Duhok SC

Duhok Sports Club (, ) is an Iraqi professional sports club, based in Duhok, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. Founded in 1970, the club competes in the Iraq Stars League. Duhok SC's biggest rivals are also their neighbours Zakho, 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, having been crowned champions in the 2024–25 season.

Club history

Duhok Football Club (Duhok FC) was founded by the youth of Duhok 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 in Iraq. In 1976, Duhok Football Team participated in the Iraqi Third Division, and by 1978, the team had moved up to the Iraqi Second Division. 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, 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. 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 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 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 Iraqi Premier League championship, defeating Talaba SC 1–0 to claim the title. In the 2011–12 season, Duhok SC finished as runners-up, qualifying for the AFC Cup 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 2006/2007.
* Korek Telecom 2009/2010.

Newroz Telecom
2012/2013.
* Adidas, 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 is the stadium where Duhok Sport Club play their home games. It is a multiuse stadium 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 and Erbil SC 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 (2020-2023)
* Thair Jassam (2014-2015), (2015-2016)
* Basim Qasim (2007–2011), (2014-2015)
* Fajr Ibrahim (2013–2014)
* Jamal Ali (2012–2013)
* Ayman Hakeem (2011–2012)
* Akram Salman (2010–2011)
* Nadhim Shaker (1996–1997), (2004–2005)
* Namat Mahmoud
* Hamid Mahmoud
* Hussain Hassan
* Ameer Abdul-Aziz
* Rasan Bunian
* Hadi Mutansh
* Mohammed Tabra
* Natiq Hashim
* Faisal Aziz
* Shaker Mahmoud
* 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

*AFC Cup: 2 appearances
::2011: Quarter-finals
::2013: Round of 16

Individual honours

2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
: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