2025–26 Iraq Stars League

52nd season of the Iraq Stars League From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2025–26 Iraq Stars League is 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 started on 13 September 2025 and is scheduled to end on 2 June 2026.[2]

Season2025–26
Dates13 September 2025 – 2 June 2026
RelegatedAl-Najaf
Al-Qasim
Top goalscorerSherzod Temirov (28 goals)
Quick facts Season, Dates ...
Iraq Stars League
Season2025–26
Dates13 September 2025 – 2 June 2026
RelegatedAl-Najaf
Al-Qasim
Top goalscorerSherzod Temirov (28 goals)
Biggest home winZakho 4–0 Newroz
(4 October 2025)
Al-Karma 4–0 Al-Kahrabaa
(25 October 2025)
Al-Minaa 4–0 Amanat Baghdad
(21 April 2026)
Biggest away winAl-Qasim 1–7 Al-Shorta
(8 January 2026)
Highest scoringAl-Qasim 1–7 Al-Shorta
(8 January 2026)
All statistics correct as of 20 May 2026.
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Overview

20 teams are competing 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 are playing in the top-flight for the first time in history this season.[5]

Teams

Locations of teams in the 2025–26 Iraq Stars League

Clubs and locations

More information Team, Manager ...
Team Manager[6] Location Stadium Capacity
Al-Gharraf Iraq Qahtan Chathir Dhi Qar (Al-Gharraf) Al-Nasiriya International Stadium 20,000
Al-Kahrabaa Iraq Hassan Ahmed Baghdad (Al-Wazireya Al-Sinaaiya) Al-Zawraa Stadium 15,443
Al-Karkh Syria Ayman Hakeem Baghdad (Al-Mansour) Sharar Haidar Stadium 5,150
Al-Karma Egypt Moamen Soliman Anbar (Al-Karma) Al-Jolan Stadium 6,000
Al-Minaa Iraq Hussein Abdul-Wahed Basra (Maqal) Al-Minaa Olympic Stadium 30,000
Al-Mosul Jordan Haitham Al-Shboul Mosul Duhok Stadium 22,800
Al-Naft Iraq Adel Nima Baghdad (Shaab) Sharar Haidar Stadium 5,150
Al-Najaf Iraq Samer Saeed Najaf Al-Najaf International Stadium 30,000
Al-Qasim Iraq Hassan Hadi Babil (Al-Qasim) Al-Najaf International Stadium 30,000
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya Oman Rashid Jaber Baghdad (Zayouna) Al-Shaab Stadium 35,700
Al-Shorta Iraq Ahmed Salah Baghdad (Al-Rusafa) Al-Shorta Stadium 10,089
Al-Talaba Iran Alireza Mansourian Baghdad (Hayy Qahira) Al-Madina Stadium 32,000
Al-Zawraa Iraq Luay Salah Baghdad (Sheikh Maaruf, Al-Shaljiya) Al-Zawraa Stadium 15,443
Amanat Baghdad Iraq Wissam Talib Baghdad (Al-Nahdha) Al-Madina Stadium 32,000
Diyala Tunisia Yamen Zelfani Diyala (Baqubah) Diyala Stadium 10,000
Duhok Iraq Ahmed Khalaf Duhok Duhok Stadium 22,800
Erbil Iraq Basim Qasim Erbil Franso Hariri Stadium 25,000
Naft Maysan Iraq Ali Abdul-Jabbar Maysan (Amarah) Maysan Olympic Stadium 25,000
Newroz Iraq Wali Kareem Sulaymaniyah Newroz Stadium 14,500
Zakho Iraq Abdul-Ghani Shahad Duhok (Zakho) Zakho International Stadium 20,000
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Managerial changes

