Football tournament in Iraq
2023 Iraqi Republic Championship بطولة الجمهورية العراقية Tournament details Host country Iraq City All 18 provinces Dates 7 August – 27 September Teams 19 Final positions Champions Salahaddin XI Runners-up Baghdad Karkh XI Tournament statistics Matches played 45 Goals scored 140 (3.11 per match)
International football competition
The 2023 Iraqi Republic Championship was a newly-returned friendly tournament organised by the Iraq Football Association. All 18 governorates of Iraq were represented in this tournament. The tournament started in August 2023, during the off-season of the Iraqi Premier League. This was the tournament's first edition in over 30 years.[ 1] [ 2] [ 3] Salahaddin XI beat Baghdad Karkh XI in the final on 27 September to win the tournament.[ 4]
All 18 provinces of Iraq were represented in the tournament. Baghdad was represented by two teams from Karkh and Rusafa, the two sides of Baghdad city separated by the Tigris River. Each team, governed by the sub-federation in that province, formed a select team to compete and appointed both the coaching and administrative staff. The coaches then called up players, who play for the province that they are originally from.
Iraqi Republic Championship Northern Region Western Region Baghdad Region Middle Euphrates Region Southern Region Duhok XI
Erbil XI
Sulaymaniya XI
Kirkuk XI
Nineveh XI
Salahaddin XI
Diyala XI
Anbar XI
Baghdad Karkh XI
Baghdad Rusafa XI
Karbala XI
Babil XI
Najaf XI
Qadisiya XI
Muthanna XI
Wasit XI
Dhi Qar XI
Maysan XI
Basra XI
Each team played at the following stadiums:
Stadiums Team/Province Stadium Duhok XI Duhok Stadium Erbil XI Franso Hariri Stadium Sulaymaniya XI Sulaymaniya Stadium Kirkuk XI Kirkuk Olympic Stadium Nineveh XI Al-Amwaj Al-Mosuli Stadium Salahaddin XI Tikrit University Stadium Diyala XI Baquba Stadium Anbar XI Al-Sufiya Stadium Baghdad Karkh XI Al-Zawraa Stadium Baghdad Rusafa XI Al-Shaab Stadium Karbala XI Karbala Local Administrative Stadium Babil XI Al-Kifl Stadium Najaf XI Al-Najaf Stadium Qadisiya XI Al-Diwaniya Stadium Muthanna XI Al-Samawa Stadium Wasit XI Al-Kut Olympic Stadium Dhi Qar XI Suq Al-Shuyukh Stadium /Al-Shatra Stadium Maysan XI Al-Maimouna Stadium Basra XI Al-Minaa Olympic Stadium (secondary pitch)
Each team initially played against other teams within their own region as qualifiers for the knockout stages. The top two teams from each of the four regions qualified for the next round, joining the Karkh and Rusafa teams in the Baghdad region to make up the 10 teams in the next phase. They were divided into two groups, and the top of each group played against each other in the final of the tournament.[ 5]
Tie-breakers of groups relied on goals scored rather than goal difference to encourage offensive play in order to make the football played at the tournament more appealing.
Regional stage
Northern Region
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification 1 Kirkuk XI 3 1 2 0 6 2 +4 5 Second stage 2 Erbil XI 3 1 2 0 6 3 +3 5 3 Sulaymaniya XI 3 1 2 0 5 2 +3 5 4 Duhok XI 3 0 0 3 1 11 −10 0
Source: Kooora Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) number of goals scored; 3) goal difference.
Sulaymaniya XI v Kirkuk XI 11 August 2023 GS MD1 Sulaymaniya XI 1–1 Kirkuk XI Sulaymaniya 16:30 UTC+3 24' Yassin 21' Stadium: Zanko Stadium Referee: Wmeedh Mahmoud
Duhok XI v Erbil XI 11 August 2023 GS MD1 Duhok XI 1–4 Erbil XI Duhok 16:30 UTC+3 31' Stadium: Duhok Stadium Referee: Ayad Zahim
Erbil XI v Sulaymaniya XI Sulaymaniya XI v Duhok XI
Western Region
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification 1 Salahaddin XI 3 2 1 0 12 5 +7 7 Second stage 2 Nineveh XI 3 2 1 0 4 1 +3 7 3 Anbar XI 3 1 0 2 7 8 −1 3 4 Diyala XI 3 0 0 3 2 11 −9 0
Source: Kooora Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) number of goals scored; 3) goal difference.
