# Al-Zawraa SC

Al-Zawra'a Sports Club (Arabic: نادي الزوراء الرياضي) is an Iraqi professional sports club based in Utayfia, Karkh District (near Tigris River), Baghdad. Their football team competes in the Iraq Stars League, the top-flight of Iraqi football. Al-Zawra'a have won the most major honours of any club in Iraq, having won 14 league titles, 16 Iraq FA Cups and 5 Iraqi Super Cups—all record totals.
Al-Zawra'a also won the Umm al-Ma'arik Championship or Baghdad Championship a joint-record three times. Al-Zawra'a have won the domestic double a record eight times and became only the second Iraqi team to win the domestic quadruple in the 1999–2000 season. In 2022, Al-Zawra'a opened the new all-seater Al-Zawraa Stadium which replaced the club's old ground at the same site.
Al-Zawra'a finished fourth at the 1996–97 Asian Club Championship and were runners-up of the 1999–2000 Asian Cup Winners' Cup. Al-Zawra'a have competed in the AFC Champions League group stage three times and have reached the knockout rounds of the AFC Cup three times. The team's home colour is white, thus they are nicknamed "Al-Nawaris" (lit. 'The Gulls').

## History
### Foundation

Al-Zawra'a was founded on 29 June 1969 as Al-Muwasalat, which means 'Transportation'. Al-Muwasalat participated in the Iraq Central FA Fourth Division in the 1969–70 season. In the 1970–71 season, they won the fourth division and were promoted to the third division. The 1971–72 season saw the establishment of 'Al-Muwasalat B' (the club's B team), with the merger of Al-Bareed B and Al-Matar Al-Madani, which joined the fourth division. In their first season, Al-Muwasalat B won the fourth division under coach Rasheed Radhi and were promoted to the third division, beating Al-Shabab 2–1 on 1 June 1972 at Al-Kashafa Stadium.
On 16 November 1972, the club was renamed to Al-Zawra'a. The 1972–73 season saw both Al-Zawra'a and Al-Zawra'a B competing in the third division, and in the 1973–74 season, Al-Zawra'a B won the third division title after a 2–1 win over Indhibat Al-Shorta, securing promotion to the second division. As they were the club's B team, the A and B teams merged back together, and the club was also merged with another club called Saleem Sports Club, to compete in the newly founded Iraqi National Second Division in the 1974–75 season. Al-Zawra'a won the second division title that season under Rasheed Radhi's leadership, being promoted into the Iraqi National League for the first time in their history for the 1975–76 season.
A club named Al-Naqil (meaning 'Transport'), who were attached to the Ministry of Transport, were the runners-up of the 1974–75 Iraqi National League, but the club was dissolved due to a lack of financial backing. Al-Naqil's players joined newly promoted side Al-Zawra'a, who were founded by the Minister of Transport, Adnan Ayoub Sabri Al-Ezzi. This meant that Al-Zawra'a became one of the strongest clubs in Iraq from their first season in the top-flight, which was the 1975–76 season, where they won both the league title and the Iraq FA Cup. In the 1976–77 season, Al-Zawra'a retained their title, winning the league undefeated, and the 1978–79 season saw Al-Zawra'a win the league undefeated again, also winning the Iraq FA Cup to secure their second double.

### 1980s

The 1980s is the only decade in which Al-Zawra'a failed to win a league title. However, they did win three Iraq FA Cup titles that decade, with victories in the 1980–81, 1981–82 and 1988–89 seasons. Al-Zawra'a also won the first ever Arab Cooperation Council Club Championship in 1989, and retained their title in 1990.

