 | |||
| Full name | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (Air Force Sports Club) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Al-Soqoor (The Falcons) Al-Areeq (The Deep-Rooted) | ||
| Founded | 4 July 1931; 94 years ago (1931-07-04) asGipsy Moth | ||
| Ground | Al-Shaab Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 35,700 | ||
| President | Shihab Jahid | ||
| Manager | Rashid Jaber | ||
| League | Iraq Stars League | ||
| 2024–25 | Iraq Stars League, 5th of 20 | ||
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (Arabic:نادي القوة الجوية الرياضي,lit. 'Air Force Sports Club') is an Iraqisports club based inRusafa District,Baghdad that competes in theIraq Stars League, the top-flight ofIraqi football. Founded in 1931, it is the oldest existing club in Iraq.
Its football team is one of the most successful in Iraq, having won sevenIraq Stars League titles, most recently in the2020–21 season, while they won their sixthIraq FA Cup title in2023. The club has also won twoIraqi Super Cup titles and a joint-record threeBaghdad Championships, and in the 1996–97 season became the first of only two clubs to win all four major national trophies in the same season.
On the continental level, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya are joint-record winners of theAFC Cup (now known as AFC Champions League Two), Asia's second-tier club competition, having become the first club to win three consecutive titles in2016,2017 and2018. They have also participated in the group stage of theAFC Champions League Elite on six occasions.
On 4 July 1931, 73 days after the foundation of theIraqi Air Force, the club was founded by a group of Iraqi flight policemen at the BritishRoyal Air Force station ofRAF Hinaidi, making it the oldest existing football club inIraq.[1] The club was namedGipsy Moth after the model of the first fleet of the Iraqi Air Force, but soon the club was renamed toAl-Quwa Al-Jawiya Al-Malakiya, simply meaningRoyal Air Force. Dressed in army fatigues and short khakis, they played their very first game a day later against a team fromRAF Habbaniya and won the match. The win over the British forces helped the club grow in popularity as many Iraqis began supporting the club as its reputation spread across the nation.[2]
As the British forces and its leaders saw that the club's activities had broadened and its members and followers had multiplied which was clearly seen in the matches they played in, the British wanted to get rid of some of its leaders, butKing Ghazi, who took over as ruler of Iraq in 1933, had a strong relationship with the Iraqi flight policemen and he invited the members to have talks to solve the problem. It was not long before a solution for the development of the club had been decided on and they came under the control of another branch of the Iraqi Air Force, which opened a number of doors for the club around areas in Iraq. They won their first trophy on 19 May 1933, defeating Al-Lasilki 1–0 after extra time in the final of the Prince Ghazi Cup, thanks to a goal by Nasser Hussein, wearing the colours of green and purple.[3] Jawiya andAl-Haras Al-Malaki (meaning Royal Guard) became close rivals with the two teams regularly competing for theIraq Central FA Premier League title (a league for teams inBaghdad and its neighbouring cities). This league competition started in 1948 and continued all the way until 1973 when the Central FA Premier League and other regional leagues were replaced by theIraqi National First Division.[4][5][6]
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Jawiya were one of the six teams to compete in the1956–57 season which saw adouble-elimination format introduced for the first time. In 1957, Jawiya completed the signing ofAmmo Baba, one of the best players in Iraqi football history, and won their first league title in Ammo's first season at the club in1957–58, afterAl-Shorta Select XI withdrew from the replay of the final. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya Al-Malakiya were renamed to Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (Air Force) when Iraq became a republic in 1958. The1959–60 season saw Jawiya reach the final of the league again, but they lost 3–0 toAl-Athori.[7] Jawiya secured their second league title in the1961–62 season as the league changed to a round-robin format. This qualified them for the1962 Iraq Central FA Altruism Cup (later known asIraq Central FA Perseverance Cup) which they won by defeatingAl-Kuliya Al-Askariya 4–2. Jawiya won the league title again in1963–64 and also won theIraq Central FA Altruism Cup again that year. They were once managed by ScotsmanFrank Hill in the fifties, a player atArsenal and manager atNotts County andCharlton Athletic – attempting on two separate occasions to sign Jawiya's star inside forward Ammo Baba. They had another British link as the team featured formerBristol Rovers reserveYoura Eshaya who went on to become one of the longest-serving players at the club from 1955 to 1971.[8] Jawiya claimed their fourth title in1972–73, winning the league with a 100% win record (seven wins from seven games).[citation needed]
