The 2022–23 Iraqi First Division League was the 49th season of what is now called the

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 20 clubs and is operated by the Iraq Football Association (IFA). Each season, the two ...

, the second tier of the

Iraqi football league system The Iraqi football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in Iraq. The system has a hierarchical format with promotion and relegation across leagues at differe ...

, 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 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 Associa ...

, while the bottom two teams in each group are directly relegated to the

Iraqi Second Division League The Iraqi Second Division League is a Association football, football league that is the fourth tier of the Iraqi football league system. The league was founded in 1974, and consists of 20 teams split into two groups in the first stage. The top fou ...

. In the last round of the league, in the Group 1,

Amanat Baghdad Amanat Baghdad Sports Club () is an Iraqi professional football team based in Karkh District, Baghdad, that competes in the Iraqi Premier Division League, the second tier of Iraqi football. Formed in 1957 as Amanat Al-Asima (), the team merged ...

was able to topped the group after achieving 38 points, while in the Group 2,

Al-Minaa Al-Mina'a Sports Club () is an Iraqi multi-sport club based in Al-Maqal, Basra that participates in the Iraq Stars League, the top tier of Iraqi football. It is one of the most popular clubs in Iraq, particularly in the south, and became the ...

topped the group after achieving 46 points. Both teams were promoted to the Stars League, and it was decided that the final match between the two teams will be held in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

on May 26, 2023 to determine the league champion. The Al-Minaa administration demanded that the match be transferred to

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

due to the large number of fans of the Al-Minaa, so that the match would be more attended, and the Amanat Baghdad administration agreed to that. Later, the

Football Association A football association, also known as a football federation, soccer federation, or soccer association, is a governing body for association football. Many of them are members of the sport's regional bodies such as UEFA and CONMEBOL and the world gov ...

decided that the match would be held on 2 June in Al-Fayhaa Stadium. 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'). 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.

Team changes

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

To
Iraqi First Division League The Iraqi First Division League is a Association football, football league that is the third tier of the Iraqi football league system, which was founded in 1974. The league consists of 20 teams split into two groups in the first stage. The top fou ...

Promoted from

* Al-Etisalat * Al-Hawija * Al-Jolan *

Masafi Al-Wasat Masafi Al-Wasat (), also known as Al-Masafi, is a football team based in Baghdad, that plays in Iraqi Premier Division League. History in Premier League Masafi Al-Wasat played in the Iraqi Premier League for the first time in the 2009–10 seas ...

Relegated from the

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

Samarra Samarra (, ') is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Saladin Governorate, north of Baghdad. The modern city of Samarra was founded in 836 by the Abbasid caliph al-Mu'tasim as a new administrative capital and mi ...

From
Iraqi First Division League The Iraqi First Division League is a Association football, football league that is the third tier of the Iraqi football league system, which was founded in 1974. The league consists of 20 teams split into two groups in the first stage. The top fou ...

Promoted to the

Al-Hudood Al-Hedod Sports Club () is an Iraqi professional sports club based in Falastin Street, East Districts of the Tigris River, Baghdad. It has teams in various sports including football, basketball, Jujutsu, kickboxing and wrestling. The best known ...

Duhok Duhok (; ; , ) is a city in Kurdistan Region, Iraq. It is the capital city of Duhok Governorate. Name The city of Duhok received its name from the Kurdish words ’du’ (two) and ’hok’ (lump) as a tax payment of two lumps from the baske ...

* Karbalaa Relegated to

* Al-Alam *

Babil Babylon ( ) was an ancient city located on the lower Euphrates river in southern Mesopotamia, within modern-day Hillah, Iraq, about south of modern-day Baghdad. Babylon functioned as the main cultural and political centre of the Akkadian-sp ...

Ghaz Al-Shamal Ghaz Al-Shamal () is an Iraqi football team based in Kirkuk, that plays in Iraqi Premier Division League. Current squad First-team squad Managerial history * Waleed Mohammed Qader * Karim Qambel * Mohammed Qasim * Jumaa Jodaya * Nati ...

* Suq Al-Shuyukh

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. 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.

Developments

On December 27, 2022, the

Iraq Football Association The Iraq Football Association (IFA) () is the governing body of football in Iraq, controlling the Iraq national football team, Iraqi national team and the Iraqi football league system. The Iraqi Football Association was founded in 1948 and has be ...

decided to stop the championship matches, starting from the ninth round, due to the holding of the

Arabian Gulf Cup The Arabian Gulf Cup (, ''Kaʾs al-Khalīj al-ʿArabī''), also referred to simply as the Gulf Cup, is a biennial association football competition governed by the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation for its eight member nations. The history of ...

in Iraq, and decided that the championship would resume after the end of the Arabian Gulf Cup. Indeed, the ninth round of the championship resumed on January 18, 2023.

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 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 Asso ...

and the 4 promoted sides from the

, 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, and it was decided that the championship will start on November 18, 2022.

2022–23 season

Managerial changes

League table

Group 1

Results

Group 2

Results

Final

Match officials *Assistant referees: **Akram Ismail **Ali Mazin *Fourth official: Wamidh Mahmoud Match rules *90 minutes. *Penalty shootout if scores still level. *Maximum of five substitutions

Season statistics

Top scorers

Hat-tricks

;Notes (H) – Home team
(A) – Away team

References

External links

Iraq Football Association

Iraqi First Division League 2022/2023
{{DEFAULTSORT:2022-23 Iraqi First Division League Iraqi Premier Division League seasons 2

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

Team changes

To Iraqi First Division League The Iraqi First Division League is a Association football, football league that is the third tier of the Iraqi football league system, which was founded in 1974. The league consists of 20 teams split into two groups in the first stage. The top fou ...

From Iraqi First Division League The Iraqi First Division League is a Association football, football league that is the third tier of the Iraqi football league system, which was founded in 1974. The league consists of 20 teams split into two groups in the first stage. The top fou ...

Overview

Changes

Developments

Teams

2022–23 season

Managerial changes

League table

Group 1

Results

Group 2

Results

Final

Season statistics

Top scorers

Hat-tricks

References

External links

To
Iraqi First Division League The Iraqi First Division League is a Association football, football league that is the third tier of the Iraqi football league system, which was founded in 1974. The league consists of 20 teams split into two groups in the first stage. The top fou ...

From
Iraqi First Division League The Iraqi First Division League is a Association football, football league that is the third tier of the Iraqi football league system, which was founded in 1974. The league consists of 20 teams split into two groups in the first stage. The top fou ...