The format of the league for the inaugural 2024–25 season is as follows:[3]
First stage: Teams are split into 18 regional tournaments in accordance with the 18 governorates of Iraq. Each tournament is organised by the Iraq Football Association's sub-branch in that governorate (except for the tournament in Baghdad which is organised by the IFA Competitions Committee). A total of 42 teams qualify for the second stage.
Second stage: The 42 qualified teams are divided into five regions: Southern Region, Middle Euphrates Region, Western Region, Northern Region and Baghdad Region. The second stage matches are organised by the IFA Competitions Committee. 3 teams from each region (15 teams in total) qualify for the third stage.
Third stage: The 15 qualified teams are divided into three groups of 5 teams each. Each team plays the other teams in their group home and away in a double round-robin format. The three group winners and the best second-placed team (4 teams in total) qualify for the final stage.
Final stage: The 4 qualified teams compete amongst each other, with the top 2 teams from the final stage being promoted to the Iraqi Second Division League.
Each team can register up to 25 players in their squad list, and each club is required to have a formal establishment licence issued by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
