Thesport offootball in the country ofIraq is run by theIraq Football Association .[ 1] [ 2] The association administers thenational football team as well as theIraqi football league system .[ 3] [ 4] [ 5] [ 6] [ 7] Football is the most popular sport in Iraq.[ 8] Approximately 35% of the people in Iraq are considered football fans.[ 9]
Bashar Resan withIraq The national team have qualified for the final tournament of theWorld Cup once in1986 which was held inMexico . Success in theAsian Cup has been more widespread, winning the tournament in2007 and finishing fourth in1976 and2015 . As of 2015 thewomen's national team have not entered either of these competitions.[citation needed ]
Theunder-23 side has had success at theAsian Games winning silver at the2006 edition inQatar and bronze in the2014 tournament , held inSouth Korea . Their best placing inOlympic football has been fourth atAthens in 2004.[citation needed ]
As of 18 July 2024 the men's team wereranked 55th in the world[ 10] while the women's team are ranked 172nd[ 11]
Football stadiums in Iraq [ edit ] TheMinistry of Youth and Sports developed plans to drastically improve sports infrastructure and have decided to build big stadiums in every governorate ofIraq . Thegovernment gave them a $2.5bn package for this cause, and plans have been drawn up to build most of the stadiums below. They have also used some of this budget to improve football on a local level in areas of the country. Most stadiums listed below have been funded by this package, unless they are one of the older stadiums, or the proposed Baghdad Sports City, which will be funded by theSaudi king,King Salman .[citation needed ]
# Image Stadium Location Current Capacity Sport Home team(s) Year built Coordinates Ref. 1 Basra International Stadium Basra 65,227 Football Iraq national football team 2013 30°26′23.6″N 47°46′47.3″E / 30.439889°N 47.779806°E /30.439889; 47.779806 (Basra International Stadium ) [ 12] [ 13] [ 14] 2 Al-Shaab Stadium Baghdad 35,700 Football Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya ,Al-Shorta SC ,Al-Talaba SC 1966 33°19′29.53″N 44°26′07.09″E / 33.3248694°N 44.4353028°E /33.3248694; 44.4353028 (Al-Shaab Stadium ) [ 15] [ 16] [ 17] 3 Al-Madina Stadium Al Habibya,Baghdad 32,000 Football Iraq national football team 2021 33°21′15.8″N 44°27′20.1″E / 33.354389°N 44.455583°E /33.354389; 44.455583 (Al-Madina Stadium ) [ 18] [ 19] [ 20] 4 Karbala International Stadium Karbala 30,000 Football Karbala SC 2016 32°33′53.4″N 44°00′15.4″E / 32.564833°N 44.004278°E /32.564833; 44.004278 (Karbala International Stadium ) [ 21] [ 22] [ 23] 5 Al-Najaf International Stadium Najaf 30,000 Football Al-Najaf SC ,Naft Al-Wasat SC 2018 32°03′58.7″N 44°19′01″E / 32.066306°N 44.31694°E /32.066306; 44.31694 (Al-Najaf International Stadium ) [ 24] [ 25] [ 26] 6 Al-Minaa Olympic Stadium Basra 30,000 Football Al-Minaa SC 2022 30°33′08.6″N 47°46′41.5″E / 30.552389°N 47.778194°E /30.552389; 47.778194 (Al-Minaa Olympic Stadium ) [ 27] [ 28] [ 29] 7 Franso Hariri Stadium Erbil 25,000 Football Erbil SC 1956 36°10′21.1″N 44°00′42″E / 36.172528°N 44.01167°E /36.172528; 44.01167 (Franso Hariri Stadium ) [ 30] [ 31] [ 32] 8 Kirkuk Olympic Stadium Kirkuk 25,000 Football Kirkuk SC 1982 35°26′35.4″N 44°25′16.7″E / 35.443167°N 44.421306°E /35.443167; 44.421306 (Kirkuk Olympic Stadium ) [ 33] [ 34] [ 35] 9 Maysan Stadium Amarah 25,000 Football Naft Maysan SC ,Maysan SC 1987 31°50′07.2″N 47°07′37.1″E / 31.835333°N 47.126972°E /31.835333; 47.126972 (Maysan Stadium ) [ 36] [ 37] [ 38] 10 Duhok Stadium Duhok 22,800 Football