ↑ "قرارات وعقوبات انضباطية تطال أندية الدوري العراقي الممتاز". earthiq.news (in Arabic). March 13, 2023.
  27. ↑ "لجنة استئناف اتحاد الكرة تصدر حزمة من القرارات". alforatnews.iq (in Arabic). February 22, 2023.
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