The club continued their strong form and won the country's new nationwide league in the1973–74 season. That season, Jawiya also won the first and only edition of theIraq FA Baghdad Cup, a knockout tournament played between 20 teams from Baghdad and its neighbouring cities, by beatingAl-Sikak Al-Hadeed 2–1 in the final. In 1974, theIraq Football Association decided to form theIraqi Premier League (then known as the Iraqi National Clubs League) which was only open to clubs rather than institute-representative teams, resulting in the club changing their name from Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya toAl-Tayaran (Airlines). The first ever edition of the Iraqi Premier League in the1974–75 season saw Al-Tayaran claim the title, finishing just a single point above runners-upAl-Naqil, meaning they had won three league titles in a row (one Central FA First Division, one National First Division and one National Clubs League). All three titles were won under the management ofAbdelilah Mohammed Hassan. Al-Tayaran won their firstIraq FA Cup title by beatingAl-Shorta 5–3 on penalties in the1978 final after a 1–1 draw, withNadhum Shaker scoring the winning penalty.[citation needed]
In the1989–90 season, Al-Tayaran managed to get their second Premier League title, known as the National Clubs League at the time. They finished four points ahead of defending champions Al-Rasheed. 12 goals fromNatiq Hashim were crucial in winning Amer Jamil's Al-Tayaran the title. Midway through the 1990–91 season, on 20 April 1991, theMinistry of Interior decided to dissolve all the clubs that were under its control includingAl-Bahri (Navy Club),Al-Jaish (Army Club) and Al-Tayaran. However, after immense pressure from supporters of the club, Al-Tayaran returned to action on 12 May 1991, but returned to their old name ofAl-Quwa Al-Jawiya. The1991–92 season saw Jawiya win their first ever nationalDouble and goes down as one of the most successful seasons in the club's history. Managed by Adil Yousef, Jawiya claimed the title on the very last day of the season, defeating Al-Zawraa 1–0 in their last game thanks to an early goal by their top scorerAkram Emmanuel to overtake their opponents and claim the trophy. The game was controversial as Al-Zawraa scored a goal throughLaith Hussein that was ruled out for offside; had the goal counted, Al-Zawraa would have retained their title. Jawiya coupled their league success with their secondFA Cup win, defeatingAl-Khutoot 2–1 in the cup final. Jawiya managed to win their first Umm al-Ma'arik Championship (later known as the Baghdad Championship) title in the1994–95 season with a penalty shootout win over Al-Talaba after the game ended goalless.[citation needed]
Jawiya, under the leadership ofAyoub Odisho, started the1996–97 season by winning theUmm al-Ma'arik Championship. Jawiya also managed to win the Iraqi Premier League with 22 wins from 30 games with their top scorer beingSabah Jeayer. Four days before clinching the league title, Jawiya won their thirdIraq FA Cup with a penalty shootout victory againstAl-Shorta in front of 50,000 spectators atAl-Shaab Stadium. Jawiya became history-makers by winning theIraqi Super Cup 3–1 againstAl-Zawraa at the end of the season to become the first team in Iraqi football history to win all four major domestic trophies in a single season. The joy of the 1996–97 campaign was followed by a heartbreaking 1997–98 season. Jawiya conceded a 97th-minute equalising penalty to Al-Zawraa in the1998 Iraq FA Cup final and lost the ensuing penalty shootout. Jawiya then drew 1–1 against Al-Zawraa in their last league match of the season, and missed out on the title to Al-Shorta after Al-Shorta scored a 91st-minute winning penalty in their match against Al-Sulaikh. Jawiya players mistakenly thought that Al-Shorta had drawn their match which would have made them champions and they began celebrating on the field, with Ayoub Odisho giving an interview on live television. Midway through Odisho's interview, the stadium announcer declared that the final score of Al-Shorta's game was 3–2 and that Al-Shorta were officially the champions of Iraq.[citation needed]
