The present study aimed to develop a model for the advancement of student sports in the Republic of Iraq. The research employed a descriptive-survey method, and the statistical population comprised all physical education and sports experts within Iraq’s Ministry of Education, including those in provincial, regional, and city education departments, as well as physical education teachers. The study sample was selected purposefully, considering the required sample size for structural equation modeling (n = 250). Based on a literature review, document analysis, and semi-structured exploratory interviews, a researcher-developed questionnaire was designed to assess the factors influencing the development of student sports across five main dimensions: stakeholders, development strategies, development processes, development pathways, and development outcomes. After obtaining content validity confirmation from 15 experts in student sports, the instrument’s reliability coefficient was also confirmed at 0.89. The research data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and structural equation modeling (PLS). A comparative analysis of the factors influencing the development of student sports revealed that the development outcomes factor ranked as the top priority, followed by development processes, development strategies, development pathways, and stakeholders, respectively. Regarding the development processes of student sports, findings indicated that the three components of the nurturing process (0.93), the retention/transfer process (0.39), and the recruitment process (0.91) played the most significant roles in explaining development processes. Additionally, in the context of student sports development pathways, the three components of mass participation and collective engagement (0.29), elite sports and talent identification (0.09), and educational and developmental participation (0.78) had the most substantial roles in defining the pathways for student sports development.