Diyala

Diyala go into the current campaign of the Iraq Stars League as one of the smaller sides, back among the elite for the 2024–25 season after taking the second-tier Iraqi Premier Division League title in 2023–24.

The club took shape in 1957 in Baqubah, the seat of Diyala Governorate. The home shirt is plain orange, which is also where the nickname The Orange comes from; the away kit is white.

Between 1975 and 2011 Diyala spent fourteen seasons in the top division without ever turning that time into stability — four relegations and two withdrawals from the league punctuate the record. There is no fixture that carries the weight of a derby; games against the Baghdad clubs, Al-Shorta or Al-Zawra'a among them, come and go as ordinary league business rather than occasions with history behind them.

Home matches are played in front of a crowd that changed shape recently: renovation work replaced the old open terraces at the Baqubah Stadium with individual seats, and capacity now stands at just over 7,000.