2025–26 Iraq Stars League

Iraq Stars League
Season2025–26
Dates13 September 2025 – 28 May 2026

The 2025–26 Iraq Stars League will be the 52nd season of the highest tier football league in Iraq since its establishment in 1974, and the third season since launching as a professional league under the name Iraq Stars League.[1] The season will start on 13 September 2025 and will end on 28 May 2026.[2]

Overview

20 teams are set to compete in the 2025–26 Iraq Stars League: 17 teams from the previous season,[3] as well as Al-Mosul, Al-Gharraf and Amanat Baghdad who were promoted from the 2024–25 Iraqi Premier Division League, replacing Naft Al-Basra, Al-Hudood and Karbala who were relegated.[4] Al-Mosul are returning to the top-flight after a 14-year absence, while Amanat Baghdad are returning after a one-year absence. Al-Gharraf will play in the top-flight for the first time in history this season.[5]

Teams

Stadiums and locations

Locations of teams in the 2025–26 Iraq Stars League
Team Location Stadium Capacity
Al-Gharraf Dhi Qar (Al-Gharraf) Al-Nasiriya International Stadium 20,000
Al-Kahrabaa Baghdad (Al-Wazireya Al-Sinaaiya) Al-Zawraa Stadium 15,443
Al-Karkh Baghdad (Al-Mansour) Al-Saher Ahmed Radhi Stadium 5,150
Al-Karma Anbar (Al-Karma) Al-Jolan Stadium 6,000
Al-Minaa Basra (Maqal) Al-Minaa Olympic Stadium 30,000
Al-Mosul Mosul Duhok Stadium 22,800
Al-Naft Baghdad (Shaab) Al-Saher Ahmed Radhi Stadium 5,150
Al-Najaf Najaf Al-Najaf International Stadium 30,000
Al-Qasim Babil (Al-Qasim) Al-Najaf International Stadium 30,000
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya Baghdad (Zayouna) Al-Shaab Stadium 35,700
Al-Shorta Baghdad (Zayouna) Al-Shaab Stadium 35,700
Al-Talaba Baghdad (Hayy Qahira) Al-Madina Stadium 32,000
Al-Zawraa Baghdad (Sheikh Maaruf, Al-Shaljiya) Al-Zawraa Stadium 15,443
Amanat Baghdad Baghdad (Al-Nahdha) Al-Madina Stadium 32,000
Diyala Diyala (Baqubah) Diyala Stadium 10,000
Duhok Duhok Duhok Stadium 22,800
Erbil Erbil Franso Hariri Stadium 25,000
Naft Maysan Maysan (Amarah) Maysan Olympic Stadium 25,000
Newroz Sulaymaniyah Newroz Stadium 14,500
Zakho Duhok (Zakho) Zakho International Stadium 20,000

Personnel and kits

Team Manager[6] Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
Al-Gharraf Haider Obeid
Al-Kahrabaa Radhi Shenaishil
Al-Karkh Ayman Hakeem
Al-Karma Ahmed Khalef
Al-Minaa Luay Salah
Al-Mosul Chasib Sultan
Al-Naft Adel Nima
Al-Najaf Mohamed Azima
Al-Qasim Hassan Hadi
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya Rashid Jaber
Al-Shorta Moamen Soliman
Al-Talaba Talal Al-Bloushi
Al-Zawraa Emad El Nahhas
Amanat Baghdad Essam Hamad
Diyala Yamen Zelfani
Duhok Abdul-Ghani Shahad
Erbil Basim Qasim
Naft Maysan Hassan Ahmed
Newroz Yasin Aras
Zakho Wesam Rizik

Managerial changes

Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in the table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Al-Qasim Wamidh Munir Resigned 16 September 2025 20th Hassan Hadi 23 September 2025
Duhok Sérgio Farias Mutual consent 23 September 2025 18th Abdul-Ghani Shahad 14 October 2025
Al-Zawraa Abdul-Ghani Shahad Mutual consent 6 October 2025 16th Emad El Nahhas 11 October 2025
Naft Maysan Abdullah Abu Zema Mutual consent 7 October 2025 15th Hassan Ahmed 13 October 2025

