Al Zawra'a
Wikipedia - Al-Zawraa SC
Al-Zawraa Sports Club (Arabic: نادي الزوراء الرياضي) is an Iraqi professional sports club based in Utayfia, Karkh District (near Tigris River), Baghdad. Their football team competes in the Iraq Stars League, the top-flight of Iraqi football. Al-Zawraa have won the most major honours of any club in Iraq, having won 14 league titles, 16 Iraq FA Cups and 5 Iraqi Super Cups—all record totals.
Al-Zawraa won the Umm al-Ma'arik Championship or Baghdad Championship a joint-record three times. Al-Zawraa have won the domestic double a record eight times and became only the second Iraqi team to win the domestic quadruple in the 1999–2000 season. In 2022, Al-Zawraa opened the new all-seater Al-Zawraa Stadium which replaced the club's old ground at the same site.
Al-Zawraa finished fourth at the 1996–97 Asian Club Championship and were runners-up of the 1999–2000 Asian Cup Winners' Cup. Al-Zawraa have competed in the AFC Champions League group stage three times and have reached the knockout rounds of the AFC Cup three times. The team's home colour is white, thus they are nicknamed "Al-Nawaris" (lit. 'The Gulls').
History
Foundation
Al-Zawraa were founded on 29 June 1969 as Al-Muwasalat, which means 'Transportation'. Al-Muwasalat participated in the Iraq Central FA Fourth Division in the 1969–70 season. In the 1970–71 season, they won the fourth division and were promoted to the third division. The 1971–72 season saw the establishment of 'Al-Muwasalat B' (the club's B team), with the merger of Al-Bareed B and Al-Matar Al-Madani, which joined the fourth division. In their first season, Al-Muwasalat B won the fourth division under coach Rasheed Radhi and were promoted to the third division, beating Al-Shabab 2–1 on 1 June 1972 at Al-Kashafa Stadium.[]
On 16 November 1972, the club was renamed to Al-Zawraa. The 1972–73 season saw both Al-Zawraa and Al-Zawraa B competing in the third division, and in the 1973–74 season, Al-Zawraa B won the third division title after a 2–1 win over Indhibat Al-Shorta, securing promotion to the second division. As they were the club's B team, the A and B teams merged back together, and the club was also merged with another club called Saleem Sports Club, to compete in the newly-founded Iraqi National Second Division in the 1974–75 season. Al-Zawraa won the second division title that season under Rasheed Radhi's leadership, being promoted into the Iraqi National League for the first time in their history for the 1975–76 season.[]
A club named Al-Naqil (meaning 'Transport'), who were attached to the Ministry of Transport, were the runners-up of the 1974–75 Iraqi National League, but the club was dissolved due to a lack of financial backing. Al-Naqil's players joined newly-promoted side Al-Zawraa, who were founded by the Minister of Transport, Adnan Ayoub Sabri Al-Ezzi. This meant that Al-Zawraa became one of the strongest clubs in Iraq from their first season in the top-flight, which was the 1975–76 season, where they managed to win both the league title and the Iraq FA Cup. In the 1976–77 season, Al-Zawraa retained their title, winning the league undefeated, and the 1978–79 season saw Al-Zawraa win the league undefeated again, also winning the Iraq FA Cup to secure their second double.[]
1980s
The 1980s is the only decade in which Al-Zawraa failed to win a league title. However, they managed to win three Iraq FA Cup titles that decade, with victories in the 1980–81, 1981–82 and 1988–89 seasons. Al-Zawraa also won the first ever Arab Cooperation Council Club Championship in 1989, and retained their title in 1990.
