Iran national football team
The Iran national football team (Persian: تیم ملی فوتبال مردان ایران, romanized: Tim-e Melli-ye Futbâl-e Mardân-e Irân), recognised by FIFA as IR Iran,[9] represents Iran in international football and is controlled by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI).[citation needed]
| Nickname(s) | Team Melli (Persian: تیم ملی) (the national team) other nicknames |
|---|---|
| Association | Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran |
| Confederation | AFC (Asia) |
| Sub-confederation | CAFA (Central Asia) |
| Head coach | Vacant |
| Captain | Ehsan Hajsafi |
| Most caps | Ali Daei Javad Nekounam (149)[a] |
| Top scorer | Ali Daei (109) |
| Home stadium | Azadi Stadium |
| FIFA code | IRN |
| FIFA ranking | |
| Current | 24 4 (22 December 2022)[2] |
| Highest | 15 (August 2005[3]) |
| Lowest | 122 (May 1996[4]) |
| First international | |
| Afghanistan 0–0 Iran (Kabul, Afghanistan; 25 August 1941) | |
| Biggest win | |
| Iran 19–0 Guam (Tabriz, Iran; 24 November 2000)[5] | |
| Biggest defeat | |
| Turkey 6–1 Iran (Istanbul, Turkey; 28 May 1950)[6] South Korea 5–0 Iran (Tokyo, Japan; 28 May 1958)[7] | |
| World Cup | |
| Appearances | 6 (first in 1978) |
| Best result | Group stage (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022) |
| Olympic Games | |
| Appearances | 3 (first in 1964) |
| Best result | Quarter-finals (1976) |
| Asian Cup | |
| Appearances | 15 (first in 1968) |
| Best result | Champions (1968, 1972, 1976) |
| Asian Games | |
| Appearances | 10 (first in 1951) |
| Best result | Champions (1974, 1990, 1998) |
Medal record | |
At the continental level, Iran has won three Asian Cup championships in 1968, 1972 and 1976. The nation's best performance at the Olympics was reaching the quarterfinals at the 1976 Montreal Games. At the FIFA World Cup, Iran have qualified six times (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018 and 2022) but have never progressed beyond the group stages; they have however, won three matches: against the United States in 1998, Morocco in 2018 and Wales in 2022.
History
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Early years
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The Iranian Football Federation was founded in 1920.[10] In 1926, Tehran XI (selected players from Tehran Club, Toofan F.C. and Armenian Sports Club) traveled across the border to Baku, USSR, this was the first away football match for an Iranian team. This Tehran Select team is the predecessor of Iran's national football team.
The first match that Team Melli played was on 23 August 1941, away at Kabul in a 1–0 win against British India while Iran's first FIFA international match was on 25 August 1941, away at Afghanistan.[6] Iran won the Asian Cup three consecutive times (1968, 1972, 1976) to which the team has not been able to add since.
In 1978, Iran made its first appearance in the World Cup after defeating Australia in Tehran. Iran lost two of three group stage matches against the Netherlands and Peru.[11] Team Melli managed to surprise some in the footballing community[12] by securing one point in its first ever World Cup appearance against Scotland which saw Iraj Danaeifard cancel out an own goal scored by Andranik Eskandarian for the 1–1 draw.[13]
After the Revolution
After the 1979 Revolution, football was somewhat neglected and cast aside. During the 1980s, the Iranian national team did not feature in World Cup competitions due to the Iran–Iraq War (1980–88) and domestic football embraced the inevitable effects of conflict. The national team withdrew from the Asian qualifiers for the 1982 World Cup and refused to participate in the qualifiers for the 1986 World Cup because of having to play on neutral ground. The war and political upheavals left Iran without major club competitions until 1989 when the Qods League was established. A year later, the Qods League was renamed the Azadegan League. Despite failing to qualify for both the 1990 and 1994 World Cups, it was said that during this period, a number of quality players burst onto the Iranian football scene laying the foundation for third place in the 1996 AFC Asian Cup (victories in that tournament included a 3–0 victory against Saudi Arabia and a 6–2 victory against South Korea) and their second stab at World Cup glory in 1998.[14]