Foreign players

Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 Player 5 Player 6
Al-Gharraf Magnime Agbotcho Salomon Bindjeme Kingsley Fidelis Kuku Lem Ismael Alaeddine Bouallegui Austin Amutu
Al-Kahrabaa Ismael Kouakou Mohamed Dellah Yaly Ruan Teles Lucas Esquerdinha Mohamed Soueïd Isaac Mensah
Al-Karkh
Al-Karma Ayoub Mouddane Jeferson Bahia Hussein Shehait Mohammad Abu Hasheesh Ibrahim Sadeh Ali Olwan
Al-Minaa Dhiaeddine Jouini Clench Loufilou Iyayi Atiemwen Tuisila Kisinda Reda Majji Mohammad Aburiziq
Al-Mosul Jhostín Medranda Cedric Ngah Serge Bede Bashiru Umar Roche Foning Mbaoma Chijioke
Al-Naft Jhostín Medranda Joël Tchofo Sami Hien Sadat Mohammed Amadou Moutari Augustine Chidi Kwem
Al-Najaf Amdy Moustapha Fall Gathouch Panom Idrissa Niang Mohammad Al-Marmour Bechir Ghariani Nassim Sioud
Al-Qasim Odeni George Elie Sou Karim Aboubakar
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya Edmilson Dove Idir Mokeddem Daniel Ajibola Mohannad Abu Taha Haythem Jouini Essam Al-Subhi
Al-Shorta Moisés Lucas Mehdi Ashabi Mahmoud Al-Mawas Abdoul Madjid Moumouni Dominique Mendy Leonel Ateba
Al-Talaba Ngweni Ndasi Ghaith Maaroufi Darío Pazmiño Habib Oueslati Simon Msuva Karim Aribi
Al-Zawraa Clarence Bitang Nizar Al-Rashdan Mahdi Al-Humaidan Reziq Bani Hani Abdallah Nasib Ibrahim Tomiwa
Amanat Baghdad Lamin Samateh Bakhtiyor Kosimov Sofiane Feghouli Pneu Flávio Hamdi Labidi
Diyala Aymen Mahmoud Thameur Salhi Chiheb Salhi Aymen Sfaxi Collins Opare Ibrahim Harouna
Duhok Ivan Novoselec Khadim Rassoul Léo Costa Yannick Zakri Karim Darwiche João Cabral
Erbil Nduka Junior Sherzod Temirov
Naft Maysan Koffi Kouamé Soualio Ouattara Dare Olatunji Christ Kouvouama Elhadji Malick Tall Daouda Diémé
Newroz Ognjen Mrsic Cláudio Maradona
Zakho Yousef Al-Alousi Orinho Aliyu Adam Echeta Ugonna Deputy Alaa Al-Dali Mohamed Yattara

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Erbil 7 6 1 0 12 5 +7 19 Qualification for the AFC Champions League Elite league stage
2 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 7 5 1 1 10 4 +6 16 Qualification for the AGCFF Gulf Club Champions League group stage[a]
3 Al-Shorta 6 5 0 1 10 3 +7 15
4 Diyala 7 5 0 2 11 8 +3 15
5 Al-Karma 7 4 1 2 10 4 +6 13
6 Zakho 7 4 1 2 9 4 +5 13
7 Al-Minaa 7 4 0 3 13 9 +4 12
8 Al-Gharraf 7 3 3 1 7 4 +3 12
9 Al-Naft 7 3 2 2 13 6 +7 11
10 Al-Zawraa 6 3 2 1 8 5 +3 11
11 Al-Karkh 7 3 2 2 10 11 −1 11
12 Al-Talaba 7 3 1 3 7 9 −2 10
13 Al-Mosul 7 3 0 4 8 10 −2 9
14 Amanat Baghdad 7 3 0 4 8 11 −3 9
15 Al-Najaf 7 2 0 5 7 12 −5 6
16 Duhok 7 1 2 4 7 10 −3 5
17 Naft Maysan 7 1 1 5 8 15 −7 4
18 Newroz 7 1 0 6 7 16 −9 3 Qualification for the relegation play-off
19 Al-Kahrabaa 7 0 2 5 5 14 −9 2 Relegation to the Iraqi Premier Division League
20 Al-Qasim 7 0 1 6 1 11 −10 1
Updated to match(es) played on 23 November 2025. Source: IPFL
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) goal difference; 5) number of goals scored; 6) number of wins.
Notes:
  1. ^ If the winners of the Iraq FA Cup finish in the top two places in the league, the league runners-up will instead qualify for the AFC Champions League Two group stage, and the AGCFF Gulf Club Champions League spot will be passed down to the league's third-placed team.

