[7] Al-Ittihad has participated in the Iraq FA Basra Premier League (the top division) since its inception in 1948.

The tournament began on 19 October 1949,[8] and the regular season ended in November 1949 with Sharikat Naft Al-Basra and Al-Ittihad qualifying for the final.

[13] Al-Ittihad played in the Iraqi Premier League for the first time in its history in the 1976–77 season, and it came in sixth place as its best position in the history of the tournament, as it played 11 matches, winning 4, drawing 3 and losing 4 of them,[14] and the team's player Abbas Fadhel won the league's top scorer title with six goals, in conjunction with four other players.

[15] In the 1977–78 season, the team finished the league in 11th place, as it played 13 matches, won 3, drew 3, and lost 7 of them.

[19] On January 18, 2005, unidentified armed persons assassinated the club's president, Alaa Hamid Nasih in Basra, and then escaped without being arrested.