1998–2006
In November 1997, Iran qualified for the 1998 World Cup after eliminating Australia in a close playoff series. After being tied 3–3 on aggregate, Iran advanced due to the away goals rule; Iran held Australia to a 1–1 draw at home, and a 2–2 draw in Melbourne.[15]
At their first game at the 1998 FIFA World Cup against Yugoslavia, Iran lost 1–0 to a free kick by Siniša Mihajlović.[14] Iran recorded their first World Cup victory in the second game[13] beating and eliminating the United States 2–1 with Hamid Estili and Mehdi Mahdavikia scoring goals for Iran. The Iran-US World Cup match was preheated with certain excitement because of each country's political stance after the Iranian revolution and the Iran hostage crisis. However, in an act of defiance against all forms of hatred or politics in sports, both sides presented one another with gifts and flowers and took ceremonial pictures before the match kickoff.[16]
Iran played against Germany in the third game, losing 2–0 courtesy of goals from Oliver Bierhoff and Jürgen Klinsmann, finishing third in the group.[17]
Iran finished first in the group stage of the 2000 Asia Cup but lost to South Korea in the quarter-finals. They failed to qualify for World Cup 2002, held in Asia for the first time, after an aggregate defeat to the Republic of Ireland, losing 2–0 in Dublin and winning 1–0 in Tehran. The elimination saw manager Miroslav Blažević step down from the top spot to be replaced by his assistant Branko Ivanković who stepped up from assistant coach.
After qualifying to the Asian Cup 2004, Iran was drawn with Thailand, Oman and Japan in the tournament. Iran finished second in the group. In the quarter-final clash against South Korea, Iran won 4–3. They then lost to host China on penalty kicks, and won against Bahrain 4–2 to finish third place in the tournament.
On 8 June 2005, Iran and Japan became the first countries other than hosts Germany to qualify for the 2006 World Cup.
The Iran-Japan leg of the 2006 World Cup qualifiers in Tehran, played on 24 March 2005, was the highest attended qualifying match among all confederations. The match ended with five fans dead and several others injured as they left the Azadi Stadium at the end of the match.[18]
Iran started their Germany 2006 appearance with a match against North America's Mexico in Group D. Being 1–1 at half-time, defensive mistakes led to a Mexican 3–1 win, with goals from Omar Bravo and Sinha. Yahya Golmohammadi scored the only Iranian goal.
Iran played against Portugal in the second game, losing 2–0. The goals were scored by Deco and a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo. Iran were eliminated from the competition before their third and final game against Angola, a 1–1 draw.
Temporary suspension
Standing left to right: Nekounam, Enayati, Nikbakht, Shakouri, Fekri, Sadeghi
Sitting left to right: Taleblou, Madanchi, Khatibi, Teymourian, Mahdavikia
In November 2006, Iran was suspended by FIFA from all participation in international football on the grounds of governmental interference in the national football association.[19] The ban lasted less than a month[20] and as a dispensation was given to allow the Iran under-23 team to participate in the football competition of the 2006 Asian Games,[21] fixtures were unaffected.
2007–14
The IRIFF appointed Amir Ghalenoei as manager of Iran on 17 July 2006 to succeed Branko Ivanković. After finishing first in the 2007 Asian Cup qualifying round two points ahead of South Korea, Iran placed first in the group stage of the final tournament in Malaysia, eventually losing to their qualifying opponents in a penalty shoot-out in the quarterfinals. After a period of discussion in the Iranian football federation, his contract was not renewed and Team Melli was left with a caretaker manager for several months.