Results

Home \ Away GHA KAH KKH KRM MIN MOS NFT NJF QSM QWJ SHR TLB ZWR AMN DYL DHK ERB NFM NEW ZAK
Al-Gharraf 3–1 1–0 0–0 0–0
Al-Kahrabaa 0–1 1–2 0–0
Al-Karkh 1–1 2–2 2–1 0–1
Al-Karma 4–0 2–0 2–1 0–0
Al-Minaa 4–2 2–0 a 1–3
Al-Mosul 2–1 1–3 0–3[a]
Al-Naft 1–2 3–0[b] 3–0
Al-Najaf 0–2 1–0 0–1
Al-Qasim 0–3 0–2 0–1
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 1–1 1–0 a a a 2–1
Al-Shorta 3–0 1–0 a a a 2–0 3–2
Al-Talaba a a a 2–1 2–1 1–0
Al-Zawraa 0–2 a 1–1 2–1
Amanat Baghdad 0–3 0–1 2–1 1–2 4–1
Diyala 0–3[c] 2–1
Duhok 2–3 0–1 0–0
Erbil 2–1 2–1 3–2 1–0
Naft Maysan 0–1 1–2 1–3 2–2
Newroz 3–2 0–2 0–1 1–2
Zakho 1–0 1–0 2–1 4–0
Updated to match(es) played on 23 November 2025. Source: IPFL
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.
Notes:
  1. ^ The Al-Mosul–Diyala match originally ended in a 2–2 draw but was changed to a 3–0 win for Diyala due to Al-Mosul fielding seven foreign players in the match, which exceeded the maximum number of foreign players allowed to be on the field at one time (six players).[7]
  2. ^ The Al-Naft–Al-Talaba match originally ended in a 0–0 draw but was changed to a 3–0 win for Al-Naft due to Al-Talaba player Mustafa Maan wearing a different shirt number (34) than he was registered with for the match (32).[8]
  3. ^ The Diyala–Al-Minaa match originally ended in a 0–0 draw but was changed to a 3–0 win for Al-Minaa due to Diyala violating the squad list rules by making late changes to their lineup within the submission system.[9]

Relegation play-off

The 18th-placed team in the Stars League will compete in a play-off with the winner of the play-out round between the 3rd and 4th-placed teams from the Premier Division League for a place in next season's Stars League. If the match ends in a draw after 90 minutes, there will be no extra time played and the game will go straight to a penalty shootout.[10]

v

Season statistics

Top scorers

Rank Player Club Goals
1 Sherzod Temirov Erbil 7
2 Alaa Al Dali Al-Mosul 5
Mohammed Kofi Al-Karkh
4 Al-Harith Hatem Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 4
Wakaa Ramadan Diyala
Roche Foning Al-Mosul

Hat-tricks

Main article: List of Iraq Stars League hat-tricks
Player For Against Result Date Reference
Leonel Ateba Al-Shorta Al-Karkh 3–0 (H) 20 November 2025 [11]
Notes

(H) – Home team
(A) – Away team

References

  1. ^ "الدوري العراقي ينطلق في 13 سبتمبر" (in Arabic). Al-Khaleej. 25 August 2025.
  2. ^ "تحديد موعد انطلاق الموسم الجديد لدوري نجوم العراق حيث سينطلق بتاريخ ٢٠٢٥/٩/١٣ وينتهي ٢٠٢٦/٦/١ " (in Arabic). IQ Pro Players. 19 June 2025.
  3. ^ "الدوري العراقي يعزز قوته بـ7 نجوم من منتخب الأردن المتأهل لكأس العالم" (in Arabic). Al-Jazeera. 10 August 2025.
  4. ^ "رئيس الوزراء يهنئ ناديي الموصل والغراف لتأهلهما إلى دوري نجوم العراق" (in Arabic). INA. 6 July 2025.
  5. ^ "دوري نجوم العراق.. 5 معلومات قبل انطلاق الموسم الجديد" (in Arabic). Al-Ain. 21 August 2025.
  6. ^ "صراع تدريبي بين مدارس مختلفة في الدوري العراقي" (in Arabic). Al-Khaleej. 26 August 2025.
  7. ^ "نادي النجف يعلن عن كسب قرار الاستئناف بخصوص مباراتهم مع نفط البصرة وكسبهم ثلاثديالى يتصدر الدوري العراقي بقرار من لجنة الانضباط" (in Arabic). Al-Khaleej. 9 October 2025.
  8. ^ "الانضباط تعد الطلبة خاسراً أمام النفط 0-3" (in Arabic). Iraqi Media Network. 29 September 2025.
  9. ^ "لجنة الانضباط تقرر فوز الميناء على ديالى" (in Arabic). Al-Khaleej. 19 November 2025.
  10. ^ "دوري نجوم العراق 2025- 2026.. موسم جديد بتقنيات أوروبية ووداع لعقد الأزمات" (in Arabic). Obersever Iraq. 25 August 2025.
  11. ^ "قبل موقعة الهلال.. أتيبا يقود الشرطة العراقي لإسقاط الكرخ" (in Arabic). Kooora. 20 November 2025.
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