The Iraq Stars League, is the highest level of the Iraqi football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Iraqi Premier Division League. It is governed by the Iraqi Pro League Association.
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya is an Iraqi sports club based in Rusafa District, Baghdad that competes in the Iraq Stars League, the top-flight of Iraqi football. Founded in 1931, it is the oldest existing club in Iraq.
Erbil Sports Club is a professional sports club based in the city of Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq that plays in the Iraq Stars League, the first-tier of Iraqi football. Erbil also fields a team in the Kurdistan Premier League.
Al-Shorta Sports Club is an Iraqi sports club based in Al-Rusafa, Baghdad. It has teams in 18 different sports, and the best known section of the club is the football team, whose origins date back to 1932. Al-Shorta was formally established as a sports club in 1978 after a clubs-only policy was introduced to Iraqi football.
Football Club Altyn Asyr, also known as Altyn Asyr Ashgabat or simply Altyn Asyr, which translates to "Golden Century", is a Turkmen professional football club based in Ashgabat. Founded in 2008, the club competes in the Ýokary Liga, the top tier of Turkmen football. It has remained there ever since, winning the Turkmenistan Higher League championship eight times in a row. The club also won the Turkmenistan Cup for 5 times in 2009, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2020 and has been regular in AFC Cup recently. The team plays in the Ashgabat Stadium.
Radhi Shenaishil Swadi is a former Iraqi footballer and former coach of the Iraq national football team, and currently manages Iraq U23.
Humam Tariq Faraj Naoush is an Iraqi professional footballer who plays for Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya and the Iraq national team as winger. He also played for Esteghlal F.C. between 2018 and 2019. Tariq has long been considered one of Iraq's most talented footballers. He has represented Iraq at Under-19, Under-20, Under-22, Under-23 and full international level, making his debut for the national team at the age of 16, making him the youngest Iraqi in history to represent the senior team. Humam represented Iraq at the Rio Olympics in 2016, playing in all 3 of Iraq's matches against Denmark, Brazil and South Africa. Tariq has also played at the 2013 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, where he was one of Iraq's star players as the underdogs went on a run to the semi-final. At senior level, he has played at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, where they beat the odds and reached the semi-final.
The 2016 AFC Cup was the 13th edition of the AFC Cup, Asia's secondary club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
The 2015–16 Iraq FA Cup was the 27th edition of the Iraqi knockout football cup as a club competition, the main domestic cup in Iraqi football. It was the second edition held after the 2002–03 edition, although the 2012–13 one was abandoned.
Fahad Talib is an Iraqi professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Persian Gulf Pro League club Sanat Naft Abadan and the Iraq national team.
The 2016 AFC Cup Final was the final match of the 2016 AFC Cup, the 13th edition of the AFC Cup, a football competition organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for clubs from 'developing countries' in Asia according to the Vision Asia plan.
The 2017 AFC Cup Final was the final match of the 2017 AFC Cup, the 14th edition of the AFC Cup, Asia's secondary club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
The 2016–17 Iraqi Premier League was the 43rd season of the Iraqi Premier League, the highest division for Iraqi association football clubs, since its establishment in 1974. The season started on 15 September 2016, and ended on 10 August 2017.
The 2018 AFC Cup was the 15th edition of the AFC Cup, Asia's secondary club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Alaa Ali Mhawi is an Iraqi professional footballer who plays for Erbil in Iraqi Premier League and the Iraqi national team as a right back.
The 2018 AFC Cup knockout stage was played from 7 May to 27 October 2018. A total of 11 teams competed in the knockout stage to decide the champions of the 2018 AFC Cup.
The Baghdad derbies are a series of derby matches between four Baghdad-based football clubs: Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Al-Shorta, Al-Talaba and Al-Zawraa, collectively known as the 'Popular Teams'. They are the four most successful teams in the history of Iraqi football, and league games between the clubs are played at the neutral venue of Al-Shaab Stadium to accommodate more spectators. The match between Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya and Al-Zawraa is often referred to as the Iraqi El Clásico.
The 2020–21 season was Al-Shorta's 47th season in the Iraqi Premier League, having featured in all 46 previous editions of the competition. Al-Shorta participated in the Iraqi Premier League, the Iraq FA Cup and the AFC Champions League, having won the league title in the 2018–19 season. Al-Shorta were unable to defend their league title as they ended the season in fourth place, while they reached the semi-finals of the Iraq FA Cup and were eliminated from the AFC Champions League group stages.
The 2021 Ýokary Liga is the 29th season of the Ýokary Liga, Turkmenistan's top division of association football. FC Altyn Asyr are the defending champions from the 2020 campaign. The season began on 20 October 2021 and will conclude in December 2021. The winners of the league this season will earn a spot in 2022 AFC Champions League, and the second placed club will earn a place in the 2022 AFC Cup.
The 2022–23 season was Al-Shorta's 49th season in the Iraqi Premier League, having featured in all 48 previous editions of the competition. Al-Shorta participated in the Iraqi Premier League as defending champions, as well as the Iraq FA Cup, the Iraqi Super Cup and the Arab Club Champions Cup.