Then-leading international goalscorer Ali Daei was chosen to become the new manager after Spanish coach Javier Clemente had been closer to signing on as Iran's national team manager, when talks collapsed when he refused to live full-time in the country.[22] Iran was placed with Kuwait, Syria and United Arab Emirates in the third round of 2010 World Cup qualifying. Ali Daei resigned from his position as the Iranian national coach on 29 March 2009,[23] replaced by Afshin Ghotbi. Iran failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup after finishing fourth overall in its group.[24]
During the final game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against South Korea in Seoul on 17 June 2009, seven members of the team wore green wristbands in support of the Iranian Green Movement during the 2009 Iranian election protests. Initial rumors and false reports were that all seven players were banned for life by the Iranian Football Federation, however, state-run media claimed that all seven had "retired".[25][26] On 24 June 2009, FIFA wrote to Iran's Football Federation asking for clarification on the situation. The Iranian Football Federation replied that no disciplinary action has been taken against any player.[27]
Standing left to right: Aghili, Hosseini, Haddadifar, Ansarifard, Zare, Pooladi
Sitting left to right: Heydari, Norouzi, Rahmati, Khalatbari, Karimi
Iran renewed the contract with Afshin Ghotbi until the end of 2011 AFC Asian Cup and the team qualified to the tournament with 13 points as the group winners.
During the final qualification match against South Korea, several Iranian players started the match wearing green armbands or wristbands, a symbol of protest at the outcome of the Iranian presidential election.[28] Most removed them at half-time. The newspaper Iran reported that Ali Karimi, Mehdi Mahdavikia, Hosein Kaebi and Vahid Hashemian had received life bans from the Iranian FA for the gesture.[29] However, the Iranian FA denied this claim in a response to FIFA's inquiry saying that "the comments in foreign media are nothing but lies and a mischievous act."[30] Head coach Afshin Ghotbi also confirmed that it was a rumour and Iranian FA "has not taken any official stand on this issue."[31]
Afshin Ghotbi qualified Iran for the 2011 Asian Cup and finished second in the West Asian Football Federation Championship 2010 just a few months before the Asian Cup. Iran were able to gain all nine possible points in the group stage of the Asian Cup but after an extra time goal from South Korea, Iran were yet again eliminated from the quarter-finals.
On 4 April 2011, former Real Madrid manager Carlos Queiroz agreed to a two-and-a-half-year deal to coach the Iranian national team until the end of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.[32] Under Queiroz, Iran began their World Cup qualification campaign successfully, defeating the Maldives 4–0 in the first leg of their second round of qualifiers. After winning 5–0 on aggregate, Iran advanced to the third round of qualifiers where they were drawn with Indonesia, Qatar and Bahrain.
Iran highlighted their position at the top of their group by defeating Bahrain 6–0 at home in the Azadi Stadium as well as inviting former German youth international Ashkan Dejagah who scored twice on his debut against Qatar. After a 4–1 win at Indonesia, Iran qualified for the final round of direct qualifiers, the fourth round. In the fourth round, Iran played South Korea, Qatar, Uzbekistan and Lebanon in their group. Queiroz made new foreign-based additions to his squad, adding players such as Reza Ghoochannejhad to his team.
Iran started their fourth round of Asian qualifiers with a 1–0 win in Uzbekistan. Team Melli then drew Qatar and lost in Lebanon before defeating South Korea at the Azadi on 16 October with a goal from captain Javad Nekounam. After a 1–0 loss in Tehran against Uzbekistan, Iran defeated Qatar 1–0 in Doha and Lebanon 4–0 at home. In their last qualification match, Iran defeated South Korea 1–0 in Ulsan Munsu with a goal from Ghoochannejhad, clinching their ticket to Brazil as group winners with 16 points. Thus, Iran became the third team that Queiroz has managed to qualify for the World Cup, having reached the 2002 edition with South Africa and the 2010 edition with Portugal, leading the latter to a knockout stage finish. Iran continued their winning streak, securing qualification to the 2015 Asian Cup months later as well.[33]
Since Queiroz's role as manager of the Iranian national team, he has been renowned for introducing players from the Iranian diaspora to the national squad. These players include German-Iranians Daniel Davari and Ashkan Dejagah, Dutch-Iranian Reza Ghoochannejhad, Swedish-Iranians Omid Nazari and Saman Ghoddos, and Iranian-American Steven Beitashour among others.[34][35]
Iran competed in Group F alongside Argentina, Nigeria and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Prior to the tournament, they founded the Central Asian Football Association.[36]
In the opening match of the tournament on 16 June, Iran drew Nigeria 0–0 making it their first clean sheet in the World Cup.[37] In their next match, Iran was defeated by Argentina 1–0 with a late goal from Lionel Messi and received praise after holding Argentina for 90 minutes while creating some attacking opportunities of their own.[38] Iran was eliminated from the tournament in their next game, a 3–1 defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Iran's lone goal was scored by Reza Ghoochannejhad.[39] After the tournament, Queiroz declared he would resign as manager of Iran but later switched and extended his contract until the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[40]
Late 2010s
Iran qualified for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup as group winners where Team Melli were the highest ranked seed.[41] Iran faced Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE in Group C.
