List of Iraqi football champions
The Iraqi football champions are the winners of the highest league in Iraqi football, which since the 2013–14 season has been called the Iraqi Premier League.
Following the establishment of the Iraq Football Association in 1948, a regional league called the Iraq Central FA League was held for teams from Baghdad and its neighbouring cities, alongside other regional leagues in Basra, Kirkuk and Mosul each season up until 1973.[1][2] The first nationwide league of clubs in Iraq was established in 1974, by the name of the Iraqi National League, with many of the institute teams merging to form sports clubs. The first season saw Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya achieving the league.[3][4] The first team to get relegated was Al-Rafidain, and the first ever promoted teams consisted of five clubs including Al-Zawraa who succeeded in achieving the league title in their first season participating.[5]
The four "Popular Teams" of Baghdad (Al-Zawraa, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Al-Shorta and Al-Talaba), have dominated the now-called Iraqi Premier League over the years. Two of these teams have appeared in every single season since 1974, with those two being Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya and Al-Shorta, while Al-Zawraa and Al-Talaba (known as Al-Jamea at the time) made their first appearance in the Iraqi National League in 1975–76.[3][5] Al-Zawraa have won 14 titles, the most of any club.[6] Erbil are the only club outside of Baghdad to achieve more than one title, having won four titles, all in the 21st century.
List of champions
1973–1974: Iraqi National League of Clubs and Institutions
In the 1973–74 season, Iraq's first ever nationwide league, known as the Iraqi National League of Clubs and Institutions, was held and was won by Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya.[3]
Year | Champions (number of titles) |
Runners-up | Third place | Top goalscorer (club) | Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1973–74 | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | Aliyat Al-Shorta[2] | Al-Minaa | ![]() ![]() |
13 |
1974–present: Iraqi Premier League
In 1974, the Iraq Football Association decided to form the country's first nationwide league of clubs known as the Iraqi National League of Clubs (or Iraqi National League for short) which has been renamed various times since then and is now called the Iraqi Premier League.
Bold indicates Double winners – i.e. League and FA Cup winners OR League and Elite Cup winners OR League and AFC Cup winners
Bold Italic indicates Treble winners – i.e. League, FA Cup and Elite Cup winners OR League, FA Cup and Arab Club Champions Cup winners
- Iraqi National League (1974–1988)
- Iraqi Pan-National League (1988–1989)
Year | Champions (number of titles) |
Runners-up | Third place | Leading goalscorer | Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1988–89 | Al-Rasheed (3) | Al-Talaba | Al-Tayaran | ![]() |
22 |
- Iraqi National League (1989–1995)
Year | Champions (number of titles) |
Runners-up | Third place | Leading goalscorer | Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1989–90 | Al-Tayaran[3] (2) | Al-Rasheed | Al-Shorta | ![]() ![]() |
13 |
1990–91 | Al-Zawraa (4) | Al-Talaba | Al-Shorta | ![]() |
20 |
1991–92 | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (3) | Al-Zawraa | Al-Karkh | ![]() |
34 |
1992–93 | Al-Talaba (4) | Al-Zawraa | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | ![]() |
35 |
1993–94 | Al-Zawraa (5) | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | Al-Talaba | ![]() |
36 |
1994–95 | Al-Zawraa (6) | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | Al-Najaf | ![]() |
30 |
- Iraqi Advanced League (1995–1996)
Year | Champions (number of titles) |
Runners-up | Third place | Leading goalscorer | Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1995–96 | Al-Zawraa (7) | Al-Najaf | Al-Shorta | ![]() ![]() |
11 |
- Iraqi Premier League (1996–1999)
Year | Champions (number of titles) |
Runners-up | Third place | Leading goalscorer | Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1996–97 | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya[1] (4) | Al-Zawraa | Al-Talaba | ![]() |
19 |
1997–98 | Al-Shorta (2) | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | Al-Zawraa | ![]() |
22 |
1998–99 | Al-Zawraa (8) | Al-Talaba | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | ![]() ![]() |
19 |
- Iraqi First Division (1999–2000)
Year | Champions (number of titles) |
Runners-up | Third place | Leading goalscorer | Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1999–2000 | Al-Zawraa[1] (9) | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | Al-Shorta | ![]() |
28 |
- Iraqi Elite League (2000–2002)
Year | Champions (number of titles) |
Runners-up | Third place | Leading goalscorer | Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2000–01 | Al-Zawraa[1] (10) | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | Al-Shorta | ![]() |
