| Competition: | Iraqi Second Division League |
| Season: | 2022–23 |
| Dates: | 1 December 2022 – 6 August 2023 |
| Winners: | Al-Karma (1st title) |
| Promoted: | Al-Karma Ghaz Al-Shamal Al-Gharraf Al-Fahad |
| Relegated: | 25 teams |
| Prevseason: | 2021–22 |
| Nextseason: | 2023–24 (Iraqi First Division League) |
| Updated: | 28 July 2023 |
The 2022–23 Iraqi Second Division League was the 49th season of what is now called the Iraqi First Division League, the third 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 was 98 (in addition to 26 pre-qualified teams from the previous season, playing starting from the second round, so the total is 124 teams). The top four teams (top 2 teams in each group) in the Final Qualifiers were promoted directly to the second tier, while teams that fail to qualify for the second round and finish in the bottom positions in the group ranking table will be relegated directly to the third tier. The season started on 1 December 2022.[1] [2]
In the Ultimate competing round of the league, in the group 1, Al-Karma and Al-Gharraf were able to top the group after each of them achieved 19 points, while in the group 2, Ghaz Al-Shamal and Al-Fahad topped the group after each of them achieved 22 points. All four teams were promoted to the second tier.[3] [4]
It was decided on August 6, to hold the final match to determine the league champion, between the leaders of the group 1, Al-Karma, and the leaders of the group 2, Ghaz Al-Shamal.[5] [6] [7]
The final match was held at Al-Shaab Stadium in Baghdad, and Al-Karma was able to beat Ghaz Al-Shamal by penalty kicks (4–3) after the end of the regular time of the match, with the two teams drewed (1–1).[8]
The following teams have changed division since the 2021–22 season:
Promoted from Third Division League
Relegated from the First Division League
Promoted to the First Division League
Relegated to Third Division League
The Iraqi Second Division League starts with 98 clubs and ends with four qualified clubs according to three rounds, The teams that qualified for the second round last season and the teams that were relegated from the Iraqi First Division League in the 2021–22 season moved directly to play in the second round.
| Round | Stage | Main date | Participating teams | Qualified teams | Qualify for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | In-governorates qualifiers | 1 December 2022 | 98 | 27 | In-territories qualifiers | |
| 2nd | In-territories qualifiers | 31 March 2023 | 53 | 12 | Final qualifiers | |
| 3rd | Final qualifiers | 9 June 2023 | 12 | 4 | Promotion to the Iraqi First Division League |
The 98 clubs are divided into 16 groups depending on the location, except for the groups of Dohuk and Erbil, each group representing the governorate to which these clubs belong and is located within its borders.
There are no teams in Dohuk that play in this division.
There are no teams in Erbil that play in this division.
The 26 pre-qualified teams and the 27 teams coming from the first round are all divided into five groups by location,[9] and these groups have sub-groups. The first from each group is considered a winner, the winning teams advance directly to the third round.
| Rank | Groups | Governorates | Winners teams | Pre-qualified teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern Group | Dohuk |
| |
| Nineveh | ||||
| Erbil | ||||
| Kirkuk | ||||
| Sulaymaniyah | ||||
| 2 | Western Group | Saladin | ||
| Al-Anbar | ||||
| Diyala | ||||
| 3 | Baghdad Group | Baghdad | ||
| 4 | Central Euphrates Group | Karbalaa | ||
| Babil | ||||
| Al-Najaf | ||||
| Al-Qādisiyyah | ||||
| Al-Muthanna | ||||
| 5 | Southern Group | Wasit | ||
| Maysan | ||||
| Dhi Qar | ||||
| Basra | ||||
[a] Al-Karma replaced Al-Habbaniya.