1990s
They began the 1990s by winning the Iraq FA Cup again and qualifying to the 1990 Arab Club Champions Cup, which was eventually abandoned. The 1990s would go on to become the most successful in Al-Zawraa's history, as they were crowned champions of Iraq for the fourth time in 1990–91 and also won another Iraq FA Cup to secure another double. Al-Zawraa won the first ever edition of the Umm al-Ma'arik Championship in the 1991–92 season and they succeeded in winning another Iraq FA Cup in the 1992–93 season.[]
The next three seasons were three of the best in Al-Zawraa's history; they won three consecutive doubles in 1993–94, 1994–95 and 1995–96. They also participated in their first ever AFC tournaments, being knocked out in the first round of the 1993–94 Asian Cup Winners' Cup and the second round of the 1995 Asian Club Championship. Al-Zawraa recorded their best participation in the Asian Club Championship in 1996–97 as they reached the semi-finals, eventually finishing fourth. Al-Zawraa won the 1997–98 Iraq FA Cup which saw manager Anwar Jassam win his record fifth FA Cup, and followed that up by winning their first Iraqi Super Cup with a 1–0 win over league champions Al-Shorta. In the 1997–98 Asian Club Championship, Al-Zawraa reached the second round before being knocked out.[]
Al-Zawraa continued to dominate Iraqi football by winning the double in 1998–99 and securing their first domestic quadruple in 1999–2000 by winning all four domestic trophies. They also reached the final of the 1999–2000 Asian Cup Winners' Cup, the furthest that they have ever reached in a major continental competition, but lost 1–0 to Shimizu S-Pulse of Japan.[]
2000s
As champions, Al-Zawraa qualified for the 2000–01 Asian Club Championship but were knocked out in the first round. Al-Zawraa won their third consecutive league title in 2000–01 and also won the Iraqi Super Cup, while they reached the second round of the 2001–02 Asian Club Championship and lost to Al-Sadd in 2002–03 AFC Champions League qualification.[]
Al-Zawraa won the Baghdad Championship in the 2003–04 season, becoming joint-record winners of the competition which had changed its name from Umm al-Ma'arik Championship. In the 2003–04 Arab Champions League, Al-Zawraa were knocked out at the round of 16, while they were knocked out at the group stage of the 2005 AFC Champions League. In the 2005–06 season, Al-Zawraa secured their 11th league title by defeating Al-Najaf via a penalty shootout after a goalless draw, while in the 2005–06 Arab Champions League, they were defeated over two legs by MC Algiers in the round of 16. Al-Zawraa also participated in the 2007 AFC Champions League (knocked out in the group stage) and the 2009 AFC Cup (knocked out in the round of 16 by Erbil).[]
2010s
In 2010–11, they returned to the top of Iraqi football by winning their 12th league title after a penalty shootout win over Erbil. This qualified them to the 2012 AFC Cup but they were knocked out in the round of 16. Al-Zawraa won the 2015–16 league title without losing a game in what was their 13th league title. They then won the 2016–17 Iraq FA Cup and 2017 Iraqi Super Cup titles, coupling the latter with the 2017–18 Iraqi Premier League title which saw them extend their national record to 14 league triumphs. After knockout stage and group stage exits in the AFC Cup in 2017 and 2018 respectively, Al-Zawraa returned to the AFC Champions League in 2019, collecting eight points but failing to advance to the next round. The team had two impressive games against Al-Wasl, beating them 5–0 in Karbala and 5–1 at Zabeel Stadium.[]
2020s
Al-Zawraa won the 2018–19 Iraq FA Cup, thus qualifying to the qualifying rounds of the AFC Champions League in 2020 and 2021 where they were eliminated both times. Al-Zawraa won their fifth Iraqi Super Cup title in 2021.[]
Al Zawra'a has won numerous domestic titles, including the Iraqi Premier League and the Iraq FA Cup. They have also had success in international competitions, representing Iraq in various AFC tournaments.
The team's colors are green and white, and they play their home matches at the Al Zawra'a Stadium in Baghdad. Known for their attacking style of play and skilled players, Al Zawra'a is a formidable opponent for any team they face.
Overall, Al Zawra'a is a respected and competitive team in Iraqi football, with a proud history and dedicated fan base.