# 2024–25 Iraq Stars League

The 2024–25 Iraq Stars League is the 51st season of the highest tier football league in Iraq since its establishment in 1974, and the second season since launching as a professional league under the name Iraq Stars League. The season started on 20 September 2024 and will end in July 2025.

## Overview

20 teams are competing in the 2024–25 Iraq Stars League: 18 teams from the previous season, as well as Diyala and Al-Karma who were promoted from the 2023–24 Iraqi Premier Division League, replacing Amanat Baghdad and Naft Al-Wasat who were relegated. Diyala are returning to the top-flight after a 13-year absence, while Al-Karma are playing in the top-flight for the first time in history this season.
Al-Shorta are the defending champions, having won the league in each of the previous three seasons.

## Teams
### Stadiums and locations

| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
| Al-Hudood | Baghdad (14 July) | Al-Saher Ahmed Radhi Stadium | 5,150 |
| Al-Kahrabaa | Baghdad (Al-Wazireya Al-Sinaaiya) | Al-Zawraa Stadium | 15,443 |
| Al-Karkh | Baghdad (Al-Mansour) | Al-Saher Ahmed Radhi Stadium | 5,150 |
| Al-Karma | Anbar (Al-Karma) | Al-Ramadi Stadium | 10,000 |
| Al-Minaa | Basra (Maqal) | Al-Minaa Olympic Stadium | 30,000 |
| Al-Naft | Baghdad (Shaab) | Al-Kut Olympic Stadium | 32,000 |
| Al-Najaf | Najaf | Al-Najaf International Stadium | 30,000 |
| Al-Qasim | Babil (Al-Qasim) | Al-Najaf International Stadium | 30,000 |
| Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | Baghdad (Zayouna) | Al-Shaab Stadium | 35,700 |
| Al-Shorta | Baghdad (Zayouna) | Al-Shaab Stadium | 35,700 |
| Al-Talaba | Baghdad (Hayy Qahira) | Al-Madina Stadium | 32,000 |
| Al-Zawraa | Baghdad (Sheikh Maaruf, Al-Shaljiya) | Al-Zawraa Stadium | 15,443 |
| Diyala | Diyala (Baquba) | Al-Madina Stadium | 32,000 |
| Duhok | Duhok | Duhok Stadium | 22,800 |
| Erbil | Erbil | Franso Hariri Stadium | 25,000 |
| Karbala | Karbala | Karbala International Stadium | 30,000 |
| Naft Al-Basra | Basra (Al-Khadhraa) | Al-Fayhaa Stadium | 30,000 |
| Naft Maysan | Maysan (Amara) | Maysan Olympic Stadium | 25,000 |
| Newroz | Sulaymaniya | Newroz International Stadium | 14,500 |
| Zakho | Duhok (Zakho) | Zakho International Stadium | 20,000 |