The draw for the Central Euphrates Group and Southern Group regions was held on February 21, 2023,[10] [11] [12] and the Western Group on February 22,[13] while the Northern Group draw was held in February 25.[14]
The twelve qualified teams have been divided into two groups, and the first two teams from each group will be promoted to Iraqi First Division League, and the draw took place on May 30, 2023.[15] [16]
After the lottery was drawn between the qualified teams, Al-Qurna was replaced by Al-Kut, due to the appeal decision issued by the Football Association, as Al-Kut considered a winner over Suq Al-Shuyukh with a score 3–0 instead of the draw result with which the match ended, and thus Al-Kut has got on 13 points ahead of Al-Qurna who has 12 points.[17] [18]
| Team | Manager | Location | Stadium | Capacity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Fahad |  Anmar Salam | Al-Ramadi Stadium | 15,000 | ||
| Al-Furat | Nayef Falah | Suq Al-Shuyukh Stadium | 5,000 | ||
| Al-Gharraf | Moayad Tauma | Dhi Qar | Al-Shatra Stadium | 7,500 | |
| Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi | Azhar Taher | Al-Saher Ahmed Radhi Stadium | 5,150 | ||
| Qahtan Dakhel | Al-Hashimiya Stadium | 5,000 | |||
| Al-Karma | Shaker Mohammed Sabbar | Al-Anbar | Al-Fallujah Stadium | 7,000 | |
| Nadhim Hussein | Babil | Al-Kifl Stadium | 8,000 | ||
| Haider Ibrahim | Al-Kut Olympic Stadium | 20,000 | |||
| Al-Mosul | Ziyad Mahmoud | Nineveh | Mosul University Stadium | 20,000 | |
| Zuhair Abdul-Ridha | Baghdad | Al-Taji Stadium | 5,000 | ||
| Ghaz Al-Shamal | Natiq Haddad | Ghaz Al-Shamal Stadium | 5,000 | ||
| Naft Al-Shamal | Ahmed Habib | Kirkuk | Khak Stadium | 5,000 |
| GK | 32 | Omar Abboud | ||
| RB | 29 | Sajjad Deabes | ||
| CB | 37 | Ziyad Khalaf | ||
| CB | 4 | Anaid Shaaban | ||
| LB | 66 | Koran Emad | ||
| CM | 8 | Ali Najem | ||
| CM | 77 | Abdullah Sarbast | ||
| CM | 6 |  Gehad Abdulrab | ||
| RF | 7 | Ibrahim Khaled | ||
| CF | 11 | Ali Sulayman | ||
| LF | 21 | Hussein Yasser | ||
| Manager: | ||||
| Shaker Mohammed Sabbar | ||||
| GK | 37 | Abdullah Hamad | ||
| RB | 70 | Abdul-Muhaimen Abdullah | ||
| CB | 23 | Laith Jalil | ||
| CB | 3 | Hussein Jamal | ||
| LB | 17 | Omar Tariq | ||
| CM | 88 | Ahmed Hussein | ||
| CM | 25 | Aassi Sultan | ||
| CM | 9 | Ahmed Khalaf | ||
| RF | 7 | Ayad Khalaf | ||
| CF | 10 | Yasser Naji | ||
| LF | 18 | Mustafa Brisho | ||
| Manager: | ||||
| Natiq Haddad | ||||
Match rules
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ahmed Mahood | Al-Furat | 7 |
| Ahmed Rahim | Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi | ||
| 3 | Abbas Raysan | Al-Gharraf | 6 |
| Yasser Naji | Ghaz Al-Shamal | ||
| Hussein Sharar | Al-Kifl | ||
| Serri Jamal | Al-Fahad | ||
| 7 | Ali Sulayman | Al-Karma | 5 |
| Dana Kameran | Naft Al-Shamal | ||
| 9 | Ali Kowti | Al-Gharraf | 4 |
| Ibrahim Khaled | Al-Karma | ||
| Ali Fadhel | Al-Gharraf | ||
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serri Jamal4 | Al-Fahad | Al-Jawhara | 5–2 (H) | 22 June 2023 | |
| Hussein Sharar | Al-Kifl | Al-Karma | 3–0 (H) | 2 July 2023 | |
| Ahmed Mahood | Al-Furat | Al-Kut | 3–2 (H) | 18 July 2023 |