More information Team, Outgoing manager ...
Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in the table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Al-Qasim Iraq Wamidh Munir Resigned 16 September 2025 20th Iraq Hassan Hadi 23 September 2025
Duhok Brazil Sérgio Farias Mutual consent 23 September 2025 18th Iraq Abdul-Ghani Shahad 14 October 2025
Al-Zawraa Iraq Abdul-Ghani Shahad Mutual consent 6 October 2025 16th Egypt Emad El Nahhas 11 October 2025
Naft Maysan Jordan Abdullah Abu Zema Mutual consent 7 October 2025 15th Iraq Hassan Ahmed 13 October 2025
Al-Karma Iraq Ahmed Khalaf Sacked 13 October 2025 8th Spain Antonio Cazorla 13 October 2025
Al-Najaf Egypt Mohamed Azima Sacked 15 October 2025 19th Iraq Ali Abdul-Jabbar 15 October 2025
Newroz Sweden Yasin Aras Sacked 26 October 2025 16th Iraq Wali Kareem 28 October 2025
Al-Kahrabaa Iraq Radhi Shenaishil Resigned 26 October 2025 19th Iraq Ahmed Abdul-Jabar 28 October 2025
Al-Talaba Qatar Talal Al-Bloushi Mutual consent 8 November 2025 11th Iran Alireza Mansourian 28 November 2025
Amanat Baghdad Iraq Essam Hamad Resigned 9 November 2025 15th Iraq Ahmed Khalaf 28 November 2025
Al-Najaf Iraq Ali Abdul-Jabbar Resigned 24 January 2026 19th Iraq Qahtan Chathir 25 January 2026
Al-Qasim Iraq Hassan Hadi Sacked 26 January 2026 20th Iraq Haidar Aboodi 1 February 2026
Al-Mosul Iraq Chasib Sultan Sacked 28 January 2026 15th Jordan Haitham Al-Shboul 28 January 2026
Zakho Qatar Wesam Rizik Sacked 13 February 2026 8th Iraq Ayoub Odisho 13 February 2026
Al-Najaf Iraq Qahtan Chathir Resigned 20 February 2026 19th Iraq Chasib Sultan 3 March 2026
Al-Minaa Iraq Luay Salah Resigned 22 February 2026 15th Iraq Hussein Abdul-Wahed 27 February 2026
Al-Zawraa Egypt Emad El Nahhas Mutual consent 24 February 2026 6th Iraq Luay Salah 25 February 2026
Naft Maysan Iraq Hassan Ahmed Sacked 24 February 2026 17th Iraq Ali Abdul-Jabbar 25 February 2026
Al-Karma Spain Antonio Cazorla Sacked 2 March 2026 3rd Iraq Essam Hamad 3 March 2026
Amanat Baghdad Iraq Ahmed Khalaf Resigned 7 March 2026 15th Iraq Wissam Talib 7 March 2026
Al-Qasim Iraq Haidar Aboodi Resigned 11 March 2026 20th Iraq Hassan Hadi 11 March 2026
Duhok Iraq Abdul-Ghani Shahad Resigned 19 March 2026 9th Iraq Ahmed Khalaf 19 March 2026
Al-Gharraf Iraq Haider Obeid Resigned 20 March 2026 10th Iraq Qahtan Chathir 23 March 2026
Al-Najaf Iraq Chasib Sultan Resigned 5 April 2026 19th Iraq Samer Saeed 5 April 2026
Al-Shorta Egypt Moamen Soliman Mutual consent 27 April 2026 2nd Iraq Ahmed Salah 27 April 2026
Al-Kahrabaa Iraq Ahmed Abdul-Jabar Resigned 28 April 2026 17th Iraq Hassan Ahmed 28 April 2026
Al-Karma Iraq Essam Hamad Sacked 1 May 2026 6th Egypt Moamen Soliman 2 May 2026
Zakho Iraq Ayoub Odisho Resigned 16 May 2026 8th Iraq Abdul-Ghani Shahad 18 May 2026
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League table

More information Pos, Team ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 36 25 8 3 57 26 +31 83 Qualification for the AFC Champions League Elite league stage
2 Al-Shorta 36 24 6 6 69 29 +40 78 Qualification for the AGCFF Gulf Club Champions League group stage[a]
3 Erbil 36 21 10 5 54 30 +24 73
4 Al-Zawraa 36 17 15 4 50 30 +20 66
5 Al-Talaba 36 18 9 9 51 36 +15 63
6 Al-Karma 36 15 14 7 49 26 +23 59
7 Al-Karkh 36 16 11 9 50 38 +12 59
8 Newroz 36 16 5 15 46 44 +2 53
9 Zakho 35 14 10 11 44 38 +6 52
10 Duhok 36 13 11 12 43 42 +1 50
11 Diyala 36 12 9 15 38 45 −7 45
12 Al-Mosul 36 10 13 13 42 48 −6 43
13 Al-Naft 36 9 15 12 30 33 −3 42
14 Al-Gharraf 36 10 11 15 37 40 −3 41
15 Al-Minaa 35 10 9 16 38 44 −6 39
16 Al-Kahrabaa 36 11 5 20 45 52 −7 38
17 Amanat Baghdad 36 10 7 19 45 62 −17 37
18 Naft Maysan 35 9 9 17 42 55 −13 36 Qualification for the relegation play-off
19 Al-Najaf (R) 35 5 4 26 29 67 −38 19 Relegation to the Iraqi Premier Division League
20 Al-Qasim (R) 36 0 5 31 19 93 −74 5
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Updated to match(es) played on 20 May 2026. Source: SofaScore
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.
(R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. [a]
    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