Anbar XI v Diyala XI 10 August 2023 GS MD1 Anbar XI 4–1 Diyala XI Ramadi 17:00 UTC+3 Mahmoud Stadium: Al-Sufiya Stadium Referee: Jamal Abdul-Ridha
Salahaddin XI v Nineveh XI Diyala XI v Salahaddin XI 14 August 2023 GS MD2 Diyala XI 1–5 Salahaddin XI Baquba 17:00 UTC+3 Mahmoud 36' Adnan 17' Ali 26' Jadallah 69' Amer 90+2' Qahtan 90+4' Stadium: Baquba Stadium Referee: Twana Othman
Nineveh XI v Anbar XI 14 August 2023 GS MD2 Nineveh XI 1–0 Anbar XI Mosul 17:00 UTC+3 Mohammed Stadium: Al-Amwaj Al-Mosuli Stadium
Anbar XI v Salahaddin XI 18 August 2023 GS MD3 Anbar XI 3–6 Salahaddin XI Ramadi 17:00 UTC+3 Naji Younis (pen.) Rmeidh Jadallah Stadium: Al-Sufiya Stadium
Middle Euphrates Region
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification 1 Karbala XI 4 3 0 1 8 4 +4 9 Second stage 2 Najaf XI 4 2 1 1 6 5 +1 7 3 Qadisiya XI 4 1 1 2 6 8 −2 4 4 Babil XI 4 1 1 2 5 7 −2 4 5 Muthanna XI 4 0 3 1 2 3 −1 3
Source: Kooora Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) number of goals scored; 3) goal difference.
Qadisiya XI v Karbala XI 7 August 2023 GS MD1 Qadisiya XI 0–2 Karbala XI Afak 17:00 UTC+3 Kareem 14' Sabah 70' Stadium: Afak Stadium Referee: Sajjad Khalid
Najaf XI v Qadisiya XI 11 August 2023 GS MD2 Najaf XI 3–1 Qadisiya XI Najaf 17:00 UTC+3 Hassan 18' Hameed 35' Qasim Stadium: Al-Najaf Stadium
Karbala XI v Najaf XI 15 August 2023 GS MD3 Karbala XI 3–1 Najaf XI Karbala 17:00 UTC+3 61' Stadium: Karbala Local Administrative Stadium
Muthanna XI v Qadisiya XI Karbala XI v Muthanna XI 23 August 2023 GS MD5 Karbala XI 1–0 Muthanna XI Karbala 17:00 UTC+3 Sabah Stadium: Karbala Local Administrative Stadium
Najaf XI v Babil XI 23 August 2023 GS MD5 Najaf XI 2–1 Babil XI Najaf 17:00 UTC+3 Hameed 18' 70' Kassad 1' Stadium: Al-Najaf Stadium
Southern Region
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification 1 Wasit XI 3 3 0 0 8 2 +6 9 Second stage 2 Maysan XI 3 2 0 1 6 4 +2 6 3 Basra XI 3 1 0 2 7 9 −2 3 4 Dhi Qar XI 3 0 0 3 2 8 −6 0
Source: Kooora Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) number of goals scored; 3) goal difference.
