Al-Rasheed Sports Club (Iraq)
It competed in the top tier of Iraqi football (then the Iraqi National League, now the Iraq Stars League) from 1984 until its dissolution in 1990.
The club was founded on 23 November 1983 by Uday Hussein, the eldest son of then-Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. It took over facilities linked to the existing Al-Karkh Sports Club (including what became known as Al-Rasheed Stadium, capacity around 6,000) and was heavily backed by the regime.
Al-Rasheed was promoted to the top division after just one season in the second tier. With preferential access to Iraq’s best players—many of whom were effectively compelled or strongly incentivized to join—it quickly dominated domestic football. Star players associated with the club included national team figures such as Ahmed Radhi.
In a brief period of intense success, Al-Rasheed won The Iraqi National League title three times in a row (1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89) — the first club to achieve three consecutive titles since the league’s modern founding in 1974.
They also won the Iraq FA Cup twice (1986–87 and 1987–88) and the Arab Club Champions Cup three times consecutively (1985, 1986, and 1987), defeating sides including USM El Harrach (Algeria), ES Tunis (Tunisia), and Al-Ittihad (Saudi Arabia).
They reached the final of the 1988–89 Asian Club Championship (losing to Al-Sadd of Qatar).
The club also claimed other domestic honours such as the Iraqi Super Cup. Its success disrupted the traditional dominance of Baghdad’s “Big Four” (Al-Zawraa, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Al-Shorta, and Al-Talaba) and made it one of the strongest clubs in the Arab world during the late 1980s.
Al-Rasheed was widely unpopular with fans of other clubs due to its forced recruitment of players, perceived unfair advantages, and close ties to the ruling elite.
On 18 August 1990, the Iraqi Olympic Committee (under the regime’s direction) formally dissolved the club. All of its properties, players, and its place in the top division were transferred to Al-Karkh SC, which thereby entered the Premier League for the first time. Many top players dispersed to other clubs or retired.
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