With the second highest number of fans in the tournament after hosts Australia, the Iranians defeated Bahrain 2–0 with limited preparations.[42][43] A defensive-minded Iran then defeated Qatar 1–0 thanks to a Sardar Azmoun goal before defeating UAE by the same scoreline to reach the top of their group.[44][45]
In the quarter-finals Iran faced Iraq who they had beaten weeks prior in a friendly match. Having received a controversial red card in the first half, Iran competed with ten men, managing to score goals late in extra time to draw the match 3–3. In the ensuing penalty shootout, Iran lost 7–6.[46][47]
Iran began their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign with friendly matches against Chile and Sweden in March 2015.[48][49][50] Queiroz resigned from his managerial post thereafter due to disagreements with the Iranian Football Federation.[51] On 14 April 2015, Iran were drawn with Oman, India, Turkmenistan and Guam in the second round of qualifiers.[52] On 26 April, Queiroz announced that he would continue as the manager of Iran for their 2018 World Cup campaign.
Iran became the second team to qualify for the 2018 World Cup[53] after a 2–0 win at home over Uzbekistan on 12 June 2017.[54] They also clinched first place in their qualification group after South Korea's defeat to Qatar.[55]
Iran won the first match against Morocco after Aziz Bouhaddouz scoring an own goal.[56] They then lost against Spain with a goal scored by Diego Costa, with video assistant referees denying an Iranian equalizer.[57] The third match against Portugal ended in a draw after a penalty scored by Karim Ansarifard[58] and because Morocco could only manage a 2–2 draw to Spain, Iran were eliminated.[59] Iran's four points is the most received in any World Cup appearance.
Having qualified for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup earlier, Iran was drawn into group D, where they shared fate with Iraq, Vietnam and Yemen. Iran opened their tournament against Yemen slower and almost conceded a goal but after 10 minutes, Iran regained the ground and proved more dominant in certain aspects, thrashing Yemen 5–0.[60] A 2–0 win over the Vietnamese side gave Iran direct qualification to the knockout stage.[61] Iran ended their group stage with a goalless draw over neighbor Iraq and took first place.[62] After the group stage, Iran encountered Oman, with a defending mistake almost costing Iran's chances but Ahmed Mubarak Al-Mahaijri's penalty was saved by Alireza Beiranvand. Iran then defeated Oman 2–0 to reach the last eight.[63] In the quarter-finals against a defensive China, Iran outclassed the Chinese 3–0 to meet Japan in the semi-finals.[64] Iran missed the opportunity to reach the final once again when they fell 3–0 with all three goals scored in second half.[65]
2020s
Iran was the highest-ranked team to be seeded in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification. Iran was drawn into the second round where they would have to deal with two Arab countries, Iraq and Bahrain, along with Cambodia and Hong Kong. Iran, under new Belgian manager Marc Wilmots, began with a 2–0 win over Hong Kong away. After the death of Sahar Khodayari, the 14–0 win over Cambodia allowed select Iranian women to enter the stadium for the first time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.[66][67][68] Their next away encounters against Bahrain and Iraq went on to be consecutive defeats which Iran lost 0–1 and 1–2, respectively.[69][70] Following two consecutive draws between Iraq and Bahrain, Iran was left with the possibility of being eliminated from the World Cup outright in the second round, leading to the sacking of Marc Wilmots.[71]
The COVID-19 pandemic in Iran forced the remaining fixtures to be played without spectators in June 2021, forcing Iran to play their remaining games in Bahrain under new coach Dragan Skočić; but with Bahrain losing its home support as an advantage, and Iraq assured a place in the final phase, Iran was able to stage a comeback, occupying first place and, together with Iraq, progressed to the final phase.[72]
