Duhok Sports Club (, ) is an Iraqi professional

sports club A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports. Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...

, based in

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 ...

Kurdistan Region Kurdistan Region (KRI) is a semi-autonomous Federal regions of Iraq, federal region of the Iraq, Republic of Iraq. It comprises four Kurds, Kurdish-majority governorates of Arabs, Arab-majority Iraq: Erbil Governorate, Sulaymaniyah Governorate ...

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 ...

. Founded in 1970, the club competes in 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 ...

. Duhok SC's biggest rivals are also their neighbours

Zakho Zakho, also spelled Zaxo (, , , , ) is a city in the Kurdistan Region, at the centre of the Zakho District of the Dohuk Governorate, located a few kilometers from the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing. Zakho is known for its celebrations of Newr ...

, producing passionate and fierce matches every season, with whom they contest the "Badinan Derby". Duhok became the first Iraqi club to both participate in and win the

AGCFF Gulf Club Champions League The AGCFF Gulf Club Champions League (), formerly known as the GCC Champions League, is a regional football competition governed by the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation (AGCFF) for clubs from its eight member nations. The tournament was founde ...

, having been crowned champions in the 2024–25 season.

Club history

Duhok Football Club (Duhok FC) was founded by the youth of

city when three teams joined together to establish the club on 14 December 1970. Duhok Football Club began its football journey in rural league competitions until the 1974–75 season, when the club decided to suspend its activities to support the post-nationalistic struggle to defend the rights of the

Kurdish people Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...

in Iraq. In 1976, Duhok Football Team participated in the

Iraqi Third Division Iraqi or Iraqis (in plural) means from Iraq, a country in the Middle East, and may refer to: * Iraqi people or Iraqis, people from Iraq or of Iraqi descent * A citizen of Iraq, see demographics of Iraq * Iraqi or Araghi (), someone or something of, ...

, and by 1978, the team had moved up to the

Iraqi Second Division Iraqi or Iraqis (in plural) means from Iraq, a country in the Middle East, and may refer to: * Iraqi people or Iraqis, people from Iraq or of Iraqi descent * A citizen of Iraq, see demographics of Iraq * Iraqi or Araghi (), someone or something of, ...

. During the 1990–91 season, the team did not participate in the league due to a major uprising. The club resumed participation in the 1992–93 season in the

Iraqi Fourth Division Iraqi or Iraqis (in plural) means from Iraq, a country in the Middle East, and may refer to: * Iraqi people or Iraqis, people from Iraq or of Iraqi descent * A citizen of Iraq, see demographics of Iraq * Iraqi or Araghi (), someone or something of, ...

, earning promotion to the Third Division a year later. In the 1993–94 season, Duhok SC played in the Third Division and was once again promoted, this time to the Second Division. During the 1980s, Duhok SC had several talented players, one of the most notable being

Wahid Kovli Wahid or Waheed is an Arabic masculine given name, meaning "One", "Absolute One". Its feminine form is Wahida. Al-Wahid is one of the 99 names of Allah. Given name * Waheed Akhtar (1934–1996), Urdu poet * Waheed Alli, Baron Alli (born 1964), B ...

. Around 1985, he emerged as a key striker for the team, known for his goal-scoring abilities and impact on the squad’s performance. His skills made him a feared forward in the league and a crucial player for Duhok SC. The 1994–95 season was a defining moment for Duhok SC, as they claimed the Second Division title and secured a spot in the

Iraqi First Division Iraqi or Iraqis (in plural) means from Iraq, a country in the Middle East, and may refer to: * Iraqi people or Iraqis, people from Iraq or of Iraqi descent * A citizen of Iraq, see demographics of Iraq * Iraqi or Araghi (), someone or something of, ...

for the 1995–96 season. Duhok SC remained in the First Division throughout the 1996–97 season. In the 1997–98 season, Duhok SC secured promotion to 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 ...

by winning the First Division. Since then, the club spent many years in mid-table, occasionally challenging the top Iraqi teams. However, everything changed after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which brought new opportunities and freedom for Kurdish sports teams and athletes, allowing them to excel in both national and international competitions. Duhok SC finally realized its full potential during the 2009–10 season when they won their first-ever

championship, defeating

Talaba SC Al-Talaba Sports Club () is an Iraqi professional sports club based in Al-Rusafa, Baghdad. Its football team competes in the Iraq Stars League, the top flight of Iraqi football. Founded in 1969, the club was named Al-Jamiea but became known a ...