Jawiya clinched their third Umm al-Ma'arik Championship title in the1998–99 season by beatingAl-Naft in the final. Jawiya also managed to win the2001 Iraqi Super Cup against Al-Zawraa with a 1–0 win. In 2003 the club briefly changed their name back to Al-Tayaran before returning to the name Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya again. Jawiya entered the2004–05 season in search of a fifth Premier League title, and they managed to achieve it by beatingAl-Minaa 2–0 in the final coached bySabah Abdul-Jalil. In the2006–07 season, Jawiya reached the final of the league again but lost it to hosts Erbil by a score of 1–0. Their position as league runners-up qualified them for the2008 AFC Champions League but they exited at the group stage for the third time in a row. In the2014–15 campaign, Jawiya qualified for the league final where they played newly promotedNaft Al-Wasat, and lost on penalties after a goalless draw. Jawiya won the2015–16 Iraq FA Cup by defeating rivalsAl-Zawraa 2–0, thus denying their opponents the Double.[9]
By finishing as runners-up of the 2014–15 league, Jawiya qualified for the2016 AFC Cup,[10] Asia's second-tier club tournament. They reached the2016 AFC Cup Final, where Hammadi Ahmad scored the only goal of the game againstIndian sideBengaluru to become the first Iraqi club to win the AFC Cup and claim their first ever major continental trophy.[11] Jawiya then went on to win the2016–17 Iraqi Premier League, their sixth Premier League title, under the helm ofBasim Qasim.[12] They rounded off the season by winning their second consecutive AFC Cup, this time beatingFC Istiklol 1–0 in thefinal. They then became the first team in history to win the AFC Cup three times in a row with a 2–0 win overAltyn Asyr in the2018 final, and clinched their seventh Premier League title in the2020–21 season underAyoub Odisho, coupling it with the2020–21 Iraq FA Cup title to earn their third national double.[13]
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya's old stadium was located inBaghdad, nearFalastin Street, opposite theformer stadium site of their rivalsAl-Shorta. It had a capacity of 6,000. The seats were light blue in colour. The stadium was demolished in July 2025 to make way for the construction of a new 15,000-seater stadium for the club which is expected to be completed in 2028.
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya currently play their home matches at Al-Shaab Stadium in Baghdad.
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya's home kit is blue with white trimmings, while their away kit is yellow with blue trimmings.[citation needed]
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya's main rivals areAl-Zawraa, with whom they contest theIraqi Classico. Jawiya also share a rivalry withAl-Shorta andAl-Talaba.[14] There also exists a rivalry between Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya andAl-Minaa, which is sometimes called theAl-Araqa derby, because the two clubs are the oldest clubs in Iraq.[15][16]
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya are one of the traditional "Big Four" of Baghdad and thus have a large fanbase, concentrated mainly in Iraq's capital.[citation needed]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
| Position | Name | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Manager: | Wesam Rizik |  |
| Assistant manager: | Edu San José |  |
| Fitness coach: | Dani Acosta | |
| Match analyst: | Hamed Nizar Mahrous |  |
| Goalkeeping coach: | Emad Hashim |  |
| Technical Advisor: | Mahdi Jassim | |
| Administrative director: | Jassim Ghulam | |
| Team supervisor: | Ahmed Khudhair | |
Source:[citation needed]
| Type | Competition | Titles | Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic (national) | Iraq Stars League | 7 | 1974–75,1989–90,1991–92,1996–97,2004–05,2016–17,2020–21 |
| Iraqi National First Division | 1 | 1973–74 | |
| Iraq FA Cup | 6 | 1977–78,1991–92,1996–97,2015–16,2020–21,2022–23 | |
| Iraqi Super Cup | 2 | 1997,2001 | |
| Baghdad Championship | 3s | 1994–95,1996–97,1998–99 | |
| Domestic (regional) | Iraq Central FA Premier League | 4 | 1957–58,1961–62,1963–64,1972–73 |
| Iraq FA Baghdad Cup | 1 | 1974 | |
| Iraq Central FA Perseverance Cup | 2s | 1962,1964 | |
| Continental | AFC Cup / AFC Champions League Two | 3s | 2016,2017,2018 |