### 1990s

They began the 1990s by winning the Iraq FA Cup again and qualifying to the 1990 Arab Club Champions Cup, which was eventually abandoned. The 1990s would go on to become the most successful in Al-Zawra'a's history, as they were crowned champions of Iraq for the fourth time in 1990–91 and also won another Iraq FA Cup to secure another double. Al-Zawra'a won the first ever edition of the Umm al-Ma'arik Championship in the 1991–92 season and they succeeded in winning another Iraq FA Cup in the 1992–93 season.
The next three seasons were three of the best in Al-Zawra'a's history; they won three consecutive doubles in 1993–94, 1994–95 and 1995–96. They also participated in their first ever AFC tournaments, being knocked out in the first round of the 1993–94 Asian Cup Winners' Cup and the second round of the 1995 Asian Club Championship. Al-Zawra'a recorded their best participation in the Asian Club Championship in 1996–97 as they reached the semi-finals, eventually finishing fourth. Al-Zawra'a won the 1997–98 Iraq FA Cup which saw manager Anwar Jassam win his record fifth FA Cup, and followed that up by winning their first Iraqi Super Cup with a 1–0 win over league champions Al-Shorta. In the 1997–98 Asian Club Championship, Al-Zawra'a reached the second round before being knocked out.
Al-Zawra'a continued to dominate Iraqi football by winning the double in 1998–99 and securing their first domestic quadruple in 1999–2000 by winning all four domestic trophies. They also reached the final of the 1999–2000 Asian Cup Winners' Cup, the furthest that they have ever reached in a major continental competition, but lost 1–0 to Shimizu S-Pulse of Japan.

### 2000s

As champions, Al-Zawra'a qualified for the 2000–01 Asian Club Championship but were knocked out in the first round. Al-Zawra'a won their third consecutive league title in 2000–01 and also won the Iraqi Super Cup, while they reached the second round of the 2001–02 Asian Club Championship and lost to Al-Sadd in 2002–03 AFC Champions League qualification.
Al-Zawra'a won the Baghdad Championship in the 2003–04 season, becoming joint-record winners of the competition which had changed its name from Umm al-Ma'arik Championship. In the 2003–04 Arab Champions League, Al-Zawra'a were knocked out at the round of 16, while they were knocked out at the group stage of the 2005 AFC Champions League. In the 2005–06 season, Al-Zawra'a secured their 11th league title by defeating Al-Najaf via a penalty shootout after a goalless draw, while in the 2005–06 Arab Champions League, they were defeated over two legs by MC Algiers in the round of 16. Al-Zawra'a also participated in the 2007 AFC Champions League (knocked out in the group stage) and the 2009 AFC Cup (knocked out in the round of 16 by Erbil).

### 2010s

In 2010–11, they returned to the top of Iraqi football by winning their 12th league title after a penalty shootout win over Erbil. This qualified them to the 2012 AFC Cup but they were knocked out in the round of 16. Al-Zawra'a won the 2015–16 league title without losing a game in what was their 13th league title. They then won the 2016–17 Iraq FA Cup and 2017 Iraqi Super Cup titles, coupling the latter with the 2017–18 Iraqi Premier League title which saw them extend their national record to 14 league triumphs. After knockout stage and group stage exits in the AFC Cup in 2017 and 2018 respectively, Al-Zawra'a returned to the AFC Champions League in 2019, collecting eight points but failing to advance to the next round. The team had two impressive games against Al-Wasl, beating them 5–0 in Karbala and 5–1 at Zabeel Stadium.

### 2020s

Al-Zawra'a won the 2018–19 Iraq FA Cup, thus qualifying to the qualifying rounds of the AFC Champions League in 2020 and 2021 where they were eliminated both times. Al-Zawra'a won their fifth Iraqi Super Cup title in 2021.

## Stadium

Al-Zawra'a currently play at Al-Zawraa Stadium, which has a capacity of 15,443. Al-Zawra'a play their derby matches against Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Al-Shorta and Al-Talaba at Al-Shaab Stadium in order to accommodate more spectators.

## Supporters

Ultras The Kings is the name of the ultras group of Al-Zawra'a fans.

## Current squad
### First-team squad

    As of 20 September 2024
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 2 | DF | IRQ | Ali Kadhim |
| 3 | DF | IRQ | Sajjad Mahdi |
| 4 | DF | IRQ | Mustafa Nadhim |
| 5 | DF | IRQ | Maytham Jabbar |
| 6 | MF | IRQ | Hussein Falah |
| 7 | FW | IRQ | Ali Yousif |
| 8 | MF | IRQ | Mohammed Ridha Jalil |
| 9 | FW | IRQ | Ibrahim Ghazi |
| 10 | FW | IRQ | Hasan Abdulkareem |
| 11 | FW | IRQ | Murad Mohammed |
| 12 | GK | IRQ | Jalal Hassan (captain) |
| 14 | DF | IRQ | Kadhim Raad |
| 15 | DF | NED | Lassana Faye $^{FGN}$ |
| 16 | MF | IRQ | Karrar Nabeel |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 19 | DF | MAR | Anouar Tarkhatt $^{FGN}$ |
| 20 | MF | CMR | Clarence Bitang $^{FGN}$ |
| 21 | MF | IRQ | Hayder Abdulkareem $^{U23}$ |
| 22 | MF | LBN | Hasan Srour $^{FGN}$ |
| 22 | DF | IRQ | Ali Akbar |
| 23 | MF | IRQ | Ali Mohsin |
| 24 | GK | IRQ | Ali Faisal |
| 26 | FW | IRQ | Montader Abdel Amir |
| 26 | MF | IRQ | Ali Sadiq $^{U23}$ |
| 27 | DF | IRQ | Sajjad Fadhil |
| — | GK | IRQ | Hussein Imad |
| — | GK | IRQ | Saif Kareem |
| — | FW | CIV | Mamadou Soro $^{FGN}$ |

### Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | FW | IRQ | Mustafa Hassan (on loan at Naft Al-Wasat until the end of the 2022–23 season) |

### Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |

### Notable players

For a list of all Al-Zawra'a players, see List of Al-Zawraa players

## Rivalries

Al-Zawra'a's main rivals are Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, with whom they contest the Iraqi Classico. They are also rivals with Al-Shorta and Al-Talaba.

## Managers

The table below shows Al-Zawra'a managers of the last 10 years that have won noteworthy titles. For a more detailed and chronological list of Al-Zawra'a managers from 1969 onwards with their trophies, see List of Al-Zawraa managers.

### Notable managers

| Name | Period | Trophies |
| Basim Qasim | 2015–16 | Iraqi Premier League: 2015–16 Winners |
| Essam Hamad | 2016–17 | Iraq FA Cup: 2016–17 Winners |
| Ayoub Odisho | 2017–19 | Iraqi Super Cup: 2017 Winners Iraqi Premier League: 2017–18 Winners |
| Hakim Shaker | 2019 | Iraq FA Cup: 2018–19 Winners |
| Essam Hamad | 2021 | Iraqi Super Cup: 2021 Winners |

### Current technical staff

Updated to match played August 2023 Source:

## Honours
### National

| Competition | Titles | Seasons |
| Iraq Stars League | 14 | 1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1990–91, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2005–06, 2010–11, 2015–16, 2017–18 |
| Iraqi Premier Division League (second tier) | 1 | 1974–75 |
| Iraq FA Cup | 16 | 1975–76, 1978–79, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2016–17, 2018–19 |
| Umm al-Ma'arik Championship / Baghdad Championship | 3$^s$ | 1991–92, 1999–2000, 2003–04 |
| Iraqi Super Cup | 5 | 1998, 1999, 2000, 2017, 2021 |
* record
* $^S$ shared record

### Regional

| Competition | Titles | Seasons |
| Iraq Central FA Third Division | 1 | 1973–74 |
| Iraq Central FA Fourth Division | 1 | 1970–71 |

### Friendly

| Competition | Titles | Seasons |
| Tournament for the Armed Forces | 1 | 2015 |
| Tishreen Tournament | 1 | 2004 |
| Al-Zawraa Championship | 1 | 2004 |
| Al-Quds International Championship | 1 | 2000 |
| Al-Shaab Friendship Tournament | 1 | 1999 |
| Arab Cooperation Council Club Championship | 2 | 1989, 1990 |
| Victory Championship | 2 | 1984, 1986 |

