Erbil SC

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Erbil SC

Full name	Erbil Sports Club
Nickname(s)	Yellow Castle - Mother Club
Founded	3 November 1968; 55 years ago (3 November 1968)
Ground	Franso Hariri Stadium
Capacity	35,000
Chairman	Muayyad Maghdid (Temporary)
Manager	Samir Babo
League	Iraq Stars League
2023–24	Iraq Stars League, 14th of 20
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Erbil Sports Club (Kurdish: یانەی وەرزشیی ھەولێر, romanized: Yaney Werzişîy Hewlêr, Arabic: نادي أربيل الرياضي) is an Iraqi professional sports club based in the city of Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq that plays in the Iraq Stars League, the first-tier of Iraqi football. Erbil also fields a team in the Kurdistan Premier League.

For the first time in its history, Erbil became champions of the Iraqi Premier League after beating Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (1–0) in the final game on Friday, 6 July 2007. On 24 August 2008, Erbil retained their status as Iraqi Premier League champions with a win over Baghdad based Al-Zawraa. On 16 July 2009 Erbil became the champion of Iraq's super league for the third consecutive year after beating Najaf FC. They also won the league in 2012 with only one loss.

Erbil Sport Club is the first Iraq team to qualify for the Asian Champions League and the Arab Champions League. In 2012 and 2014 they reached the AFC Cup final but lost both times. Erbil SC is the first Iraqi Premier League team to get players from outside Iraq.

Erbil SC was founded on 3 November 1968, by the former Kurdistan-Iraq Football Association and spent many years in mid-table obscurity, occasionally challenging the top Iraqi sides.^[1]

After the turn of the century and the beginning of the Iraq War, Erbil FC has dramatically improved and have become a real powerhouse in Iraqi club football. Top Iraqi players from southern Iraq and international players from around the world have begun coming to the kurdistan region and to Erbil SC to play their trade with good wages and relative safety.^[1]

In the summer of 2005, Shaker left rivals Duhok SC to coach Erbil. In the 2005–06 season, Erbil started slow, only just managing to finish third in Group A just ahead of Sirwan FC on goal difference to advance to the second round. Erbil topped their group in the second round to advance to the end of season play-offs where they met southern giants Najaf FC in a two-legged home and away tie. Erbil were beaten by Najaf by a 4–1 scoreline which basically dented all hope of reaching the play-off final for the title. In the home leg, Erbil were winning 1–0 when the match got suspended with a replay taking place five days later with the match resulting in a 1–1 scoreline. This meant Erbil were knocked out of a chance of winning the championship but would instead take part in the third-place play-off match. This match didn't take place as in the other semi-final match between the two Baghdad giants, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya and Al-Zawra'a. The second match of the leg was cancelled as the Al-Quwa players walked off the pitch, resulting in their disqualification and Erbil getting the automatic third-place finish. All in all, it was a strong first season under Shaker and that summer the team improved personnel ready for the next season.

Franso Hariri Stadium is the stadium where Erbil Sport Club play their home games. It is a multi-use stadium in Erbil. The stadium holds 25,000. It was built in 1992.

After the assassination of Franso Heriri on 18 February 2001, who actively supported rebuilding the stadium, the Kurdistan Regional Government renamed it in his memory.

In July 2009, Franso Hariri Stadium became Iraq national football team's home venue after the green-light from AFC to host the Iraqi national and clubs teams in Erbil.^[2] However, due to technical problems, FIFA abandoned the idea of having more national games being hosted in the stadium.

Erbil SC's main rival is Duhok SC with whom they contest the South Kurdistan derby. Also, the rivalry between Erbil SC and Zakho SC is known as the "Kurdish derby".^[3] Within the Kurdish Premier League, they also have a Derby against Peshmerga Hawler SC, which is another club situated inside Erbil.