Second stage
Qualified Teams Iraqi Republic Championship Northern Region Western Region Baghdad Region Middle Euphrates Region Southern Region Kirkuk XI
Erbil XI
Salahaddin XI
Nineveh XI
Baghdad Karkh XI (bye)
Baghdad Rusafa XI (bye)
Karbala XI
Najaf XI
Wasit XI
Maysan XI
Group 1
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification 1 Salahaddin XI 4 3 0 1 9 4 +5 9 Final 2 Karbala XI 4 2 1 1 8 5 +3 7 3 Baghdad Rusafa XI 4 2 1 1 3 4 −1 7 4 Erbil XI (H) 4 1 1 2 5 7 −2 4 5 Maysan XI 4 0 1 3 1 6 −5 1
Source: Kooora Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) number of goals scored; 3) goal difference.(H) Hosts
Karbala XI v Baghdad Rusafa XI 15 September 2023 SR MD1 Karbala XI 3–0 Baghdad Rusafa XI Erbil 15:30 UTC+3 Stadium: Al-Shamal Stadium
Salahaddin XI v Erbil XI 15 September 2023 SR MD1 Salahaddin XI 2–1 Erbil XI Erbil 15:30 UTC+3 Stadium: Al-Shamal Stadium
Erbil XI v Baghdad Rusafa XI 17 September 2023 SR MD2 Erbil XI 1–1 Baghdad Rusafa XI Erbil
Karbala XI v Maysan XI 17 September 2023 SR MD2 Karbala XI 0–0 Maysan XI Erbil
Baghdad Rusafa XI v Salahaddin XI 19 September 2023 SR MD3 Baghdad Rusafa XI 1–0 Salahaddin XI Erbil 16:45 UTC+3 Stadium: Ararat Stadium
Erbil XI v Maysan XI 19 September 2023 SR MD3 Erbil XI 2–1 Maysan XI Erbil 16:45 UTC+3 Stadium: Brayati Stadium
Maysan XI v Salahaddin XI 21 September 2023 SR MD4 Maysan XI 0–3 Salahaddin XI Erbil
Karbala XI v Erbil XI 21 September 2023 SR MD4 Karbala XI 3–1 Erbil XI Erbil
Salahaddin XI v Karbala XI 23 September 2023 SR MD5 Salahaddin XI 4–2 Karbala XI Erbil
Maysan XI v Baghdad Rusafa XI 23 September 2023 SR MD5 Maysan XI 0–1 Baghdad Rusafa XI Erbil
Group 2
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification 1 Baghdad Karkh XI 3 2 0 1 7 5 +2 6 Final 2 Kirkuk XI (H) 3 2 0 1 4 3 +1 6 3 Nineveh XI 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 4 4 Wasit XI 3 0 1 2 3 6 −3 1 5 Najaf XI[ a] 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Withdrew
Source: Kooora Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) number of goals scored; 3) goal difference.(H) Hosts Notes:
^ Najaf XI withdrew from the tournament due to a lack of available players. Wasit XI v Baghdad Karkh XI 16 September 2023 SR MD1 Wasit XI 2–4 Baghdad Karkh XI Kirkuk 15:30 UTC+3 Stadium: Ghaz Al-Shamal Stadium
Kirkuk XI v Nineveh XI 16 September 2023 SR MD1 Kirkuk XI 2–1 Nineveh XI Kirkuk 15:30 UTC+3 Stadium: Naft Al-Shamal Stadium
Nineveh XI v Wasit XI 19 September 2023 SR MD2 Nineveh XI 0–0 Wasit XI Kirkuk 15:30 UTC+3 Stadium: Ghaz Al-Shamal Stadium
Baghdad Karkh XI v Kirkuk XI 19 September 2023 SR MD2 Baghdad Karkh XI 1–0 Kirkuk XI Kirkuk 15:30 UTC+3 Stadium: Naft Al-Shamal Stadium
Nineveh XI v Baghdad Karkh XI 22 September 2023 SR MD3 Nineveh XI 3–2 Baghdad Karkh XI Kirkuk 15:30 UTC+3 Stadium: Ghaz Al-Shamal Stadium
Wasit XI v Kirkuk XI 22 September 2023 SR MD3 Wasit XI 1–2 Kirkuk XI Kirkuk 15:30 UTC+3 Stadium: Naft Al-Shamal Stadium
Final 27 September 2023 (2023-09-27 )
15:00 UTC+3
Salahaddin XI 2–1 Baghdad Karkh XI
Naft Al-Shamal Stadium ,
Kirkuk Iraqi Republic Championship 2023 winner Salahaddin XI
References ^ "الاتحاد العراقي يعيد إحياء بطولة الجمهورية لمحافظات العراق" (in Arabic). kooora.com. 2023-07-18. ^ "اتحاد الكرة يطلق بطولة الجمهورية - وكالة الأنباء العراقية" (in Arabic). ina.iq. ^ "الاتحاد العراقيّ لكُرةِ القدم يطلق بطولة الجمهورية - موسوعة" (in Arabic). faceiraq.org. ^ "منتخب صلاح الدين بطلاً لبطولة الجمهورية لمنتخبات المحافظات 2023" (in Arabic). facebook.com/iraqfa. 2023-09-27. ^ "الاتحاد العراقي يحدد موعد وآلية انطلاق بطولة الجمهورية" (in Arabic). shafaq.com. 2023-07-28.