## Statistics
### In domestic competitions
#### National

| Year | League | Iraq Cup | Super Cup | Umm al-Ma'arik |
| 1974–75 | Promoted (Div. 1) | not held | Started in 1986 | Started in 1991 |
| 1975–76 | Winner | Winner | Started in 1986 | Started in 1991 |
| 1976–77 | Winner | not held | Started in 1986 | Started in 1991 |
| 1977–78 | Runner-up | Quarter-final | Started in 1986 | Started in 1991 |
| 1978–79 | Winner | Winner | Started in 1986 | Started in 1991 |
| 1979–80 | Runner-up | Semi-final | Started in 1986 | Started in 1991 |
| 1980–81 | Seventh place | Winner | Started in 1986 | Started in 1991 |
| 1981–82 | Fifth place | Winner | Started in 1986 | Started in 1991 |
| 1982–83 | Seventh place | Quarter-final | Started in 1986 | Started in 1991 |
| 1983–84 | Fifth place | Quarter-final | Started in 1986 | Started in 1991 |
| 1984–85 | not finished | Second round | Started in 1986 | Started in 1991 |
| 1985–86 | Ninth place | not held | did not qualify | Started in 1991 |
| 1986–87 | Seventh place | Quarter-final | not held | Started in 1991 |
| 1987–88 | Fifth place | Runner-up | not held | Started in 1991 |
| 1988–89 | Fourth place | Winner | not held | Started in 1991 |
| 1989–90 | Fourth place | Winner | not held | Started in 1991 |
| 1990–91 | Winner | Winner | not held | Started in 1991 |
| 1991–92 | Runner-up | Round of 32 | not held | Winner |
| 1992–93 | Runner-up | Winner | not held | Third place |
| 1993–94 | Winner | Winner | not held | Third place |
| 1994–95 | Winner | Winner | not held | Third place |
| 1995–96 | Winner | Winner | not held | Third place |
| 1996–97 | Runner-up | Semi-final | Runner-up | Runner-up |
| 1997–98 | Third place | Winner | Winner | Third place |
| 1998–99 | Winner | Winner | not held | Group stage |
| 1999–2000 | Winner | Winner | Winner | Winner |
| 2000–01 | Winner | not held | Winner | Runner-up |
| 2001–02 | Fourth place | Quarter-final | Runner-up | Group stage |
| 2002–03 | not finished | Round of 32 | did not qualify | Third place |
| 2003–04 | not finished | not held | not held | Winner |
| 2004–05 | Fourth place | not held | not held | Abolished in 2004 |
| 2005–06 | Winner | not held | not held | Abolished in 2004 |
| 2006–07 | Eighth place | not held | not held | Abolished in 2004 |
| 2007–08 | Runner-up | not held | not held | Abolished in 2004 |
| 2008–09 | Seventh place | not held | not held | Abolished in 2004 |
| 2009–10 | Third place | not held | not held | Abolished in 2004 |
| 2010–11 | Winner | not held | not held | Abolished in 2004 |
| 2011–12 | Eighth place | not held | not held | Abolished in 2004 |
| 2012–13 | Fourth place | Round of 32 | not held | Abolished in 2004 |
| 2013–14 | Sixth place | not held | not held | Abolished in 2004 |
| 2014–15 | Eighth place | not held | not held | Abolished in 2004 |
| 2015–16 | Winner | Runner-up | not held | Abolished in 2004 |
| 2016–17 | Fourth place | Winner | not held | Abolished in 2004 |
| 2017–18 | Winner | not held | Winner | Abolished in 2004 |
| 2018–19 | Third place | Winner | not held | Abolished in 2004 |
| 2019–20 | not finished | not finished | Runner-up | Abolished in 2004 |
| 2020–21 | Runner-up | Runner-up | not held | Abolished in 2004 |
| 2021–22 | Sixth place | Semi-final | Winner | Abolished in 2004 |
| 2022–23 | Third place | Quarter-final | did not qualify | Abolished in 2004 |
| 2023–24 | Third place | Semi-final | not held | Abolished in 2004 |

### In international competitions

    As of 12 December 2023
| Competition | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record |
| Competition | G | W | D | L | Win % |
| AFC Champions League | 44 | 19 | 10 | 15 | 043.18 |
| Asian Cup Winners' Cup | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 062.50 |
| AFC Cup | 32 | 15 | 10 | 7 | 046.88 |
| Arab Club Champions Cup | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 031.25 |
| Total | 100 | 44 | 23 | 33 | 044.00 |

## Performance in AFC competitions

* AFC Champions League: 7 appearances
       2003: Third qualifying round
       2005: Group stage
       2007: Group stage
       2019: Group stage
       2020: Second qualifying round
       2021: Second qualifying round
       2022: Second qualifying round
* Asian Club Championship: 5 appearances
       1996: Second round
       1997: Fourth place
       1998: Second round
       2001: First round
       2002: Second round
* Asian Cup Winners' Cup: 2 appearances
       1994: First round
       2000: Runners-up
* AFC Cup: 5 appearances
       2009: Round of 16
       2012: Round of 16
       2017: Zonal semi-final
       2018: Group stage
       2023–24: Group stage

## Individual honours

2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
    The following players have played in the FIFA Confederations Cup whilst playing for Al-Zawraa:
   * 2009 – Mohammed Gassid