More information Home \ Away, GHA ...
Home \ Away GHA KAH KKH KRM MIN MSL NFT NJF QSM QWJ SHR TLB ZWR AMN DYL DHK ERB NFM NEW ZAK
Al-Gharraf 3–1 2–2 0–1 0–1 1–0 2–0 1–0 0–0 1–2 0–1 1–3 0–1 3–2 0–0 4–3 0–0 0–1 0–0
Al-Kahrabaa 2–2 1–3 2–0 0–1 1–2 3–0[a] 3–0 2–3 0–1 1–2 0–1 1–0 1–2 1–1 0–0 1–3 2–1 0–3
Al-Karkh 1–0 1–1 0–0 1–0 2–2 2–2 2–0 2–1 0–1 0–2 3–1 2–1 0–2 0–1 1–1 1–1 3–0 3–1
Al-Karma 3–0 4–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 2–1 2–0 1–0 3–0 1–1 1–1 0–0 2–1 3–0 2–3 3–0 0–1 0–0
Al-Minaa 0–1 1–2 0–2 2–0 1–0 0–0 4–2 2–0 0–2 1–1 0–2 4–0 1–1 1–1 1–3 0–1 1–1
Al-Mosul 1–1 2–1 1–2 1–3 2–1 0–0 2–1 0–1 0–1 2–2 1–3 1–1 0–3[b] 3–3 0–2 1–1 0–2 2–0
Al-Naft 1–0 1–0 0–1 0–0 1–1 1–2 1–1 2–0 0–0 1–1 3–0[c] 0–0 3–0 2–1 1–1 0–2 1–2 1–1
Al-Najaf 0–3 1–2 2–5 0–3 0–1 1–2 0–0 3–0[d] 0–2 1–3 1–0 1–1 0–1 1–2 1–4 2–4 2–1 1–2
Al-Qasim 1–5 0–3[e] 0–3 2–2 3–3 2–3 0–3 0–5 1–7 0–3 0–2 0–1 0–4 0–3 0–2 2–5 0–3 0–1
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 1–1 2–0 1–0 1–0 1–0 2–1 0–0 2–0 2–0 1–1 2–1 2–1 3–1 2–1 0–2 1–1 2–1 2–1
Al-Shorta 1–0 2–0 3–0 1–0 3–0 1–0 2–1 3–1 3–3 3–3 1–2 4–1 3–0[f] 2–0 0–2 2–1 3–2 1–0
Al-Talaba 3–1 2–0 1–1 1–2 0–0 0–0 2–1 2–0 1–2 1–0 0–1 2–1 1–1 2–1 2–3 2–1 2–2 1–0
Al-Zawraa 0–0 1–0 3–0 0–0 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 0–2 1–2 1–1 3–2 2–0 2–2 1–0 1–1 2–1 4–2
Amanat Baghdad 0–5 1–1 2–1 0–0 0–3 1–2 0–1 2–2 0–2 2–1 2–1 2–2 1–2 2–1 3–0[g] 4–1 0–2 3–0[h]
Diyala 1–1 0–2 1–0 1–1 0–3[i] 1–4 1–0 1–2 3–0 0–1 0–2 0–1 1–1 1–4 1–1 1–0 1–1 2–1
Duhok 1–1 2–3 0–1 1–0 0–0 0–0 1–0 2–1 1–2 2–1 1–0 0–0 1–0 1–0 0–2 2–1 1–2 0–1
Erbil 2–1 2–2 1–0 2–1 3–2 2–2 3–1 3–2 2–0 0–0 1–0 0–2 1–1 2–0 2–1 1–0 0–1 0–1
Naft Maysan 0–1 0–2 1–2 1–1 1–3 1–1 3–0 2–1 0–3[j] 0–1 2–2 2–1 1–1 2–2 0–0 2–1 0–2
Newroz 2–1 3–2 0–0 0–1 4–1 2–0 2–0 2–1 1–1 0–3 0–1 1–2 0–1 2–1 0–2 0–1 2–0 2–1
Zakho 2–0 2–1 1–1 2–2 1–1 1–0 2–0 1–1 1–0 2–1 0–2 1–2 1–1 2–2 1–2 1–1 3–1 4–0
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Updated to match(es) played on 20 May 2026. Source: SofaScore
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. [a]
    The Al-Kahrabaa–Al-Najaf match was awarded as a 3–0 win to Al-Kahrabaa, as the referee had ended the match during the first half while the score was 0–0 after being subject to attacks by Al-Najaf players and staff following a VAR decision.[7]
  2. [b]
    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 on the field at the same time, which exceeded the maximum number of foreign players allowed to be on the field at one time (six players).[8]
  3. [c]
    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).[9]
  4. [d]
    The Al-Najaf–Al-Qasim match originally ended in a 1–1 draw but was changed to a 3–0 win for Al-Najaf due to Al-Qasim violating the rules by making late changes to their lineup within the submission system.[10]
  5. [e]
    The Al-Qasim–Al-Kahrabaa match was awarded as a 3–0 win to Al-Kahrabaa, as Al-Qasim started the game with only eight players and had two of their players go off injured after eleven minutes while Al-Kahrabaa were leading 2–0.[11]
  6. [f]
    The Al-Shorta–Diyala match originally ended in a 2–1 win for Al-Shorta but was changed to a 3–0 win for the same team due to Diyala fielding seven foreign players on the field at the same time, which exceeded the maximum number of foreign players allowed to be on the field at one time (six players).[12]
  7. [g]
    The Amanat Baghdad–Erbil match originally ended in a 1–1 draw but was changed to a 3–0 win for Amanat Baghdad due to Erbil fielding seven foreign players on the field at the same time, which exceeded the maximum number of foreign players allowed to be on the field at one time (six players).[13]
  8. [h]
    The Amanat Baghdad–Zakho match originally ended in a 2–1 win for Zakho but was changed to a 3–0 win for Amanat Baghdad due to Zakho violating the rules by making late changes to their lineup within the submission system.[14]
  9. [i]
    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 rules by making late changes to their lineup within the submission system.[15]
  10. [j]
    The Naft Maysan–Al-Shorta match originally ended in a 2–2 draw but was changed to a 3–0 win for Al-Shorta due to Naft Maysan including the Yemeni player Ahmed Al-Sarori in their matchday squad, who had not played for his national team in each of the previous three years and was therefore ineligible per the squad registration rules.[16]

