The 2022–23 Iraqi First Division League was the 49th season of what is now called the Iraqi Premier Division League, the second tier of the Iraqi football league system, since its establishment in 1974. The number of clubs in the league have varied throughout history for various reasons. The top two teams are promoted to the Iraq Stars League, while the bottom two teams in each group are directly relegated to the Iraqi Second Division League.
In the last round of the league, in the Group 1, Amanat Baghdad was able to topped the group after achieving 38 points, while in the Group 2, Al-Minaa topped the group after achieving 46 points. Both teams were promoted to the Stars League, and it was decided that the final match between the two teams will be held in Baghdad on May 26, 2023 to determine the league champion. The Al-Minaa administration demanded that the match be transferred to Basra due to the large number of fans of the Al-Minaa, so that the match would be more attended, and the Amanat Baghdad administration agreed to that. Later, the Football Association decided that the match would be held on 2 June in Al-Fayhaa Stadium.
In the final, Al-Minaa was able to defeat Amanat Baghdad, 2–1, and win the title. The goals of Al-Minaa were scored by Sajjad Alaa (6') and Salem Ahmed (37'), while the goal of Amanat Baghdad was scored by Karrar Ali Bari (53').
Al-Jinsiya (who withdrew from the start) and Al-Hawija from Group 1, and Al-Sulaikh and Al-Samawa from Group 2 were relegated to the Iraqi Second Division League after finishing in the bottom positions in the standings.
Team changes The following teams have changed division since the 2021–22 season:
To Iraqi First Division League
Promoted from Iraqi Second Division League Al-Etisalat Al-Hawija Al-Jolan Masafi Al-Wasat
Relegated from the Premier League Amanat Baghdad Al-Minaa Samarra
From Iraqi First Division League
Promoted to the Premier League Al-Hudood Duhok Karbalaa
Relegated to Iraqi Second Division League Al-Alam Babil Ghaz Al-Shamal Suq Al-Shuyukh
Overview Changes In November 2020, The Iraq FA announced that the number of teams will decrease from 28 to 24 in total starting from 2021-2022 season. To make these changes possible, the Iraq FA announced that in 2022–23 season, a two teams are promoted to the Premier League, where the winner and runner-up of each group will play a play-off match, so that the winners will be promoted directly to the Premier League, while 6 teams in total are directly relegated to Second Division League.
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 Premier League, and the relegation of the last two teams in the standings in each group to the Second Division League, as a result, two teams are promote and 4 teams are relegate.
Developments On December 27, 2022, the Iraq Football Association decided to stop the championship matches, starting from the ninth round, due to the holding of the Arabian Gulf Cup in Iraq, and decided that the championship would resume after the end of the Arabian Gulf Cup. Indeed, the ninth round of the championship resumed on January 18, 2023.
Teams A total of 24 teams are contesting the league, including 17 sides from the 2021–22 season and the 3 relegated sides from the Iraqi Premier League and the 4 promoted sides from the Iraqi Second Division League, because of the recent changes necessary to adjustment to having 24 teams possible this season. The teams were divided into two groups, and the draw was held on October 27, 2022, and it was decided that the championship will start on November 18, 2022.
2022–23 season
TeamManagerLocationStadiumCapacityAfak Hussein MohieAl-Qādisiyyah Al-Kifl Stadium8,000 Al-Bahri Ahmed RahimBasra Al-Bahri Stadium7,000Al-Difaa Al-Madani Adel AjerBaghdad Al-Taji Stadium5,000Al-Etisalat Ahmed Hassan Abdul-SahibBaghdad Al-Taji Stadium5,000Al-Hawija Ali AbboudKirkukAl-Hawija Stadium5,000Al-Hussein Sahl NaeemBaghdad Five Thousand Stadium5,000Al-Jinsiya vacantBaghdad Al-Jinsiya Stadium5,000Al-Jolan Mustafa KarimAl-Anbar Al-Fallujah Stadium7,000Al-Kufa Maitham JaberNajaf Najaf Stadium12,000 Al-Minaa Fareed Majeed Basra Al-Minaa Olympic Stadium30,000Al-Muroor Rashid SultanBaghdad Al-Walaa Stadium5,000Al-Nasiriya Aqeel MohammedDhi QarAn Nasiriya Stadium10,000Al-Ramadi Jumaa JadeeaAl-Anbar Al Ramadi Stadium10,000Al-Samawa Ali JawadMuthannaAl-Samawah Stadium5,000Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya Mohammed Ali Karim Baghdad Al-Sinaa Stadium10,000Al-Shirqat Farhan HamadSaladin Al-Shirqat Stadium5,000Al-Sulaikh Muthana Khalid Baghdad Al-Sulaikh Stadium5,000 Amanat Baghdad Wissam Talib Baghdad Amanat Baghdad Stadium5,000Diyala Sadeq HanoonDiyalaDiyala Stadium10,000Masafi Al-Junoob Abdul Yemma WarwarBasra Masafi Al-Junoob Stadium5,000Masafi Al-Wasat Ali Majeed Baghdad Al-Masafi Stadium5,000Maysan Mizher RahimMaysanMaysan Stadium25,000Peshmerga Sulaymaniya Qusay HashimSulaymaniyahPeshmerga Stadium10,000Samarra Ali WahabSaladin Samarra Stadium10,000