### Personnel and kits

| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
| Al-Hudood | Thair Jassam | Saqr Ajail | Jako | none |
| Al-Kahrabaa | Radhi Shenaishil | Hussam Kadhim | Jako | none |
| Al-Karkh | Ahmad Abdul-Jabar | Jafar Obeis | Kelme | none |
| Al-Karma | Ahmed Khalef | Mohammed Hameed | Kelme | Al-Rahma Telecom |
| Al-Minaa | Hussam Al Sayed | Alaa Abdul-Zahra | Adidas | none |
| Al-Naft | Adel Nima | Ali Yaseen | Al-Naft (own brand) | none |
| Al-Najaf | Abdul-Ghani Shahad | Mohammed Jassim | Adidas | none |
| Al-Qasim | Ayman Hakeem | Hussein Abdul-Wahed | Kaka Sport | none |
| Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | Luay Salah | Saad Abdul-Amir | Kelme | none |
| Al-Shorta | Moamen Soliman | Mohanad Ali | Qitharah (own brand) | none |
| Al-Talaba | Basim Qasim | Saad Natiq | Kelme | Al-Manasa IPTV |
| Al-Zawraa | Haider Obeid | Jalal Hassan | Adidas | none |
| Diyala | Yamen Zelfani | Kosrat Baez | Kelme | Alrabiaa Network Television |
| Duhok | Mesut Meral | Bayar Abubakir | Kelme | First Iraqi Bank |
| Erbil | Samir Babo | Sherko Karim | Puma | Korek Telecom |
| Karbala | Hassan Ahmed | Ali Salih | Kaka Sport | none |
| Naft Al-Basra | Salim Nayrouz | Hussam Malik | Naft Al-Basra (own brand) | none |
| Naft Maysan | Ali Abdul-Jabbar | Akram Rahim | Naft Maysan (own brand) | none |
| Newroz | Qahtan Chathir | Mohammed Delawar | Puma | none |
| Zakho | Talal Al-Bloushi | Amjad Attwan | Hummel | none |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in the table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| Al-Hudood | Adel Nima | Mutual consent | End of previous season | Pre-season | Haidar Abdul-Amir | Start of current season |
| Al-Kahrabaa | Luay Salah | Mutual consent | End of previous season | Pre-season | Wali Karim | Start of current season |
| Al-Karma | Natiq Haddad | Mutual consent | End of previous season | Pre-season | Ghazi Fahad | Start of current season |
| Al-Minaa | Hassan Ahmed | Mutual consent | End of previous season | Pre-season | Pablo Grandes | Start of current season |
| Al-Naft | Basim Qasim | Mutual consent | End of previous season | Pre-season | Adel Nima | Start of current season |
| Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | Razzaq Farhan | Mutual consent | End of previous season | Pre-season | Wesam Rizik | Start of current season |
| Al-Shorta | Moamen Soliman | Mutual consent | End of previous season | Pre-season | Ahmed Salah | Start of current season |
| Al-Talaba | Qahtan Chathir | Mutual consent | End of previous season | Pre-season | Basim Qasim | Start of current season |
| Duhok | Ahmed Khalaf | Mutual consent | End of previous season | Pre-season | Mesut Meral | Start of current season |
| Karbala | Chasib Sultan | Mutual consent | End of previous season | Pre-season | Carlos Hernandez | Start of current season |
| Naft Al-Basra | Haitham Al-Shaboul | Mutual consent | End of previous season | Pre-season | Andrej Panadić | Start of current season |
| Newroz | Nizar Mahrous | Mutual consent | End of previous season | Pre-season | Jorvan Vieira | Start of current season |
| Karbala | Carlos Hernandez | Mutual consent | Prior to the start of the season | Pre-season | Hassan Ahmed | Start of current season |
| Diyala | Sadeq Hanoon | Sacked | 3 November 2024 | 19th | Yamen Zelfani | 12 November 2024 |
| Al-Hudood | Haidar Abdul-Amir | Sacked | 4 November 2024 | 20th | Thair Jassam | 5 November 2024 |
| Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | Wesam Rizik | Sacked | 5 December 2024 | 7th | Luay Salah | 6 December 2024 |
| Al-Shorta | Ahmed Salah | Sacked | 8 December 2024 | 8th | Mohamed Azima | 7 January 2025 |
| Newroz | Jorvan Vieira | Sacked | 12 December 2024 | 18th | Qahtan Chathir | 13 December 2024 |
| Al-Karkh | Haitham Shaaban | Sacked | 15 January 2025 | 18th | Ahmad Abdul-Jabar | 15 January 2025 |
| Naft Al-Basra | Andrej Panadić | Mutual consent | 27 January 2025 | 18th | Salim Nayrouz | 27 January 2025 |
| Al-Karma | Ghazi Fahad | Resigned | 30 January 2025 | 14th | Ahmed Khalef | 30 January 2025 |
| Al-Kahrabaa | Wali Karim | Resigned | 30 January 2025 | 13th | Radhi Shenaishil | 31 January 2025 |
| Al-Minaa | Pablo Grandes | Sacked | 8 February 2025 | 15th | Hussam Al Sayed | 21 February 2025 |
| Al-Zawraa | Essam Hamad | Sacked | 26 February 2025 | 2nd | Haider Obeid | 26 February 2025 |
| Al-Shorta | Mohamed Azima | Mutual consent | 10 March 2025 | 3rd | Moamen Soliman | 17 March 2025 |