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.[17]

More information v ...
v
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Season statistics

Top scorers

More information Rank, Player ...
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Uzbekistan Sherzod Temirov Erbil 28
2 Syria Alaa Al Dali Al-Mosul 19
Iraq Peter Gwargis Duhok
4 Iraq Younis Hamoud Al-Karkh 18
5 Nigeria Kingsley Fidelis Kuku Al-Gharraf 17
Cameroon Leonel Ateba Al-Shorta
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Hat-tricks

Main article: List of Iraq Stars League hat-tricks
More information Player, For ...
PlayerForAgainstResultDateReference
Cameroon Leonel AtebaAl-ShortaAl-Karkh3–0 (H)20 November 2025[18]
Nigeria Kingsley Fidelis KukuAl-GharrafAmanat Baghdad3–2 (H)26 January 2026[19]
Brazil Lucas SantosAl-KahrabaaAmanat Baghdad5–0 (A)22 February 2026[20]
Uzbekistan Sherzod TemirovErbilAl-Minaa3–2 (H)13 March 2026[21]
Syria Yassin SamiaAl-MinaaAmanat Baghdad4–0 (H)21 April 2026[22]
Syria Alaa Al Dali4Al-MosulDiyala4–0 (A)26 April 2026[23]
Iraq Younis Hamoud4Al-KarkhAl-Najaf5–2 (A)20 May 2026[24]
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Notes

4 Player scored 4 goals
(H) – Home team
(A) – Away team

Awards

Manager of the Month

More information Month, Manager ...
Month Manager Team Reference
October Iraq Basim Qasim Erbil [25]
November Iraq Chasib Sultan Al-Mosul [26]
December Iraq Abdul-Ghani Shahad Duhok [27]
January Spain Antonio Cazorla Al-Karma [28]
February Oman Rashid Jaber Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya [29]
March Iraq Wali Kareem Newroz [30]
April Iraq Luay Salah Al-Zawraa [31]
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References

External links

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