The Iraqi Premier Division League () is the second-highest division of the Iraqi football league system after the Iraq Stars League. The league is contested by 20 clubs and is operated by the Iraq Football Association (IFA). The current format sees 20 teams playing 38 matches each (playing each team in the league twice, home and away), totalling 380 matches in the season.

Each season, the two top-finishing teams in the Premier Division League are automatically promoted to the Stars League. The third and fourth-placed teams compete in a play-off match, with the winner qualifying for the two-legged promotion play-off against the 18th-placed team from the Stars League. The two lowest-finishing teams are relegated to the First Division League, while the 18th-placed team enters a two-legged relegation play-off with the third-placed team from the First Division League.

In the 2023–24 season, the competition's name was changed from First Division League to Premier Division League. The current champions are Al-Jolan, who won the title in the 2025–26 season. Al-Minaa and Al-Mosul are the record holders in the tournament having won three titles each.

Competition name PeriodName1974–1995National Clubs Second Division League1995–1999First Division League1999–2000Second Division League2000–2002First Division League2002–2003Second Division League2003–2023First Division League2023–presentPremier Division League

Media perception and challenges The Iraqi Premier Division League is colloquially known in the media as Dawri Al-Madhaleem ("Oppressed League"), a nickname reflecting the limited attention it receives from media outlets, governing bodies, and refereeing authorities. Clubs competing in the division often face significant financial constraints, and many operate with inadequate infrastructure and stadium facilities. Despite these difficulties, the league plays a crucial role in the development of Iraqi football and frequently serves as a platform for emerging players.

List of champions

No. Season Champion 1 1974–75 Al-Zawraa 2 1975–76 Al-Ittihad 3 1976–77 Multiple groups 4 1977–78 Al-Shabab 5 1978–79 Al-Bahri 6 1979–80 Al-Adhamiya 7 1980–81 Al-Ittihad 8 1981–82 Al-Mosul 9 1982–83 Wahid Huzairan 10 1983–84 Al-Rasheed 11 1984–85 Multiple groups 12 1985–86 Al-Bahri 13 1986–87 Al-Minaa 14 1987–88 Multiple groups 15 1988–89 Samarra 16 1989–90 Al-Minaa 17 1990–91 Al-Amana 18 1991–92 Saad No. Season Champion 19 1992–93 Multiple groups 20 1993–94 No promotion 21 1994–95 No promotion 22 1995–96 Al-Sulaikh 23 1996–97 Diyala 24 1997–98 Duhok 25 1998–99 Erbil 26 1999–2000 No promotion 27 2000–01 Kirkuk 28 2001–02 Al-Mosul 29 2002–03 Multiple groups 30 2003–04 Abandoned 31 2004–05 Multiple groups 32 2005–06 Multiple groups 33 2006–07 Multiple groups 34 2007–08 Multiple groups 35 2008–09 Multiple groups 36 2009–10 Peshmerga No. Season Champion 37 2010–11 Al-Shirqat 38 2011–12 Sulaymaniya 39 2012–13 Al-Karkh 40 2013–14 Multiple groups 41 2014–15 Al-Samawa 42 2015–16 Al-Hussein 43 2016–17 Al-Diwaniya 44 2017–18 Al-Karkh 45 2018–19 Al-Qasim 46 2019–20 Abandoned 47 2020–21 Al-Sinaa 48 2021–22 Al-Hudood 49 2022–23 Al-Minaa 50 2023–24 Diyala 51 2024–25 Al-Mosul 52 2025–26 Al-Jolan

Most successful clubs ClubTitlesWinning seasonsAl-Minaa31986–87, 1989–90, 2022–23Al-Mosul31981–82, 2001–02, 2024–25Al-Ittihad21975–76, 1980–81Al-Bahri21978–79, 1985–86Kirkuk21982–83, 2000–01Al-Karkh22012–13, 2017–18Diyala21996–97, 2023–24Al-Zawraa11974–75Al-Shabab11977–78Al-Adhamiya11979–80Al-Rasheed11983–84Samarra11988–89Amanat Baghdad11990–91Saad11991–92Al-Sulaikh11995–96Duhok11997–98Erbil11998–99Peshmerga Sulaymaniya12009–10Al-Shirqat12010–11Sulaymaniya12011–12Al-Samawa12014–15Al-Hussein12015–16Al-Diwaniya12016–17Al-Qasim12018–19Al-Sinaa12020–21Al-Hudood12021–22Al-Jolan12025–26

See also Iraq Stars League Iraq FA Cup Iraqi Super Cup

References

External links Iraq Football Association

sv:Irakiska Division 1