Shafaq News
Iraqi sport
closed 2025 as one of its most active years in recent history, with football,
individual disciplines, women’s competitions, and Paralympic sport delivering
results across regional and continental arenas. National teams, clubs, and
individual athletes collected titles, medals, and ranking advances, reflecting
broader participation and gradual performance growth beyond football, even as
structural challenges persisted.
World Cup
Horizon
At the
senior level, Iraq’s national football team secured qualification to the
intercontinental playoff round of the 2026 World Cup after overcoming the
United Arab Emirates 3–2 on aggregate. That outcome earned Iraq a playoff
fixture scheduled for March 2026 in Mexico, where the team will meet either
Bolivia or Suriname for a place at the finals.
Earlier in
the year, Iraq competed at the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025, moving beyond the
group stage before exiting in the quarter-finals following a loss to Jordan.
While performances varied across the tournament, the national side added an
external title by capturing the King of Thailand Cup. Iraq also advanced to
58th in the FIFA world rankings, its strongest position in several years,
pointing to a phase of relative technical and administrative continuity after
repeated changes in previous seasons.
منتخبنا الوطني يستقر في المركز 58 بقائمة تصنيف FIFA لشهر أيلول #أسود_الرافدين#المنتخب_الوطني_العراقي#الراعي_الرسمي#المصرف_العراقي_للتجارة #وادي_الرواشد#شركة_بيبسيكو_العالمية#الطريق_إلى_كأس_العالم#ببجي_موبايل x #منتخب_أسود_الرافدين#منتخبنا_حلم_وطن #يلا_لكأس_العالم pic.twitter.com/KlWRmNuISN
— IRAQ F.A. (@IRAQFA) September 18, 2025
At the youth
level, Iraq’s Olympic team advanced deep into the Gulf Under-23 Championship,
registering a 1–0 victory over the UAE before reaching the final. The run
concluded with a runner-up finish after defeat to Saudi Arabia. As part of
preparations for forthcoming continental events, the squad also featured in the
AFC Under-23 Asian Cup qualifiers.
The Under-20
national team entered the AFC U20 Asian Cup 2025, departing at the group stage
after mixed outcomes in decisive fixtures. The tournament underscored the
presence of technical ability while also exposing persistent inconsistencies in
youth development pathways.
At the club
level, 2025 marked a turning point in Iraq’s football landscape. Duhok SC
became the first Iraqi side to claim the Gulf Club Championship after defeating
Kuwait’s Al-Qadisiya 2–1 in the final, with Brazilian defender Marlon
converting a stoppage-time winner. The triumph delivered $3 million in prize
money and stood as a landmark regional success for Iraqi club football.
Later in the
season, Duhok completed a historic double by lifting the Iraq Cup for the first
time. The final against Zakho ended scoreless before Duhok prevailed 5–3 on
penalties, bringing to a close decades of near-exclusive dominance by
Baghdad-based clubs in domestic cup competitions.
In the
league, Al-Shorta extended its domestic control by securing the 2024–2025
Iraqi Premier League title, becoming the first club to capture the championship
for four consecutive seasons.
Supporters
also drew global attention during the year. Fans of Zakho FC earned FIFA’s Best
Fan Award for 2025 after throwing thousands of stuffed toys and boxes of baby
formula onto the pitch during a league match in Duhok. The donations were later
distributed to children undergoing cancer treatment, delivering the first
global fan honour for supporters from the Middle East.
The year
included several symbolic moments for Iraqi football. Expatriate international
Justin Meram confirmed his retirement from international duty after a lengthy
spell with the national team. Iraq’s veterans national team also secured the
title at the inaugural Gulf Cup for Legends, adding a new distinction to the
country’s football record.
Rising
Female Stars
Women’s
sport registered notable steps forward in 2025. Iraq’s women’s national
football team placed third at the West Asian Championship, achieving the first
continental podium finish in the history of Iraqi women’s football.
In futsal,
the women’s national team moved up to 16th in the Asian rankings, while the
men’s futsal side climbed to 41st worldwide in the international
classification, reflecting steady growth in a discipline that continued to
expand its domestic base.
Beyond
Football
Across
individual sports, Iraqi athletes secured medals at regional and continental
championships throughout the year. In wrestling, Sajjad Ali Maksar collected
silver in the Greco-Roman 55 kg category at the Asian Championships in Jordan,
while Ali Yassin obtained bronze in the 130 kg division.
In Muay
Thai, Mustafa Al-Tikriti produced one of the year’s standout performances by
taking gold at the Asian Championships in Hanoi and adding another gold medal
at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh.
🌟 Muay Thai Men’s 75-80kg Results 🌟 🥇 Mustafa Al-Tekreeti – Iraq 🇮🇶⁰🥈 Majid Hashem Beigi – Iran 🇮🇷⁰🥉 Ilyass Hbibali – United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪نتائج المواي تاي – الرجال وزن 75–80 كجم 🌟 🥇 مصطفى التكريتي – العراق 🇮🇶⁰🥈 ماجد هاشم بيكي – إيران 🇮🇷⁰🥉 إلياس حبيب –… pic.twitter.com/o95A8paHxg
— Islamic Solidarity Sports Association – ISSA (@ISSAsports_) November 14, 2025
Weightlifting
also maintained a pattern of consistent returns. Ali Ammar Yasser captured
three silver medals in the +110 kg category across the snatch, clean and jerk,
and total, while young lifter Musa Khudair added two silver medals at the Asian
Youth Games, reinforcing continuity in the discipline rather than a single
surge.
Trackside
Triumphs
Track and
field further contributed to Iraq’s medal count, with Mustafa Kazem Dagger
earning bronze in the discus throw at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh,
while Iraq’s 4×400m relay team secured bronze during the continental tour in
India. Amir Subaih claimed silver in the pole vault, Yasser Qasim gained silver
in the javelin throw at the Arab Youth Championships in Tunisia, and Mohammed
Abdul Hamid Talib took silver in the high jump.
Unstoppable
Spirit
In boxing,
Sajjad Salem captured gold at the Asian youth level, while Ali Qassim obtained
a bronze medal at the Islamic Solidarity Games.
Meanwhile,
Paralympic sport delivered some of the clearest signals of institutional
progress. Iraqi athletes returned from the Asian Youth Championships in Dubai
with 13 medals, comprising three gold, three silver, and seven bronze.
Performances included gold for Najla Al-Daini in table tennis and two gold
medals for Fatima Fadil in athletics.
Iraq also
took part in the Third Asian Youth Games in Manama 2025 with a delegation of 26
athletes representing eight federations, finishing the event with 14 medals
across gold, silver, and bronze.
What’s Next?
Despite its
achievements, Iraq’s sports sector continues to face tight financial
constraints. The Ministry of Youth and Sports operates on an annual budget of
140 billion Iraqi dinars (around $95 million) under its three-year plan.
Of this, 22
billion dinars ($15 million) are allocated to sports federations for salaries
and operations, 5 billion dinars ($3.4 million) support club grants, and 86
billion dinars ($58 million) go toward ministry staff salaries. This leaves
only 7–8 billion dinars ($4.7–5.4 million) each year for essential needs such
as facility maintenance, generator fuel, equipment repairs, stationery, and
stadium renovations.
Looking
ahead to 2026, attention naturally turns to the national football team’s World
Cup playoff. Yet the broader sporting landscape is equally compelling. The
growth of women’s, youth, and Paralympic programs raises hopes among Iraqis
that these gains can be transformed into lasting structures.
Read more: Iraq’s stadiums “in ruin” as clubs fail upkeep
Written and
edited by Shafaq News staff.
