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Iraqi Premier Division League

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Iraqi Premier Division League
Founded1974; 50 years ago (1974)
CountryIraq
Number of teams20
Level on pyramid2
Promotion toIraq Stars League
Relegation toIraqi First Division League
Domestic cup(s)Iraq FA Cup
International cup(s)AFC Champions League Two
(via Iraq FA Cup)
Current championsDiyala (2nd title)
(2023–24)
Most championshipsAl-Minaa (3 titles)
TV partnersAl-Iraqiya Sports
Current: 2024–25 Iraqi Premier Division League

The Iraqi Premier Division League (Arabic: دوري الدرجة الممتازة العراقي)[1] is the second-highest division of the Iraqi football league system after the Iraq Stars League. The league is contested by 20 clubs and is operated by the Iraq Football Association (IFA). Each season, the two top-finishing teams in the Premier Division League are automatically promoted to the Stars League, while the third-placed team enters a promotion play-off. The two lowest-finishing teams are relegated to the First Division League.

From the 2023–24 season, the competition's name was changed from First Division League to Premier Division League. In the 2023–24 season, Diyala won the title and was promoted alongside runners-up Al-Karma.[2][3] Al-Minaa are the record holders in the tournament having won three titles.[4]

League structure

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In November 2020, The Iraq FA announced that the number of teams will decrease from 28 to 24 in total starting from 2021 to 2022 season. To make these changes possible, the Iraq FA announced that in 2020–21 season, The top teams in each group are directly promoted to the top-tier, while 8 teams in total are directly relegated to third-tier.[5]

On April 8, 2023, the promotion and relegation mechanism was changed, and the Football Association announced the promotion of the winning team in each group directly to the top-tier, and the relegation of the last two teams in the standings in each group to the third-tier, as a result, two teams are promote and 4 teams are relegate.[6][7]

Competition name

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Period Name
1974–1995 National Clubs Second Division
1995–1999 First Division League
1999–2000 Second Division League
2000–2002 First Division League
2002–2003 Second Division League
2003–2023 First Division League
2023–present Premier Division League

In the media

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Iraqi Premier Division League is called in the media by the name of Dawri Al-Madhaleem (Oppressed League), because the media, the Football Association, and the Referees Committee do not care about it, and the teams that play in it suffer from poor financing, and their stadiums are in a bad shape. However, the league includes very talented players, and the competition in it is so strong that it exceeds the competition in the Stars League.[8][9][10][11]

List of champions

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No. Season Champion
1 1974–75 Al-Zawraa
2 1975–76 Al-Ittihad
3 1976–77 Al-Thawra or Salahaddin
4 1977–78 Al-Shabab
5 1978–79 Al-Bahri
6 1979–80 Al-Adhamiya
7 1980–81 Al-Ittihad
8 1981–82 Al-Mosul
9 1982–83 Wahid Huzairan[a]
10 1983–84 Al-Rasheed
11 1984–85 Al-Naft or Al-Sulaikh
12 1985–86 Al-Bahri
13 1986–87 Al-Minaa
14 1987–88 Multiple groups
15 1988–89 Samarra
16 1989–90 Al-Minaa
17 1990–91 Al-Amana[b]
No. Season Champion
18 1991–92 Saad
19 1992–93 Multiple groups
20 1993–94 Al-Tijara
21 1994–95 No promotion
22 1995–96 Al-Sulaikh
23 1996–97 Diyala
24 1997–98 Duhok
25 1998–99 Erbil
26 1999–2000 No promotion
27 2000–01 Kirkuk
28 2001–02 Al-Mosul
29 2002–03 Multiple groups
30 2003–04 Abandoned
31 2004–05 Multiple groups
32 2005–06 Multiple groups
33 2006–07 Multiple groups
34 2007–08 Multiple groups
No. Season Champion
35 2008–09 Multiple groups
36 2009–10 Peshmerga[c]
37 2010–11 Al-Shirqat
38 2011–12 Sulaymaniya
39 2012–13 Al-Karkh
40 2013–14 Multiple groups
41 2014–15 Al-Samawa
42 2015–16 Al-Hussein
43 2016–17 Al-Diwaniya
44 2017–18 Al-Karkh
45 2018–19 Al-Qasim
46 2019–20 Abandoned
47 2020–21 Al-Sinaa
48 2021–22 Al-Hudood
49 2022–23 Al-Minaa
50 2023–24 Diyala
  1. ^ Now known as Kirkuk.
  2. ^ Now known as Amanat Baghdad.
  3. ^ Now known as Peshmerga Sulaymaniya.

Multiple winners

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Club Titles Winning seasons
Al-Minaa 3 1986–87, 1989–90, 2022–23
Al-Ittihad 2 1975–76, 1980–81
Al-Bahri 2 1978–79, 1985–86
Kirkuk 2 1982–83, 2000–01
Al-Mosul 2 1981–82, 2001–02
Al-Karkh 2 2012–13, 2017–18
Diyala 2 1996–97, 2023–24

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "في دوري الدرجة الممتازة تعادل فريق ديالى مع غاز لشمال من دون أهداف" (in Arabic). Al-Rabiaa Sports. 23 December 2023.
  2. ^ "الميناء بطلا لدوري الدرجة الأولى بعد فوزه على الامانة". shafaq.com (in Arabic). 2 June 2023.
  3. ^ "بالصور.. الميناء يتوج بلقب دوري الدرجة الأولى على حساب بغداد". kooora.com (in Arabic). 2 June 2023.
  4. ^ "الميناء يحرز لقب دوري الدرجة الاولى للموسم 2022/ 2023". al-mirbad.com (in Arabic). 2 June 2023.
  5. ^ "اعتماد تصنيف وآلية وموعد انطلاق دوري الدرجة الأولى". ifa.iq (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-08-10.
  6. ^ "تغيير في آلية التأهل والهبوط بالدرجة الاولى". almaalomah.me (in Arabic). 8 April 2023.
  7. ^ "بالوثيقة.. تغيير آلية الصعود والهبوط في الدوريين الممتاز والأول". baghdadtoday.news (in Arabic). 8 April 2023.
  8. ^ "دوري الدرجة الاولى دوري مظاليم بإمتياز". ipoa.me (in Arabic). 19 May 2021.
  9. ^ "دوري المظاليم.. قوة وتحدٍّ وإصرار". magazine.imn.iq (in Arabic). 30 May 2023.
  10. ^ "المظاليم أولى بالاهتمام". alsabaah.iq (in Arabic). 31 May 2023.
  11. ^ "تنظيم جيد لدوري المظاليم لكنه بحاجة إلى المزيد من الأضواء". azzaman-iraq.com (in Arabic). 7 June 2023.
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