The competition started in November 1948, with the regular season being played in a round-robin format. Al-Minaa and Sharikat Naft Al-Basra qualified for the championship play-off in May 1949 by occupying the top two positions in the league table, and Al-Minaa were crowned inaugural Iraq FA Basra League champions with a 1–0 victory, preventing their opponents from completing a Basra League and Iraq FA Cup double.[2][3]