## Registration rules

The rules for the squad selection of the Iraq Stars League:
* Each team must submit a 25-man squad for the league.
* Each team must have no more than six foreign players in their squad. This restriction does not apply to players from Yemen, and does not apply to a maximum of one player from Syria.
* Each team must have no more than six foreign players on the pitch at any given time.
* No more than two players from countries that are outside the top 90 in the FIFA Men's World Rankings can play at any given time. The two permitted players from countries outside the top 90 must be capped for their respective national teams.
* Teams are not permitted to sign a foreign goalkeeper.
* Players registered for reserve or youth teams are not required to be registered in the 25-man squad.

### Transfer windows

The summer transfer window in Iraq started on 2 August and ended on 2 October 2024, while the winter transfer window started on 5 January and ended on 5 February 2025.

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Zakho | 24 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 42 | 20 | +22 | 49 | Qualification for the AFC Champions League Elite league stage |
| 2 | Al-Zawraa | 24 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 35 | 17 | +18 | 49 | |
| 3 | Al-Shorta | 22 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 42 | 14 | +28 | 47 | |
| 4 | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | 24 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 25 | 21 | +4 | 41 | |
| 5 | Al-Talaba | 23 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 22 | 14 | +8 | 40 | |
| 6 | Al-Qasim | 23 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 27 | 23 | +4 | 35 | |
| 7 | Duhok | 19 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 26 | 17 | +9 | 34 | |
| 8 | Al-Karma | 24 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 30 | 22 | +8 | 34 | |
| 9 | Naft Maysan | 23 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 26 | 30 | −4 | 32 | |
| 10 | Erbil | 23 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 31 | 38 | −7 | 32 | |
| 11 | Al-Karkh | 24 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 24 | 27 | −3 | 32 | |
| 12 | Newroz | 24 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 30 | 30 | 0 | 30 | |
| 13 | Al-Naft | 23 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 30 | |
| 14 | Al-Najaf | 24 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 25 | 20 | +5 | 30 | |
| 15 | Al-Kahrabaa | 24 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 20 | 24 | −4 | 28 | |
| 16 | Al-Minaa | 24 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 22 | 28 | −6 | 25 | |
| 17 | Naft Al-Basra | 23 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 16 | 29 | −13 | 23 | |
| 18 | Karbala | 24 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 34 | −21 | 17 | Qualification for the relegation play-off |
| 19 | Diyala | 23 | 2 | 8 | 13 | 18 | 39 | −21 | 14 | Relegation to the Iraqi Premier Division League |
| 20 | Al-Hudood | 24 | 4 | 1 | 19 | 24 | 51 | −27 | 13 | Relegation to the Iraqi Premier Division League |
* 1 2 Ranked on head-to-head points: Zakho (4); Al-Zawraa (1).
* 1 2 Ranked on head-to-head points: Duhok (3); Al-Karma (0).
* 1 2 3 Ranked on head-to-head points: Naft Maysan (4); Erbil (4); Al-Karkh (3).
* 1 2 3 Ranked on head-to-head points: Newroz (4); Al-Naft (3); Al-Najaf (2).

