2017–18 Iraqi Premier League
Football league season
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The 2017–18 Iraqi Premier League (Arabic: الدوري العراقي الممتاز 2017–18) was the 44th season of the Iraqi Premier League, the highest division for Iraqi association football clubs, since its establishment in 1974. The season started on 20 November 2017, and ended on 18 July 2018.[1][2] Al-Zawraa won a record 14th title, finishing four points ahead of both the previous season's champions and runners-up (Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya and Al-Naft respectively) and five points ahead of Al-Shorta.
| Season | 2017–18 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 20 November 2017 – 18 July 2018 |
| Champions | Al-Zawraa (14th title) |
| Relegated | Karbala Zakho |
| AFC Champions League | Al-Zawraa Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya |
| Matches | 380 |
| Goals | 859 (2.26 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Wissam Saadoun (24 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Naft Al-Wasat 5–0 Karbala (25 November 2017) Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 5–0 Al-Hussein (9 July 2018) |
| Highest scoring | Karbala 3–4 Al-Bahri (28 June 2018) |
| Longest winning run | 9 games Al-Zawraa |
| Longest unbeaten run | 26 games Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya |
| Longest winless run | 16 games Zakho |
| Longest losing run | 9 games Karbala Al-Hussein |
← 2016–17 2018–19 → | |
Teams
| Team[3][4][5][6] | Location[4] | Stadium | Capacity[7] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Bahri | Basra | Al-Zubair Stadium | 5,000 |
| Al-Diwaniya | Diwaniya | Afak Stadium | 5,000 |
| Al-Hudood | Baghdad | Al-Taji Stadium | 5,000 |
| Al-Hussein | Baghdad | Al-Taji Stadium | 5,000 |
| Al-Kahrabaa | Baghdad | Al-Taji Stadium | 5,000 |
| Al-Minaa | Basra | Basra International Stadium | 65,227 |
| Al-Naft | Baghdad | Al-Sinaa Stadium | 10,000 |
| Al-Najaf | Najaf | Al-Najaf Stadium | 10,000 |
| Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | Baghdad | Al-Shaab Stadium | 34,200 |
| Al-Samawa | Samawa | Al-Samawa Stadium | 5,000 |
| Al-Shorta | Baghdad | Al-Shaab Stadium | 34,200 |
| Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya | Baghdad | Al-Sinaa Stadium | 10,000 |
| Al-Talaba | Baghdad | Al-Shaab Stadium | 34,200 |
| Al-Zawraa | Baghdad | Al-Shaab Stadium | 34,200 |
| Amanat Baghdad | Baghdad | Amanat Baghdad Stadium | 5,000 |
| Karbala | Karbala | Karbala International Stadium | 30,000 |
| Naft Al-Junoob | Basra | Al-Zubair Stadium | 5,000 |
| Naft Al-Wasat | Najaf | Al-Najaf Stadium | 10,000 |
| Naft Maysan | Amara | Maysan Olympic Stadium | 15,000 |
| Zakho | Zakho | Zakho International Stadium | 20,000 |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Zawraa (C) | 38 | 26 | 10 | 2 | 66 | 26 | +40 | 88 | Qualification for the AFC Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | 38 | 25 | 9 | 4 | 66 | 23 | +43 | 84 | Qualification for the AFC Champions League preliminary round 2 |
| 3 | Al-Naft | 38 | 24 | 12 | 2 | 59 | 20 | +39 | 84 | |
| 4 | Al-Shorta | 38 | 24 | 11 | 3 | 69 | 24 | +45 | 83 | |
| 5 | Al-Kahrabaa | 38 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 39 | 30 | +9 | 58 | |
| 6 | Al-Najaf | 38 | 13 | 16 | 9 | 51 | 40 | +11 | 55 | |
| 7 | Amanat Baghdad | 38 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 31 | 34 | −3 | 53 | |
| 8 | Naft Maysan | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 45 | 37 | +8 | 49 | |
| 9 | Naft Al-Wasat | 38 | 10 | 19 | 9 | 42 | 38 | +4 | 49 | |
| 10 | Naft Al-Junoob | 38 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 34 | 41 | −7 | 49 | |
| 11 | Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 46 | 46 | 0 | 47 | |
| 12 | Al-Samawa | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 42 | 50 | −8 | 44 | |
| 13 | Al-Hudood | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 40 | 45 | −5 | 43 | |
| 14 | Al-Talaba | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 43 | 59 | −16 | 43 | |
| 15 | Al-Minaa | 38 | 8 | 17 | 13 | 34 | 47 | −13 | 41 | |
| 16 | Al-Bahri | 38 | 8 | 14 | 16 | 41 | 55 | −14 | 38 | |
| 17 | Al-Diwaniya | 38 | 7 | 10 | 21 | 32 | 58 | −26 | 31 | |
| 18 | Al-Hussein | 38 | 5 | 12 | 21 | 26 | 58 | −32 | 27 | |
| 19 | Karbala (R) | 38 | 7 | 6 | 25 | 26 | 76 | −50 | 27 | Relegation to the Iraqi First Division League |
| 20 | Zakho (R) | 38 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 27 | 52 | −25 | 25[a] |
Source: Goalzz
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- Zakho were deducted three points as punishment for failing to pay the salary of their Libyan player Salem Elmslaty on time.
Results
Season statistics
Top scorers
| Rank | Player[8] | Club | Goals[9] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Naft Maysan | 24 | |
| 2 | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | 23 | |
| 3 | Al-Shorta | 22 | |
| 4 | Naft Al-Wasat | 21 | |
| 5 | Al-Naft | 18 | |
| Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya |
Hat-tricks
| Player[10] | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Kahrabaa | Al-Talaba | 4–0 | 10 December 2017 | |
| Al-Kahrabaa | Al-Samawa | 3–2 | 15 December 2017 | |
| Al-Naft | Al-Diwaniya | 4–0 | 28 January 2018 | |
| Naft Maysan | Al-Talaba | 3–0 | 31 March 2018 | |
| Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya | Al-Talaba | 4–2 | 14 April 2018 | |
| Al-Minaa | Al-Diwaniya | 4–2 | 29 April 2018 | |
| Naft Maysan | Al-Hussein | 5–1 | 23 June 2018 |
Awards
| Award | Winner[11] | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Soccer Iraq Goal of the Season | Al-Zawraa |