| Competition | Titles | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| New Iraq Championship | 1 | 2003 |
| Al-Quds International Championship | 1 | 2001 |
| Victory Championship | 1 | 1988 |
| Farewell League Trophy | 1 | 1986 |
| Al-Milad Cup | 1 | 1985 |
| Al-Wehdat Championship | 1 | 1984 |
| Stafford Challenge Cup | 1 | 1982[17] |
| Army League | 1 | 1973–74 |
| Army Cup | 4s | 1958, 1959, 1964, 1973 |
| Authority Director Cup | 1 | 1964 |
| Al-Firqa Al-Thaniya Cup | 1 | 1961 |
| Inter-Forces Tournament | 1 | 1957 |
| Wajih Younis Cup | 1 | 1956 |
| Jamal Baban Cup | 1 | 1950 |
| Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya Cup | 2 | 1941, 1942 |
| Palestine Cup | 1 | 1942 |
| Capital Secretariat Cup | 1 | 1941 |
| Guardian Cup | 1 | 1940 |
| Taha Al-Hashimi Cup | 1 | 1939 |
| Casuals Cup | 4 | 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1935–36 |
| Prince Ghazi Cup | 3 | 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35 |
| Year | Central League | Baghdad Cup | Perseverance Cup |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956–57 | Runner-up | Started in 1974 | Started in 1962 |
| 1957–58 | Winner | ||
| 1958–59 | Ninth place | ||
| 1959–60 | Runner-up | ||
| 1960–61 | Third place | ||
| 1961–62 | Winner | Winner | |
| 1962–63 | Fourth place | did not qualify | |
| 1963–64 | Winner | Winner | |
| 1964–65 | Fifth place | did not qualify | |
| 1965–66 | Runner-up | Runner-up | |
| 1966–67 | not finished | Abolished in 1966 | |
| 1967–68 | Third place | ||
| 1968–69 | Runner-up | ||
| 1969–70 | Fourth place | ||
| 1970–71 | Third place | ||
| 1971–72 | Fourth place | ||
| 1972–73 | Winner | ||
| 1973–74 | Folded in 1973 | Winner |
| Year | National First Division |
|---|---|
| 1973–74 | Winner |
| Year | Stars League | FA Cup | Super Cup | Baghdad Ch'ship |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948–49 | Started in 1974 | did not enter | Started in 1986 | Started in 1991 |
| 1974–75 | Winner | not held | ||
| 1975–76 | Runner-up | Round of 32 | ||
| 1976–77 | Ninth place | not held | ||
| 1977–78 | Seventh place | Winner | ||
| 1978–79 | Fifth place | Semi-final | ||
| 1979–80 | Ninth place | Round of 16 | ||
| 1980–81 | Third place | Quarter-final | ||
| 1981–82 | Runner-up | Semi-final | ||
| 1982–83 | Third place | Semi-final | ||
| 1983–84 | Third place | Quarter-final | ||
| 1984–85 | not finished | not finished | ||
| 1985–86 | Third place | not held | did not qualify | |
| 1986–87 | Fourth place | Semi-final | not held | |
| 1987–88 | Third place | Round of 16 | not held | |
| 1988–89 | Third place | Runner-up | not held | |
| 1989–90 | Winner | Semi-final | not held | |
| 1990–91 | Sixth place | Semi-final | not held | |
| 1991–92 | Winner | Winner | not held | Runner-up |
| 1992–93 | Third place | Second round | not held | Runner-up |
| 1993–94 | Runner-up | Semi-final | not held | Runner-up |
| 1994–95 | Runner-up | Semi-final | not held | Winner |
| 1995–96 | Eighth place | Semi-final | not held | Runner-up |
| 1996–97 | Winner | Winner | Winner | Winner |
| 1997–98 | Runner-up | Runner-up | did not qualify | Group stage |
| 1998–99 | Third place | Semi-final | not held | Winner |
| 1999–2000 | Runner-up | Runner-up | did not qualify | Runner-up |
| 2000–01 | Runner-up | not held | Runner-up | Group stage |
| 2001–02 | Runner-up | Round of 16 | Winner | Fourth place |
| 2002–03 | not finished | Round of 32 | Runner-up | Fourth place |
| 2003–04 | not finished | not held | not held | Semi-final |
| 2004–05 | Winner | not held | not held | Abolished in 2004 |
| 2005–06 | Fourth place | not held | not held | |
| 2006–07 | Runner-up | not held | not held | |
| 2007–08 | Third place | not held | not held | |
| 2008–09 | Sixth place | not held | not held | |
| 2009–10 | Fifth place | not held | not held | |
| 2010–11 | Fourth place | not held | not held | |
| 2011–12 | Third place | not held | not held | |
| 2012–13 | Third place | not finished | not held | |
| 2013–14 | Fourth place | not held | not held | |
| 2014–15 | Runner-up | not held | not held | |
| 2015–16 | Fourth place | Winner | not held | |
| 2016–17 | Winner | Quarter-final | not held | |
| 2017–18 | Runner-up | not held | Runner-up | |
| 2018–19 | Runner-up | Semi-final | not held | |
| 2019–20 | not finished | not finished | did not qualify | |
| 2020–21 | Winner | Winner | not held | |
| 2021–22 | Runner-up | Quarter-final | Runner-up | |
| 2022–23 | Runner-up | Winner | did not qualify | |
| 2023–24 | Runner-up | Runner-up | not held | |
| 2024–25 | Fifth place | Semi-final | not held |
