It kicked off on 2 September 2002, and the final was played on 23 August 2003 at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil.
[1][2] Al-Talaba were the defending champions of the cup having beaten Al-Shorta 1–0 in the 2002 final, and the same was repeated in 2003 as Al-Talaba beat Al-Shorta 1–0 again to earn their second title.
The competition was halted for more than six months after the quarter-finals due to the American invasion of Iraq, but the Iraq Football Association decided to complete the tournament, reducing the semi-finals to a single leg and moving the remaining matches to the safer northern city of Erbil.
Al-Sulaikh, Hatteen, Al-Kut and Al-Mashroua were eliminated from the competition.
Meanwhile, Al-Nahdha, who had qualified for the round of 32, withdrew and were replaced by Al-Ramadi.
The following results are known from the playoff round: Al-Shorta won 6–0 on aggregate.
Al-Difaa Al-Jawi won 3–2 on aggregate.
Al-Difaa Al-Jawi won 7–3 on aggregate.