Iran became the thirteenth team to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup after a 1–0 win at home over Iraq on 27 January 2022. In March 2022, Iranian women were again banned from entering the stadium for a World Cup qualifier.[73] Iran's World Cup preparation friendly match against Canada at BC Place in June 2022 was cancelled by the Canadian Soccer Association amid opposition and mounting criticism, namely in regards to the Iranian government's role in shooting down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752.[74][75]
By the start of the World Cup in Qatar, Iran was the highest ranked team from Asia. In October 2022, calls were made to ban the Iranian national team from the World Cup for the Iranian government's blocking of Iranian women from their stadiums, their supplying of weapons to Russia during the invasion of Ukraine, and the treatment towards protesters during the Mahsa Amini protests.[76][77][78] However, Iran started its World Cup campaign with a nightmare, losing 2–6 to England in the opening game as Iran suffered the worst ever loss in its FIFA World Cup history.[79] The Iranian team notably made headlines in their opening match against England after refusing to sing the national anthem in solidarity with the Mahsa Amini protests, with some Iranian supporters cheering against their own team or boycotting their team amidst the ongoing protests as they felt the team was representing the government.[80][81][82][83]
In the following match against Wales, amidst the boos and whistles from the Iranian supporters during the playing of the national anthem, the Iranian players were filmed singing the national anthem before defeating Wales 2–0 for their first-ever win over a European nation at the World Cup, with some protestors having their pre-revolutionary Lion and Sun flags and Women, Life, Freedom banners snatched from them by pro-government fans and stadium security at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.[84][85][86][87] Protesters were harassed by government supporters with some protesters being detained by Qatari police, while stadium security confirmed they were given orders to confiscate anything but the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran.[88][89] Documents obtained by Iran International showed Iran was coordinating secret efforts with Qatar to control who attends the World Cup and restrict any signs of dissent.[90]
Ahead of Iran's final group stage match against the United States, the Iranian players were reportedly called in to a meeting with members of the IRGC and were threatened with violence and torture for their families if they did not sing the national anthem or joined the protests against the Iranian regime.[91] During the match, the Iranian players sang the national anthem again before losing to the United States 1–0 for the first time in their history and thereby being knocked out of the tournament.[92] Many Iranians celebrated the defeat and one Iranian man was killed by security forces in Bandar-e Anzali after honking his car horn in celebration.[93] Another Iranian fan was also arrested by Qatari police after he was wearing a shirt with the Woman, Life, Freedom slogan.[94]
Team image
Nicknames
The Iranian national team has received several nicknames by supporters and media. The most common one used is "Team Melli" (Persian: تیم ملی), meaning "The National Team" in Persian language. Although the Iranian supporters have popularized "Team Melli",[95][96] other nicknames for the team include "Persian Stars"[97][98][99] (entitled since the World Cup 2006) "Shiran e Iran",[100][101] meaning "The Iranian Lions" or "The Lions of Persia",[102] "Shirdilan", "Lion Hearts" and "Princes of Persia"[103][104] (used since AFC Asian Cup 2011).[105] Iran's slogan for the 2014 FIFA World Cup was Honour of Persia, selected in an internet poll held by FIFA.[106][107] A more recently used nickname, due to the presence of the Asiatic cheetah on the 2014 World Cup jersey, is Youzpalangan which means "The Cheetahs".[108]
Kits and crests
The Iran national football team's kit traditionally utilizes white and secondary kit is red, sometimes green shirts with white shorts and red socks are used.
Kit suppliers
The table below shows the history of kit supplier for the Iranian national football team.
