The 2012–13 Iraq FA Cup was the 26th edition of the Iraq FA Cup as a club competition, the main domestic cup in Iraqi football. It was the first edition held since the 2002–03 season.
The tournament was cancelled during the Round of 32 because of scheduling difficulties the Iraq Football Association had with the 2012–13 Iraqi Elite League.
Format
Participation The cup starts with a qualifying round of 13 teams from the Iraqi First Division League, 12 of which play against each other and one of which proceeds to the playoff round. The playoff round gets played between three teams from the First Division League and one from the Iraqi Elite League. The other 17 teams of the Iraqi Elite League and the rest of the First Division League join the other teams in the Round of 32.
Draw For the first round, the participating teams will be split into two pots of 6 teams in one and 7 in the other. For the remaining rounds other than the final, the draw will be conducted from just one pot. The final is held in the Al-Shaab Stadium, a nominally neutral venue.
Match rules Teams meet in one game in the first round. In the playoff round, Round of 32, 16 and the quarterfinals, the teams will have two-legged ties. The semifinals and the final will have only one-legged ties. A match will take place for 90 minutes, with two halves of 45 minutes. If still tied after regulation or tied on aggregate, 30 minutes of extra time will be played, consisting of two periods of 15 minutes. If the score is still level after this, the match will be decided by a penalty shootout. A coin toss will decide who takes the first penalty.
Cards If a player receives a second yellow card, they will be banned from the next cup match. If a player receives a red card, they will be banned a minimum of one match, but more can be added by the Iraq Football Association.
Participating clubs The following 40 teams qualified for the competition:
Iraqi Elite League18 clubs from the 2012–13 season Iraqi First Division League 22 clubs from the 2012–13 season Al-Kahrabaa Al-Minaa Al-Naft Al-Najaf Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya Al-Shorta Al-Sinaa Al-Talaba Al-Zawraa Baghdad Duhok Erbil Karbala Kirkuk Masafi Al-Wasat Naft Al-Junoob Sulaymaniya Zakho Al-Anbar Al-Fahad Al-Hudood Al-Hindiya Al-Hurr Al-Kadhimiya Al-Karkh Al-Khutoot Al-Midhatiya Al-Najda Al-Oloom wal-Technologia Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya Al-Taji Biladi Al-Diwaniya Ghaz Al-Shamal Al-Kufa Naft Al-Wasat Naft Maysan Al-Samawa Al-Shirqat Tuz Bold indicates the team is still in the competition.
Map
Baghdad teams Kirkuk teams Karbala teams Najaf teams Basra teams Al-HudoodAl-KadhimiyaAl-KahrabaaAl-KarkhAl-KhutootAl-NaftAl-NajdaAl-Oloom wal-TechnologiaAl-Quwa Al-JawiyaAl-ShortaAl-SinaaAl-Sinaat Al-KahrabaiyaAl-TalabaAl-ZawraaBaghdadBiladiMasafi Al-Wasat KirkukGhaz Al-Shamal KarbalaAl-Hurr Al-NajafNaft Al-WasatAl-Kufa Al-MinaaNaft Al-Junoob
Schedule The rounds of the 2012–13 competition are scheduled as follows: Round Draw date Matches datesFirst round 15 September 201228 September 2012Play-off round6–13 October 2012Round of 323 December 2012 – 10 June 2013
First round Times are in AST (UTC+03:00).
Play-off round
First legs
Second legs
Final phase Bracket Teams that are in bold advanced on.
Round of 32
First legs
Second legs
References
External links Iraq Football Association