# 2021–22 Iraqi First Division League

The 2021–22 Iraqi First Division League was the 48th 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; in this season the number of clubs has been reduced from 28 teams to 24. The top two teams are directly promoted to the Iraqi Premier League, while the bottom 4 teams in each group are directly relegated to the Iraqi Second Division League. The season started on 12 October 2021 and ended 19 April 2022, while the summer transfer window began on August 1 and ended on midnight on September 19.
Al-Hudood won the title by beating Karbalaa 1–0 in the final at Al-Shaab Stadium, with both teams securing promotion.

## 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 2020–21 season, The top teams in each group are directly promoted to the Premier League, while 8 teams in total are directly relegated to Second Division League.

## Teams

A total of 24 teams are contesting the league, including 21 sides from the 2020-2021 season and the 3 relegated sides from the Iraqi Premier League. There are no promoted teams participating in this season because of the recent changes necessary to adjustment to having 24 teams possible this season.

### 2021–22 season

| Team | Manager | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
| Afak | Haider Hussein | Al-Qādisiyyah, Diwaniya | Al-Kifl Stadium | 10,000 |
| Al-Alam | Ali Jawad | Saladin | Al-Alam Stadium | 10,000 |
| Al-Bahri | Asaad Abdul Razzaq | Basra, Al-Jubaila | Al-Bahri Stadium | 7,000 |
| Al-Difaa Al-Madani | Mahdi Kadhim | Baghdad | Al-Taji Stadium | 5,000 |
| Al-Hussein | Kadhim Yousef | Baghdad, Sadr City | Five Thousand Stadium | 5,000 |
| Al-Jinsiya | Karim Qumbil | Baghdad | Al-Jinsiya Stadium | 5,000 |
| Al-Kufa | Adel Ali Al-Aasam | Najaf, Kufa | Najaf Stadium | 30,000 |
| Al-Muroor | Adel Ajer | Baghdad, Sadr City | Al-Walaa Stadium | 5,000 |
| Al-Nasiriya | Ali Wahaib | Dhi Qar, Nasiriya | An Nasiriya Stadium | 10,000 |
| Al-Ramadi | Khamis Hammoud | Anbar, Ramadi | Al Ramadi Stadium | 15,000 |
| Al-Shirqat | Mohammed Attiya | Saladin, Shirqat | Shirqat Stadium | 5,000 |
| Al-Sulaikh | Rashid Sultan | Baghdad, Suleikh | Al Sulaikh Stadium | 5,000 |
| Babylon | Fouad Jawad | Babylon | Al Kifl Stadium | 10,000 |
| Diyala | Ali Abdullah | Diyala, Baquba | Ba'quba Stadium | 10,000 |
| Duhok | Adel Nasser | Duhok | Duhok Stadium | 20,000 |
| Ghaz Al-Shamal | Walid Mohammed Qader | Kirkuk | Kirkuk Olympic Stadium | 20,000 |
| Karbalaa | Ali Wahab | Karbala | Karbala Sports City | 30,000 |
| Masafi Al-Junoob | Nasser Talla Dahilan | Basra, Shaibah | Masafi Al-Junoob Stadium | 5,000 |
| Maysan | Ahmed Zuhair | Maysan | Maysan Stadium | 25,000 |
| Peshmerga Sulaymaniya | Arsalan Jalal | Sulaymaniyah | Peshmerga Stadium | 10,000 |
| Suq Al-Shuyukh | Moayad Tomeh | Dhi Qar, Suq Al-Shuyukh | Souk Al-Shuyukh Stadium | 5,000 |
| Al-Hudood | Abbas Attiya | Baghdad | Al-Taji Stadium | 5,000 |
| Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya | Adel Nima | Baghdad | Al-Sinaa Stadium | 5,000 |
| Al-Samawa | Aqeel Ghani | Al-Samawa | Al-Samawah Stadium | 15,000 |

## League table
### Group 1

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Al-Hudood (C, P) | 21 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 32 | 12 | +20 | 41 | Promotion to the Iraqi Premier League |
| 2 | Duhok (O, P) | 21 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 25 | 19 | +6 | 34 | Qualification for the Third place play-off |
| 3 | Al-Kufa | 21 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 28 | 23 | +5 | 33 | |
| 4 | Al-Ramadi | 21 | 7 | 12 | 2 | 30 | 20 | +10 | 33 | |
| 5 | Afak | 21 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 33 | 26 | +7 | 31 | |
| 6 | Maysan | 21 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 32 | 26 | +6 | 30 | |
| 7 | Al-Difaa Al-Madani | 21 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 23 | 28 | −5 | 29 | |
| 8 | Al-Sulaikh | 21 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 26 | 23 | +3 | 28 | |
| 9 | Masafi Al-Junoob | 21 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 33 | 28 | +5 | 28 | |
| 10 | Al-Muroor | 21 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 22 | 28 | −6 | 26 | |
| 11 | Suq Al-Shuyukh (R) | 21 | 1 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 44 | −28 | 11 | Relegation to Iraqi Second Division League |
| 12 | Al-Alam (R) | 11 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 28 | −23 | 1 | Relegation to Iraqi Second Division League |
* 1 2 Al-Kufa finished ahead of Al-Ramadi on head-to-head points: Al-Kufa 1–0 Al-Ramadi, Al-Ramadi 1–1 Al-Kufa.
* 1 2 Al-Sulaikh finished ahead of Masafi Al-Junoob on head-to-head points: Al-Sulaikh 2–1 Masafi Al-Junoob, Masafi Al-Junoob 1–2 Al-Sulaikh.
* ↑ Al-Alam withdrew from the league after 16 matches, with their results from the second round-robin being annulled.

