Three Wishes with the Start of the New Season of the Iraqi Stars League

The Iraqi Stars League for the new season 2025-2026 kicked off today, Saturday, bringing with it the hopes of Iraqi sports fans who are looking forward to a better and more organized season than previous ones.

On the opening day, three strong matches were held, where Amanat Baghdad faced Diyala at the Ahmad Rady Stadium, while Al-Student played a strong match against Zakho at the International City Stadium, and the third match brought together Nawruz and Al-Kahrabaa at Nawruz Stadium.

This season, Iraqi football fans are focusing on achieving three main goals, including better organization of matches, ensuring a stable league schedule, and providing fair competition among clubs that have strengthened their squads with distinguished players and foreign professionals to enhance the technical level of the league.

The competition this season appears to be more intense among the capital clubs and popular teams like Al-Zawraa, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Al-Shurta, and Al-Student, in addition to other clubs in the provinces that have strongly reinforced their squads to enhance their chances of competing for the championship title.

One of the main challenges that the new season aims to overcome is the phenomenon of postponed matches, which plagued the Iraqi league in previous seasons, causing confusion for clubs and dissatisfaction among fans.

The risk of postponements is greater for clubs participating in continental competitions like Al-Shurta, Al-Zawraa, and Zakho due to their participation in the AFC Champions League and AFC Champions League 2, in addition to their participation in the Gulf Cup for Clubs.

Moreover, the obligations of the Iraqi national team in the qualifying playoff for the World Cup in October may affect the continuity of the league if matters are not managed wisely.

The Iraqi Football Association also seeks to put an end to the July dilemma that has long affected the conclusion of the season, as the league usually ends in July due to the instability of the match schedule and the postponement of many matches.

In the current season, everyone hopes that the championship will conclude before June, which poses a significant challenge for the association due to the density of matches and the pressure of the competition schedule, alongside the participation of clubs in regional and continental tournaments.

The presence of fans is an important element in the success of the league, especially since the championship includes popular clubs with a long history in Iraq. To enhance attendance, some clubs have reduced ticket prices to encourage fans to attend and support their teams, after previous seasons witnessed a decline in attendance due to rising prices and the decline in the level of some teams.

In terms of technical development, the league this season will witness the implementation of several innovations for the first time, most notably the use of spider cameras to cover matches from all angles, awarding prizes to the best players and coaches after each round, in addition to using the high-specification 'Adidas' ball. All these steps aim to develop the Iraqi league and raise the level of competition, making the championship meet the aspirations of fans and those involved in the local sports scene.