2002–03 Iraqi First Division
| Season | 2002–03 |
|---|---|
| Champions |
Al-Shorta 3rd Premier League title 8th Iraqi title |
| 2003 Arab Champions League | Al-Shorta |
| 2004 AFC Champions League |
Al-Shorta Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya |
| 2004 Arab Champions League |
Al-Talaba Al-Zawraa |
| Top goalscorer |
Ahmad Mnajed (15 goals) |
|
← 2001–02
2003–04 →
|
|
The 2002–03 Iraqi First Division kicked off on September 6, 2002. The name of the league was changed from Iraqi Elite League to Iraqi First Division. Due to the War in Iraq, the season had to be cut short in March 2003 after 29 rounds. The Iraq Football Association decided to discount all the matches from the second half of the league, to create a league table for the first half of the season only, which was 19 games in total, and thus crowned Al-Shorta the champions for their third Premier League title and eighth overall league title. This was the same situation as the 1976–77 Iraqi National League when the IFA used the same method to name Al-Zawraa as the champion for that particular season, and also the 1972–73 Iraq FA First Division where Al-Tayaran (now Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya) won the title.
As champions, Al-Shorta qualified for the 2003 Arab Champions League and 2004 AFC Champions League. The IFA decided that because the league did not complete the 38 games, the other three remaining continental slots would go randomly to the other three big Baghdad clubs (Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Al-Talaba and Al-Zawraa). Al-Shorta also won the Iraqi Elite Cup in this season to complete a domestic double.
1There were five slots for continental competitions available for Iraqi teams: one slot for the 2003 Arab Champions League, two slots for the 2004 AFC Champions League and two slots for the 2004 Arab Champions League. As league champions, Al-Shorta took the 2003 Arab Champions League slot and one of the 2004 AFC Champions League slots. The IFA decided that because the league did not complete all 38 games, the final three continental slots should go randomly to the other three of Baghdad's Big Four (i.e. Al-Talaba, Al-Zawraa and Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya); Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya were given a spot in the 2004 AFC Champions League while Al-Talaba and Al-Zawraa entered the 2004 Arab Champions League.
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