22 |
2001–02 | Al-Talaba (5) | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | Al-Shorta | ![]() |
32 |
- Iraqi First Division (2002–2003)
Year | Champions (number of titles) |
Runners-up | Third place | Leading goalscorer | Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2002–03 | Season cancelled |
- Iraqi Premier League (2003–2008)
Year | Champions (number of titles) |
Runners-up | Third place | Leading goalscorer | Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2003–04 | Season cancelled | ||||
2004–05 | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (5) | Al-Minaa | Al-Talaba | ![]() |
16 |
2005–06 | Al-Zawraa (11) | Al-Najaf | Erbil | ![]() |
17 |
2006–07 | Erbil | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | Al-Najaf | ![]() |
11 |
2007–08 | Erbil (2) | Al-Zawraa | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | ![]() |
14 |
- Iraqi Premier Division (2008–2011)
Year | Champions (number of titles) |
Runners-up | Third place | Leading goalscorer | Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2008–09 | Erbil (3) | Al-Najaf | Duhok | ![]() |
15 |
2009–10 | Duhok | Al-Talaba | Al-Zawraa | ![]() |
31 |
2010–11 | Al-Zawraa (12) | Erbil | Al-Sinaa | ![]() |
17 |
- Iraqi Elite League (2011–2013)
Year | Champions (number of titles) |
Runners-up | Third place | Leading goalscorer | Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2011–12 | Erbil (4) | Duhok | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | ![]() |
27 |
2012–13 | Al-Shorta (3) | Erbil | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | ![]() |
25 |
- Iraqi Premier League (2013–)
Year | Champions (number of titles) |
Runners-up | Third place | Leading goalscorer | Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2013–14 | Al-Shorta (4) | Erbil | Baghdad[6] | ![]() |
14 |
2014–15 | Naft Al-Wasat | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | Al-Shorta | ![]() |
15 |
2015–16 | Al-Zawraa (13) | Naft Al-Wasat | Al-Talaba | ![]() ![]() |
12 |
2016–17 | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (6) | Al-Naft | Al-Shorta | ![]() |
23 |
2017–18 | Al-Zawraa[1] (14) | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | Al-Naft | ![]() |
24 |
2018–19 | Al-Shorta (5) | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | Al-Zawraa | ![]() |
28 |
2019–20 | Season cancelled |
Total titles won
Teams in bold compete in the Premier League as of the 2020–21 season.
Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning Seasons |
---|---|---|---|
Al-Zawraa | 14 | 6 | 1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1990–91, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2005–06, 2010–11, 2015–16, 2017–18 |
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | 7 | 12 | 1973–74, 1974–75, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1996–97, 2004–05, 2016–17 |
Al-Talaba | 5 | 7 | 1980–81, 1981–82, 1985–86, 1992–93, 2001–02 |
Al-Shorta | 5 | 3 | 1979–80, 1997–98, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2018–19 |
Erbil | 4 | 3 | 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2011–12 |
Al-Rasheed | 3 | 2 | 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89 |
Al-Jaish | 1 | 2 | 1983–84 |
Al-Minaa | 1 | 1 | 1977–78 |
Duhok | 1 | 1 | 2009–10 |
Naft Al-Wasat | 1 | 1 | 2014–15 |
Salahaddin | 1 | 0 | 1982–83 |
Total titles won by region
Region | Number of titles | Clubs |
---|---|---|
Baghdad | Al-Zawraa (14), Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (7), Al-Talaba (5), Al-Shorta (5), Al-Rasheed (3), Al-Jaish (1) | |
Kurdistan | Erbil (4), Duhok (1) | |
South | Al-Minaa (1) | |
Middle | Salahaddin (1) | |
Middle Euphrates | Naft Al-Wasat (1) |
By city
City | Championships | Clubs |
---|---|---|
Baghdad | Al-Zawraa (14), Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (7), Al-Talaba (5), Al-Shorta (5), Al-Rasheed (3), Al-Jaish (1) | |
Erbil | Erbil (4) | |
Basra | Al-Minaa (1) | |
Duhok | Duhok (1) | |
Najaf | Naft Al-Wasat (1) | |
Tikrit | Salahaddin (1) |
See also
Notes
- a b c d Also won the Iraqi Super Cup.
- a Al-Shorta were inaugurated as a single sports club in 1974 to take the place of Aliyat Al-Shorta, Shorta Al-Najda and Kuliya Al-Shorta in IFA competitions.
- a b Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya were known as Al-Tayaran from 1974 until 1991.
- a Al-Muwasalat were formed in 1974 by the merger of Al-Bareed and Al-Minaa, but folded in 1975 and Al-Minaa were brought back.
- a Al-Talaba were known as Al-Jamea until 1977.
- a Amanat Baghdad were known as Baghdad from 2009 until 2014.
References
- "Story of the Iraqi Football League". Kooora Forums (in Arabic). Abu Baqer Al-Ahmed. 11 February 2007.
- "All the Story - Iraqi League". Iraqi Football Archive (in Arabic).
- Hashim, Refel. "Iraq 1973/74". RSSSF.
- Hashim, Refel. "Iraq 1974/75". RSSSF.
- Hashim, Refel. "Iraq 1975/76". RSSSF.
- Al-Nasser, Falah (22 May 2016). "Al-Zawra'a Are the Champions of the Premier League for the 13th Time in Their History". As-Sabah Al-Jadeed (in Arabic).