Managerial changes TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyPosition in the groupIncoming managerDate of appointmentAl-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya Safaa AdnanSacked2 November 2022Pre-season Mudhafar Jabbar2 November 2022Al-Ramadi Thair JassamSacked24 November 202211th Mohammed Hammad24 November 2022Al-Samawa Aqeel GhaniSacked26 November 202210th Haider Hussien 26 November 2022Samarra Nihad GhaziSacked2 December 20229th Zahed Qasim2 December 2022Al-Nasiriya Dhiaa Abdul-Nabi Sacked6 December 202212th Mubarak Matar6 December 2022Masafi Al-Junoob Nasser Talla Dahilan Sacked14 December 202211th Abdul Yemma Warwar14 December 2022Al-Samawa Haider Hussien Sacked15 December 202212th Ali Jawad19 December 2022Al-Sulaikh Hazem SalehSacked19 December 202211th Muthana Khalid2 January 2023Al-Jolan Ali WahabSacked26 December 20225th Mustafa Karim4 January 2023Samarra Zahed QasimSacked3 January 202311th Ali Wahab3 January 2023Al-Nasiriya Mubarak Matar End of interim spell12 January 202312th Mohsin Abdul-Nabi 12 January 2023Al-Hawija Adel KhudhairSacked21 January 202310th Ali Abboud21 January 2023Afak Haider AbbasSacked22 January 202310th Haider Hussein22 January 2023Al-Ramadi Mohammed HammadSacked1 February 20235th Sadeq Hanoon1 February 2023Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya Mudhafar JabbarMutual consent11 February 20235th Mohammed Ali Karim11 February 2023Al-Nasiriya Mohsin Abdul-Nabi Mutual consent4 March 202311th Aqeel Mohammed 8 March 2023Afak Haider HusseinSacked13 March 20238th Hussein Mohie13 March 2023Al-Ramadi Sadeq HanoonMutual consent16 March 20237th Jumaa Jadeea17 March 2023Al-Jolan Mustafa KarimMutual consent20 March 20231st Hazem Saleh20 March 2023Al-Etisalat Hamza DawoodMutual consent30 March 202310th Ahmed Hassan Abdul-Sahib1 April 2023Al-Jolan Hazem Saleh Mutual consent1 April 20232nd Mustafa Karim1 April 2023Diyala Ali AbdullahSacked1 April 20233rd Sadeq Hanoon2 April 2023Al-Minaa Basim QasimSacked20 May 20231st Fareed Majeed20 May 2023
League table Group 1
Results
Group 2
Results
Final
GK 22 Ali FaisalRB30 Karrar Jumaa CB 42 Abdullah Mohsin (c) CB 33 Abbas YasLB 36 Hassan Odah CM 37 Haider SalemCM 15 Mohammed KhudhairCM 7 Ayad Abed Farhan RF 12 Karrar Jaafar CF 18 Salem Ahmed LF 26 Sajjad Alaa Substitutions:GK 1 Jaafar ShenaishilDF 17 Haider Sari MF 28 Hamza Hadi Ahmed MF 47 Mohammed SalahDF 55 Mohammed Abdul-Zahra Manager: Fareed Majeed
GK 21 Sarhang Muhsin (c) RB 4 Milad Falah CB 44 Mohammed Musa CB 14 Yousef Al-AlousiLB 13 Ayman Rezayej CM 42 Babacar Charles Faye CM 7 Sadia Olivier BleuCM 9 Karrar Ali Bari RF 10 Jabbar Karim CF 31 Oladayo Alabi LF 11 Muntadhar Rahim Substitutions:MF 17 Mustafa Falah GK 23 Munther Najem FW 28 Mohammed Ahmed DF 39 Ahmed Nadhim MF 77 Nabeel Sabah Manager: Wissam Talib
Match officials Assistant referees: Akram Ismail Ali Mazin Fourth official: Wamidh Mahmoud
Match rules 90 minutes. Penalty shootout if scores still level. Maximum of five substitutions
Season statistics
Top scorers Rank Player Club Goals1 Mohammed HassanMaysan132 Omar AttallahAl-Shirqat123 Salem AhmedAl-Minaa114 Ismaël Mohamed Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya8 Ali KarimDiyala6 DioguinhoAl-Minaa7 Saleh MotlaqPeshmerga Sulaymaniya Aba-Thar Abdul-SadaMasafi Al-Wasat9 Michael OhanuAl-Bahri6 Sajjad Alaa Al-Minaa Mohammed Abbas Peshmerga Sulaymaniya Donatus EdafeAl-Jolan
Hat-tricks Player For Against Result Date Abdullah AmmarAl-Difaa Al-MadaniAl-Etisalat3–0 (H)18 December 2022 Mohammed Hassan MaysanAl-Hawija4–1 (A)1 May 2023
Notes (H) – Home team(A) – Away team
References
External links Iraq Football Association Iraqi First Division League 2022/2023