#### Results

| Home \ Away | AFK | ALM | DFM | HUD | KUF | MUR | RAM | SUL | DUH | MSJ | MAY | SUQ |
| Afak | — | — | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 7–2 |
| Al-Alam | 0–2 | — | 0–1 | — | 0–2 | – | 1–5 | — | 1–2 | — | – | – |
| Al-Difaa Al-Madani | 1–4 | – | — | 2–2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 |
| Al-Hudood | 1–1 | 3–0 | 0–1 | — | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 4–0 |
| Al-Kufa | 1–0 | – | 2–0 | 0–3 | — | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 3–1 |
| Al-Muroor | 2–1 | 1–2 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | — | 3–5 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Al-Ramadi | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | — | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 |
| Al-Sulaikh | 2–1 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 |
| Duhok | 2–0 | — | 4–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 |
| Masafi Al-Junoob | 1–0 | 5–1 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 4–3 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | — | 0–0 | 1–0 |
| Maysan | 4–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | — | 3–0 |
| Suq Al-Shuyukh | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 1–3 | — |
* ↑ Al-Alam withdrew from the league after 16 matches, with their results from the second round-robin being annulled.
* 1 2 3 4 5 Al-Alam's results home to Maysan (1–1 draw), away to Al-Difaa Al-Madani (3–1 loss), home to Suq Al-Shuyukh (1–0 win), away to Al-Kufa (1–0 win) and home to Al-Muroor (3–0 loss) were annulled after their withdrawal from the league.
* ↑ The Al-Hudood – Al-Alam match was awarded a 3–0 win for Al-Hudood, as Al-Alam did not turn up for the game.

### Group 2

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Karbalaa (P) | 22 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 33 | 13 | +20 | 47 | Promotion to the Iraqi Premier League |
| 2 | Al-Nasiriya | 22 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 28 | 16 | +12 | 43 | Qualification for the Third place play-off |
| 3 | Peshmerga Sulaymaniya | 22 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 36 | 13 | +23 | 43 | |
| 4 | Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya | 22 | 7 | 10 | 5 | 24 | 17 | +7 | 31 | |
| 5 | Diyala | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 24 | 27 | −3 | 31 | |
| 6 | Al-Bahri | 22 | 6 | 11 | 5 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 29 | |
| 7 | Al-Samawa | 22 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 18 | 23 | −5 | 27 | |
| 8 | Al-Jinsiya | 22 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 27 | 29 | −2 | 24 | |
| 9 | Al-Hussein | 22 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 21 | 24 | −3 | 22 | |
| 10 | Al-Shirqat | 22 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 23 | 30 | −7 | 21 | |
| 11 | Ghaz Al-Shamal (R) | 22 | 2 | 13 | 7 | 13 | 26 | −13 | 19 | Relegation to Iraqi Second Division League |
| 12 | Babil (R) | 22 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 9 | 38 | −29 | 10 | Relegation to Iraqi Second Division League |
* 1 2 Al-Nasiriya finished ahead of Peshmerga Sulaymaniya on head-to-head points: Al-Nasiriya 2–1 Peshmerga Sulaymaniya, Peshmerga Sulaymaniya 1–1 Al-Nasiriya.
* 1 2 Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya finished ahead of Diyala on head-to-head points: Diyala 0–1 Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya, Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya 1–1 Diyala.

#### Results

| Home \ Away | BAH | JIN | HUS | NAS | SMA | SNK | SRQ | BAB | DIY | GSH | KRB | PES |
| Al-Bahri | — | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 |
| Al-Jinsiya | 2–2 | — | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 1–1 |
| Al-Hussein | 0–1 | 1–2 | — | 3–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 |
| Al-Nasiriya | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | — | 3–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| Al-Samawa | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | — | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 |
| Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | — | 2–0 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 |
| Al-Shirqat | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | — | 2–1 | 3–4 | 3–3 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Babil | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 2–1 | — | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| Diyala | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | — | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| Ghaz Al-Shamal | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | — | 0–3 | 2–2 |
| Karbalaa | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | — | 0–0 |
| Peshmerga Sulaymaniya | 2–2 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | — |
* ↑ The Al-Jinsiya – Babil match was awarded a 3–0 win for Al-Jinsiya, as Babil did not turn up for the game.
* ↑ The Al-Hussein – Babil match was awarded a 3–0 win for Al-Hussein, as Babil did not turn up for the game.
* ↑ The Peshmerga Sulaymaniya – Al-Shirqat match was awarded a 3–0 win for Peshmerga Sulaymaniya, as Al-Shirqat did not turn up for the game.