1–0 to claim the title. In the 2011–12 season, Duhok SC finished as runners-up, qualifying for the

AFC Cup The AFC Champions League Two (abbreviated as the ACL Two or ACL2) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation. It is the second-tier competition of Asian club football, ranked below the AFC C ...

for the second time in its history. The last time Duhok SC played in the AFC Cup was in the 2010–11 season, where they reached the quarter-finals.

Official sponsors

Asia cell Asiacell Telecom Company (, ) is an Iraqi telecommunications company that offers mobile phone services and Mobile Internet mainly in Iraq. History Asiacell, the first mobile telecommunications company in Iraq, was established in the city of ...

2006/2007. *

Korek Telecom Korek Telecom () is an Iraqi telecommunications company in Erbil, Kurdistan Region. In March 2011, France Télécom (now Orange S.A.) acquired a 20% indirect stake in Korek Telecom. On Jan 1, 2015, Korek launched 3G in Iraq after winning one o ...

2009/2010.
Newroz Telecom
2012/2013. *

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...

, even though it is not a legitimate sponsor, because the club only took one of the Adidas World Cup designs 2013/2014
Fastpay
2022/2023
First Iraqi Bank
2024/Present

Stadium

Duhok Stadium Duhok Stadium () is a multi-use stadium in Dohuk, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. It is currently used mostly for football (soccer), football matches and Serves You Right, serves as the home stadium of Duhok SC which plays in the Iraqi Premier League. The ...

is the stadium where Duhok Sport Club play their home games. It is a multiuse

stadium A stadium (: stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage completely or partially surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit ...

in Duhok, Kurdistan. The stadium originally held 10,000 people, but after reconstruction it now holds 25,000 people, making it one of the largest in Iraq. It was built in 1992. It is located on Raza Road, Duhok.

Rivalries

Duhok FC fans consider

Zakho FC Zakho Sport Club, () also spelled as Zaxo Sport Club (, ''Yana Zaxo ya Werzişî''), is an Iraqi professional sports club based in Zakho, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. History Football in Zakho was played unofficially from the early 1920s with many ...

and

Erbil SC Erbil Sports Club (, ) is an Iraqi professional sports club based in the city of Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq that plays in the Iraq Stars League, the first-tier of Iraqi football. Erbil are one of the most successful teams in Iraq, and the ...

to be their main rivals. Zakho FC are the club's traditional rivals with whom they contest the ''"Duhok Derby"'' but differing fortunes have somewhat diluted the clubs' dislike of each other, even though now Zakho FC are back in the Iraqi Premier League and the rivalry is set to continue and to be more heated than ever. Erbil SC and Duhok SC also share very heated rivalries, as the two main Kurdish teams in the Iraqi league both teams are very much still rivals, even though these clubs are bitter rivals, the number of incidents and violence has decreased incredibly now these clubs share very safe but still heated encounters.

Crest and Nickname

The Duhok SC logo features the club's primary colors, yellow and blue. It depicts a hawk, symbolizing the club's nickname, "Mountains' Hawks" (صقور الجبال). The logo also includes the letters "DSC" at the top, representing Duhok Sports Club, and displays the year of the club's founding at the bottom.

Kits

Playing kit

Duhok's home shirts are now always yellow and blue, in 2012 Duhok Sc introduced a new home kit for the season 2012/2013, a yellow kit with sky blue hoops. Traditionally the home kit has always been yellow, the away kit would usually be blue or blue and white. Duhok SC has made the colours yellow and blue the club's prime colours.

