Iraq Stars League second week opens with four matches

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The Iraqi Stars League 2026-2027 season enters its second week on Thursday with four matches played across venues in Baghdad and other cities. Twenty clubs from across the country are competing in the league. The day's first kickoff is scheduled for 18:30, with Naft Maysan hosting Al-Naft at its home ground, while at the same time the Nûruz Stadium in Sulaymaniyah hosts Gas Shimal against Al-Kahraba. At 21:00, Al-Jawlan will welcome Baghdad Karkh at Al-Jawlan Stadium in Anbar. The final match of the day will be played at Al-Mina Stadium in Basra, where Al-Mina meets Zakho. Second-week matches will run over three days. Erbil finished the opening week with three points to lead the table on goal difference ahead of Al-Naft, with Diyala third, Zakho fourth and Nûruz fifth. Twelve clubs — Hawwa Forces, Duhok, Al-Gharrawi, Al-Shurta, Karbala, Al-Karme, Mosul, Naft Maysan, Al-Jawlan, Al-Zawra and Al-Mina — sit on one point each, ranked by goal difference, while Talaba, 17th-placed Gas Shimal, Baghdad Karkh and Al-Kahraba are level on zero points at the bottom.