Eight Iraqi football clubs secure AFC licenses for 2026-2027 season

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Football Association (IFA) announced a historic milestone for domestic football on Monday, May 25, 2026, confirming that eight local clubs have successfully secured the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Club License.

This achievement marks the first time in the history of Iraqi football that this many clubs have qualified simultaneously, granting them official eligibility to participate in continental tournaments for the upcoming 2026–2027 season.

Amar Abdul Rahman, Director of the IFA Licensing Department, detailed the extensive vetting process in an official statement received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA). Over the past several weeks, the Licensing Committee conducted comprehensive field visits and inspection tours across all applicant clubs.

Following these site assessments, the committee held an extended review session to scrutinize and evaluate the electronic files and documentation uploaded by the teams into the continental licensing system.

Upon completing the rigorous auditing of financial, legal, administrative, infrastructural, and sporting criteria, the committee voted to grant the AFC license to the following eight clubs:

• Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (The newly crowned 2025-2026 league champions)
• Al-Shorta
• Erbil
• Al-Zawraa
• Al-Karma
• Zakho
• Duhok
• Al-Kahraba

The post Eight Iraqi football clubs secure AFC licenses for 2026-2027 season appeared first on Iraqi News.

المصدر: Iraqi News