Type	Competition	Titles	Seasons
National	Iraq Stars League	4	2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2011–12
	Iraqi Premier Division League (second tier)	1	1998–99
Regional	Kurdistan Premier League	3	2009–10, 2011–12, 2015–16

• AFC Champions League: 1 appearance

2008: Group Stage

• AFC Cup: 6 appearances

2009: Quarter-finals

2011: Semi-finals

2012: Runners-up

2013: Round of 16

2014: Runners-up

2015: Group Stage

2009 FIFA Confederations Cup

The following players have played in the FIFA Confederations Cup whilst playing for Erbil:

• 2009 – Luay Salah

As of 20 September 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 2 DF  TUN Bilel Ifa FGN 3 DF  IRQ Omar Jengi 4 DF  BRA Hélio FGN 5 DF  IRQ Niaz Mohammed 6 FW  IRQ Gielan Luqman 7 FW  IRQ Sherko Karim 8 MF  IRQ Osama Rashid 9 FW  JAM Collin Anderson FGN 10 MF  BRA Higor Vidal FGN 11 FW  TUN Youssef Ben Souda FGN 15 MF  IRQ Moayed Safaa 16 MF  IRQ Didar Ghazi 17 FW  IRQ Mustafa Qabeel 18 FW  IRQ Dana Kamiran 20 GK  IRQ Ahmed Rebwar

No. Pos. Nation Player 21 MF  IRQ Ivan Khalid 22 GK  IRQ Hussein Ali Joli 25 MF  IRQ Ali Raheem 27 MF  IRQ Rawa Yousef 29 DF  IRQ Yadger Ibrahim 32 DF  IRQ Arkan Ameer 36 MF  IRQ Mohammed Muhsen 70 DF  SYR Khaled Kourdoghli FGN 75 GK  IRQ Dolvan Mahdi 77 DF  IRQ Halo Fayaq — GK  IRQ Ammar Ali — GK  IRQ Mahdi Hashim — MF  IRQ Safin Mansour — FW  IRQ Halgurd Qais — FW  IRQ Mohammed Salam

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player

Season	Pos.	Pl.	W	D	L	GS	GA	P	AFC CL	AFC Cup	Arab CL	Notes
2000–01	12	30	6	11	13	24	46	29
2001–02	6	38	20	12	6	61	32	72
2002–03	—	27	10	7	10	44	33	37				Abandoned due to war
2003–04	—	10	6	3	1	19	8					Abandoned due to war
2004–05	5	20	9	6	5	32	23
2005–06	3	19	6	7	5	18	16
2006–07	1	19	14	3	2	34	11				1st round
2007–08	1	24	15	6	3	33	10		Group stage
2008–09	1	27	20	5	2	55	17
2009–10	4	42	29	6	7	79	22
2010–11	2	27	17	6	4	54	21			Semi-finals
2011–12	1	38	23	14	1	65	22	83		Final
2012–13	2	34	21	7	6	67	34	70		Round of 16
2013–14	2	21	12	6	3	29	15	42		Final		Ended prematurely
2014–15	11	18	5	10	3	21	17			Group stage
2015–16	11	17	5	8	4	19	17
2016–17	Withdrew	0	0	0	0	0	0	0				Relegated
2017–18	2 (Div. 1)											Promoted
2018–19	11	38	12	12	14	34	36	48
2019–20	—	9	2	4	3	8	11					Abandoned due to COVID-19
2020–21	12	38	10	14	14	39	41	44
2021–22	11	38	12	11	15	37	42	47
2022–23	6	38	16	10	12	44	39	58
2023–24	14	38	9	14	15	46	50	41

• From 2004 to 2005 season, the competition changed from League system to various rounds including table and knockout rounds.
• From 2011 to 2012 season, the competition went back to the single league system.
• From 2014 to 2015 season, the competition returned to a system with various rounds.
• From 2016 to 2017 season, the competition went back to the single league system.

Nationality is indicated by the corresponding FIFA country code(s).

Position	Name	Nationality
Manager:	Samir Babo
Assistant manager:	Keyfi Abdulrahman
Assistant manager:	-
Goalkeeping coach:	Emad Hashim
Medic:	-
Administrative director:	-
U-16 Manager:	Sartip Omar

Updated to match played 2024
Source: http://erbilsc.com/ku_football_team1.aspx

• Iraqi clubs in the AFC Cup
• Iraqi clubs in the AFC Champions League

• Official logo (archived 16 March 2022)
• Official Site (archived 20 February 2014) (in Arabic)
• Club squad on the AFC official website (archived 30 September 2018)