## Results

| Home \ Away | HUD | KAH | KKH | KRM | MIN | NFT | NJF | QSM | QWJ | SHR | TLB | ZWR | DYL | DHK | ERB | KRB | NFB | NFM | NEW | ZAK |
| Al-Hudood | | 2–1 | | 0–3 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–4 | 2–3 | 0–1 | | | 1–0 | 1–4 | | 0–1 | | | | 1–3 |
| Al-Kahrabaa | | | 2–0 | | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | | | 1–1 | | 1–0 | 2–1 | |
| Al-Karkh | 1–1 | 1–1 | | | | | | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | | | 3–1 | | 2–4 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | | 1–1 |
| Al-Karma | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | | | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | | | 0–0 | | | | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | |
| Al-Minaa | 2–1 | | 1–2 | 0–2 | | | 1–1 | 0–0 | a | | | 1–0 | | 1–1 | 3–0 | | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–5 | 0–0 |
| Al-Naft | | | 1–0 | | 1–0 | | 0–0 | | 0–1 | 0–2 | | | | | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | | 1–1 | 2–0 |
| Al-Najaf | | | 0–1 | | 3–2 | 1–1 | | 1–0 | 4–0 | 0–0 | | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | | 0–0 | 4–1 | | |
| Al-Qasim | 3–2 | 0–0 | | | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | | | | 0–0 | 2–0 | | 2–1 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | | |
| Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | 2–0 | | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | | 0–1 | | 1–2 | 1–1 | a | 1–1 | | | 1–0 | | | 2–0 | 1–0 |
| Al-Shorta | | 2–0 | | 2–2 | 1–1 | | | 2–2 | a | | 1–0 | a | | 0–0 | 4–1 | 4–0 | | 3–3 | 2–2 | 0–1 |
| Al-Talaba | 1–0 | | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | | a | 0–2 | | a | 0–0 | | 2–1 | | | 0–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 |
| Al-Zawraa | 3–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | | | 3–1 | 1–1 | | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | | | | 4–0 | 1–0 | | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–3 |
| Diyala | 2–0 | 1–2 | | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | | 0–1 | | 0–6 | 0–1 | 1–1 | | | | | | 3–1 | 1–4 | 1–4 |
| Duhok | | 0–0 | 1–3 | 3–1 | | 1–0 | | 2–0 | 1–0 | | | 0–1 | 3–1 | | 0–1 | | 1–0 | | | |
| Erbil | 3–1 | 4–3 | | 1–1 | 0–1 | | 0–0 | | 0–2 | | | 1–1 | 2–1 | | | 3–1 | 4–1 | | | 0–0 |
| Karbala | | 0–0 | | | 1–0 | | 1–1 | | | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–2 | | | 2–1 | 1–3 | 0–0 | |
| Naft Al-Basra | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–5 | a | 0–0 | | | 1–2 | | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | | | 0–0 | | | 2–0 | 2–3 |
| Naft Maysan | 3–1 | | 1–2 | 3–2 | | 0–0 | | | 0–1 | 0–4 | 1–0 | | | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| Newroz | 1–2 | | 1–0 | 1–3 | | | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | | | | | |
| Zakho | | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 6–2 | | | 2–1 | | | 2–2 | 3–1 | 5–0 | | | 1–1 | |

## Relegation play-off

The 18th-placed team in the Stars League will compete in a play-off with the 3rd-placed team from the Premier Division League for a place in next season's Stars League.

## Season statistics
### Top scorers

| Rank | Player | Team | Goals |
| 1 | Mohanad Ali | Al-Shorta | 19 |
| 2 | Gustavo Henrique | Zakho | 16 |
| 3 | Marwan Hussein | Newroz | 13 |
| 4 | Amjad Attwan | Zakho | 12 |
| 5 | Saif Rasheed | Al-Qasim | 11 |

#### Hat-tricks

| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
| Mohanad Ali | Al-Shorta | Diyala | 6–0 (A) | 26 September 2024 |
| Mohanad Ali | Al-Shorta | Erbil | 4–1 (H) | 4 January 2025 |
| Marwan Hussein | Newroz | Al-Minaa | 5–1 (A) | 4 February 2025 |
| Gustavo Henrique | Zakho | Al-Qasim | 6–2 (H) | 9 February 2025 |
| Mohanad Ali | Al-Shorta | Naft Maysan | 4–0 (A) | 13 March 2025 |

##### Notes

(H) – Home team (A) – Away team

### Manager of the Month

| Month | Manager | Team |
| October | Adel Nima | Al-Naft |
| November | Ghazi Fahad | Al-Karma |
| February | Talal Al-Bloushi | Zakho |
| March | Talal Al-Bloushi | Zakho |