Abstarct: The present study aimed to identify the factors affecting the mental well-being of physical education teachers in Iraqi schools. In terms of purpose, this research was applied, and in terms of data nature, it was qualitative with an inductive approach. The study data were collected from two sources: library-baxsed and field-baxsed. In the library section, scientific articles related to the mental well-being of physical education teachers were searched in Google Scholar within the time span of 2020 to 2026. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 14 articles were selected for final analysis. In the field section, 11 physical education teachers working in Iraqi schools were selected through purposive sampling baxsed on the principle of theoretical saturation. Data collection tools included note-taking from documents and semi-structured interviews. To ensure the trustworthiness of the findings, the criteria of credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability baxsed on Guba and Lincoln (1981) were employed. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis through three stages of coding: basic themes, organizing themes, and global themes. The findings revealed that the factors affecting the mental well-being of physical education teachers in Iraq could be classified into 50 basic themes, 10 organizing themes, and 4 global themes. The global themes included: individual and personal factors (resilience and emotion regulation, work–life balance, and personal passion), occupational factors (livelihood and job security, job satisfaction and work engagement, and health-related concerns), managerial behaviors (managerial support and stress-inducing leadership), and workplace and social environment (interpersonal relationships and social network, and social status and attitudes toward the subject). Overall, the results indicated that the mental well-being of physical education teachers is a multidimensional phenomenon influenced simultaneously by individual, occupational, managerial, and social factors. Therefore, improving their mental well-being requires attention to managerial support, enhancement of working conditions, strengthening of individual psychological skills, and improvement of social attitudes toward physical education. The findings of this study can provide a basis for educational policymaking and the design of supportive programs aimed at promoting the mental health and professional quality of life of physical education teachers in Iraq.