Past kit

Current squad

First-team squad

Club managers

* Mesut Meral (2024-) * Ahmed Khalaf (2023-2024) *

Sulaiman Ramadhan Sulaiman is an English transliteration of the Arabic name 'peaceful' and corresponds to the Hebrew language, Hebrew Jews, Jewish name שְׁלֹמֹה‎ ''Shlomoh'' and the English Solomon (/ˈsɒləmən/) . Solomon was the scriptural figure who w ...

(2020-2023) *

Thair Jassam Thair Jassam Homi (born 31 December 1959) is a former Iraqi football player, and a manager. He is currently the manager of Al-Nasiriya SC Managerial statistics Honours Club Al-Faisaly SC (Amman) * Jordan FA Shield: 2011 * Jordan FA Shiel ...

(2014-2015), (2015-2016) *

Basim Qasim Basim Qasim Hamdan Al-Suwaid (; born 22 March 1963) is an Iraqi football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Al-Talaba SC. He was a defender in his playing days, also capable of playing in midfield, and he played for Ir ...

(2007–2011), (2014-2015) * Fajr Ibrahim (2013–2014) *

Jamal Ali Jamal Ali Hamza (; born 2 February 1956) is an Iraqi football midfielder who played for Iraq in the 1986 FIFA World Cup. He also played for and now coaches Al Minaa. Jamal Ali played for the Iraqi Olympic team at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. ...

(2012–2013) *

Ayman Hakeem Ayman Hakeem (; born 24 December 1959) is a Syrian football (soccer), football coach. Coaching career Hakeem started his coaching career with Al-Wahda SC (Syria), Al-Wahda winning the Syrian Cup in 1993. During the 1990s, he took over youth team ...

(2011–2012) *

Akram Salman Akram Ahmed Salman (; born 15 July 1945) is an Iraqi football manager and former head coach of Al-Wehdat. Playing career Akram Ahmed Salman began his career in 1963 as a player for Esalet Al-Mae, and went on to coach the team in 1970, as one ...

(2010–2011) *

Nadhim Shaker Nadhim Shaker Salim (; 18 December 1958 – 11 September 2020) was an Iraqi football player and coach of the Iraq national team. Playing career Nadhim Shaker was one of the most talented defenders in Iraqi football history. He began his playin ...

(1996–1997), (2004–2005) * Namat Mahmoud * Hamid Mahmoud * Hussain Hassan * Ameer Abdul-Aziz * Rasan Bunian * Hadi Mutansh *

Mohammed Tabra Mohammed Tabra (born 23 December 1950) is a former Iraqi football defender who played for Iraq in the 1976 AFC Asian Cup The 1976 AFC Asian Cup was the 6th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament ...

Natiq Hashim Natiq Hashim Abid-Aoun (15 January 1960 – 26 September 2004) was an Iraqi football midfielder who played for Iraq in the 1986 FIFA World Cup. He also played for Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya. Natiq started his career at Amana youth team in Baghdad along ...

* Faisal Aziz *

Shaker Mahmoud Shaker Mahmoud Hamza (; born 5 May 1963) is an Iraqi former football midfielder who played for Iraq in the 1986 FIFA World Cup. He also played for Al-Shabab. He was part of Iraq's second Olympic Games campaign in 1984 in Los Angeles, United ...

* Kadhim Mutashar

Recent history

* From 2004/05 season, the competition changed from League system to various rounds including table and knockout rounds. * From 2011/12 season, the competition went back to the single league system. * From 2014/15 season, the competition returned to a system with various rounds.

Backroom staff and club officials

Boardroom positions

Honours

Performance in AFC competitions

: 2 appearances ::

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

: Quarter-finals ::

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

: Round of 16

Individual honours

2009 FIFA Confederations Cup The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup was the eighth FIFA Confederations Cup, Confederations Cup, and was held in South Africa from 14 June to 28 June 2009, as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The draw was held on 22 November 2008 at the Sandton ...

:The following players have played in the FIFA Confederations Cup whilst playing for Dohuk : :* 2009 – Uday Taleb {{Iraq Division 1 Football clubs in Iraq Association football clubs established in 1970 1970 establishments in Iraq Football clubs in Dohuk Duhok