Duhok SC 1986 36°51′06.9″N 42°59′47.1″E / 36.851917°N 42.996417°E /36.851917; 42.996417 (Duhok Stadium ) [ 39] [ 40] [ 41] 11 Zakho International Stadium Zakho 20,000 Football Zakho SC 2015 37°08′45.5″N 42°40′20″E / 37.145972°N 42.67222°E /37.145972; 42.67222 (Zakho Stadium ) [ 42] [ 43] [ 44] 12 Al-Kut Olympic Stadium Al Kut 20,000 Football Al-Kut SC 2018 32°30′08.6″N 45°50′06.2″E / 32.502389°N 45.835056°E /32.502389; 45.835056 (Al-Kut Olympic Stadium ) [ 45] [ 46] [ 47] 13 Sulaymaniyah Stadium Sulaymaniyah 18,000 Football Sulaymaniyah SC ,Newroz SC 35°32′59.4″N 45°25′44.4″E / 35.549833°N 45.429000°E /35.549833; 45.429000 (Sulaymaniyah Stadium ) [ 48] [ 49] [ 50] 14 Al-Zawraa Stadium Baghdad 15,443 Football Al-Zawraa SC 2022 33°20′39.2″N 44°22′05.5″E / 33.344222°N 44.368194°E /33.344222; 44.368194 (Al-Zawraa Stadium ) [ 51] [ 52] [ 53] 15 Al Ramadi Stadium Ramadi 15,000 Football Al-Ramadi SC ,Al-Fahad SC 33°25′13.4″N 43°19′18.3″E / 33.420389°N 43.321750°E /33.420389; 43.321750 (Al-Ramadi Stadium ) [ 54] [ 55] [ 56] 16 Al-Samawah Stadium Al Muthanna 15,000 Football Al-Samawa SC ,Uruk SC 31°19′58.9″N 45°17′20.2″E / 31.333028°N 45.288944°E /31.333028; 45.288944 (Al-Samawah Stadium ) [ 57] [ 58] [ 59] 17 Al-Kashafa Stadium Al Kasrah,Baghdad 14,000 Football 1931 33°21′34″N 44°22′49.5″E / 33.35944°N 44.380417°E /33.35944; 44.380417 (Al-Kashafa Stadium ) [ 60] [ 61] [ 62] 18 Al Fayhaa Stadium Basra 10,000 Football Naft Al-Basra SC ,Al-Minaa SC 2013 30°26′33.3″N 47°46′47.3″E / 30.442583°N 47.779806°E /30.442583; 47.779806 (Al Fayhaa Stadium ) [ 63] [ 64] [ 65] 19 Al-Najaf old Stadium Najaf 10,000 Football Al-Najaf SC 1970 32°00′43.6″N 44°19′39.9″E / 32.012111°N 44.327750°E /32.012111; 44.327750 (Al-Najaf old stadium ) [ 66] [ 67] [ 68] 20 Suq Al-Shuyukh Stadium Dhi Qar 10,000 Football Al-Furat SC ,Suq Al-Shuyukh SC 2015 30°54′12.6″N 46°27′09.4″E / 30.903500°N 46.452611°E /30.903500; 46.452611 (Suq Al-Shuyukh Stadium ) [ 69] [ 70] [ 71] 21 Delal Stadium Zakho 10,000 Football Zakho SC 37°10′06.3″N 42°41′30.2″E / 37.168417°N 42.691722°E /37.168417; 42.691722 (Delal Stadium ) 22 Al Aziziyah Stadium Wasit 10,000 Football Al-Aziziyah SC 2019 32°50′41.7″N 45°08′09.3″E / 32.844917°N 45.135917°E /32.844917; 45.135917 (Al-Aziziyah Stadium ) [ 72] [ 73] [ 74] 23 Al-Nasiriyah Stadium Nasiriyah 10,000 Football Al-Nasiriya SC ,Akkad SC 31°01′17.8″N 46°15′04.7″E / 31.021611°N 46.251306°E /31.021611; 46.251306 (Al-Nasiriyah Stadium ) 24 Ba'quba Stadium Baqubah 10,000 Football Diyala SC 33°44′53.1″N 44°39′27.1″E / 33.748083°N 44.657528°E /33.748083; 44.657528 (Ba'quba Stadium ) 25 Tikrit Stadium Tikrit 10,000 Football Salahaddin SC ,Tikrit SC 34°35′46.6″N 43°41′01.7″E / 34.596278°N 43.683806°E /34.596278; 43.683806 (Tikrit Stadium )
Aliyat Al-Shorta reached the final of theAsian Club Championship , the biggest tournament in Asian football, in1971 but withdrew from the final due to it being against an Israeli team.Al-Rasheed also reached the final in1989 but lost on away goals.Al-Shorta won the first ever edition of theArab Club Champions Cup in1982 with Al-Rasheed winning that competition three times in a row (1985 ,1986 ,1987 ).Al-Talaba andAl-Zawraa both lost the final of theAsian Cup Winners' Cup in1995 and2000 respectively, andErbil lost the final of Asia's second-tier tournament, theAFC Cup , twice in2012 and2014 .Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya won the AFC Cup three consecutive times in2016 ,2017 and2018 , whileDuhok won the2024–25 edition of theAGCFF Gulf Club Champions League .
Domestic league titles won by club [ edit ]