Iraqi First Division League

The Iraqi First Division League is a football league that is the third tier of the Iraqi football league system. The league consists of 26 teams and was founded in 1974. The number of clubs in the league have varied throughout history for various reasons.^[1] The top two teams are promoted directly to the Iraqi Premier Division League, while 10 teams are relegated directly to the Iraqi Second Division League. The league is governed by the Iraq Football Association (IFA),^[2] and may be introduced into the top tiers of Iraqi football that are governed by the Iraqi Pro League Association in the future.

In the 2023–24 season, Al-Mosul won the championship title after defeating Al-Kadhimiya 6–4 on penalties after a 1–1 draw in the final match.^[3]

Competition name

Competition format (2022–23)

Schedule

The Iraqi First Division League starts with 125 clubs and ends with four qualified clubs according to three rounds.

First round

The competition begins with regional leagues, where the 125 clubs are divided into 16 groups depending on the location, except for the groups of Dohuk and Erbil, each group representing the governorate to which these clubs belong and is located within its borders.

Second round

The 53 teams coming from the first round are all divided into five groups by location, and these groups have sub-groups. The first from each group is considered a winner, the winning teams advance directly to the third round.

Final round

The twelve qualified teams have been divided into two groups, and the first two teams from each group will be promoted to Iraqi Premier Division League. The winner of Group 1 meets the winner of Group 2 in a final match to determine the league champion.

References

^ "دوري الدرجة الثانية" (in Arabic). Iraq Football Association.
^ "لجنة مسابقات اتحاد الكرة العراقي تحدّد موعد انطلاق دوري الدرجة الثانية" (in Arabic). Al-Mutalee. 26 October 2021.
^ "الاتصالات بطلاً لدوري الدرجة الثانية بكرة القدم بعد انتصاره على فريق الحويجة في المباراة النهائية". ipoa.me (in Arabic). June 21, 2022.

External links

Iraq Football Association

[1] "دوري الدرجة الثانية" (in Arabic). Iraq Football Association.

[2] "لجنة مسابقات اتحاد الكرة العراقي تحدّد موعد انطلاق دوري الدرجة الثانية" (in Arabic). Al-Mutalee. 26 October 2021.

[3] "الاتصالات بطلاً لدوري الدرجة الثانية بكرة القدم بعد انتصاره على فريق الحويجة في المباراة النهائية". ipoa.me (in Arabic). June 21, 2022.