| Kit supplier | Period | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Adidas | 1978 | |
| Puma[109] | 1980 | |
| Amini[110] | 1981–1993 | |
| Shekari | 1993–1998 | |
| Puma | 1998–2000 | |
| Shekari | 2000–2003 | |
| Daei Sport | 2003–2006 | |
| Puma | 2006–2007 | |
| Merooj | 2007–2008 | |
| Daei Sport | 2008–2009 | |
| Legea | 2009–2012 | |
| Uhlsport[108] | 2012–2016 | |
| Givova[111] | 2016 | |
| Adidas[112] | 2016–2019 | |
| Uhlsport | 2019–2022 | |
| Merooj | 2022– |
Sponsorship
Primary sponsors include Adidas, Bank Pasargad, 9090, Golrang, Oila and Kaspid.[113]
On 1 February 2014, Iran announced the addition of the endangered Asiatic cheetah on their 2014 FIFA World Cup kits in order to bring attention to its conservation efforts.[108]
Rivalries
Iran and Iraq are neighboring rivals, sharing a history. According to the Malay Mail, "Emotions are always high when Iran and Iraq meet on the football pitch". In the contemporary era, especially during the reign of Saddam Hussein, the two countries had worsened relations and fought the Iran–Iraq War for 8 years.[114][115][116][117][118] In 2001, for the first time in decades, an Iran-Iraq match was not held at a neutral venue.[116] The rivalry was escalated after Iraq knocked Iran out of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in controversial circumstances.[119][120] Iran leads the series with 17 wins, 7 draws and 6 losses.
Iran and Saudi Arabia are ideological rivals.[121] The game was ranked eighth in Goal.com's 2010 list of "Football's 10 Greatest International Rivalries".[122] and ninth in Bleacher Report's 2014 list of "International Football's 10 Most Politically-Charged Football Rivalries"[123] All of their matches have been competitive; none of them were friendlies. The first match was played on 24 August 1975, with Iran defeating Saudi Arabia 3–0. Iran leads the series with 5 wins, 6 draws and 4 losses.
Iran and South Korea are top Asian rivals with over 50 years of history. As two of the leading competitors on the continent in the 1970s, the Korea-Iran rivalry is among the most storied in Asian football. Since their initial meeting in the 1958 Asian Games, they have faced off in a total of 32 games. Korea frequently held the upper hand in the early years of the competition, but things started to shift in the twenty-first century. Iran has triumphed six times since 2006, while Korea has only defeated them once—by a score of 1-0 at the Asian Cup in 2011. Before Korea recovered its footing in 2017 and pushed the Middle Eastern team to a tie the past three times they faced off, Iran won four straight games after the 2011 Asian Cup.
Stadiums
Since 1972, Iran's national stadium has been Tehran's Azadi Stadium with a nominal capacity of 78,116 spectators.[124] Azadi Stadium is the 28th largest association football stadium in the world, seventh in Asia and first in West Asia. A record was set in Azadi for the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Australia with over 128,000 in attendance.[125] Since 1979, the government restricts Iranian women from entering the stadiums.[126][127] However, FIFA condemned the move and wrote to Iranian Football Federation in June 2019. The federation in their letter gave deadline to uplift the restrictions and let women enter the stadiums. On 25 August 2019, deputy Sports Minister Jamshid Taghizadeh stated: "Women can go to Tehran's Azadi stadium to watch the match between Iran's national team and Cambodia in October for the Qatar World Cup qualifier.”[128] After the death of Sahar Khodayari, select Iranian women were allowed to attend the match against Cambodia in October 2019.[66] However, in March 2022, Iranian women were again blocked from entering the stadium for a World Cup qualifier.[129]
From 1942 to 1972, Amjadieh Stadium was Iran's national stadium. The other stadiums that Iran has been played international games are Bagh Shomal and Yadegar Emam Stadium (Tabriz), Takhti Stadium (Tehran), Enghelab Stadium (Karaj), Hafezieh Stadium (Shiraz), Takhti Stadium and Imam Reza Stadium (Mashhad).
The Iran National Football Camp is the team's training ground.
Results and fixtures
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
Win Draw Loss
2022
| 27 January 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier | Iran | 1–0 | Iraq | Tehran, Iran |
| 18:00 UTC+3:30 | Taremi 48' | Report | Stadium: Azadi Stadium Attendance: 9,354[130] Referee: Chris Beath (Australia) |
| 1 February 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier | Iran | 1–0 | United Arab Emirates | Tehran, Iran |
| 18:00 UTC+3:30 | Taremi 44' | Report | Stadium: Azadi Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman) |
| 24 March 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier | South Korea | 2–0 | Iran | Seoul, South Korea |
| 20:00 UTC+9 |
| Report | Stadium: Seoul World Cup Stadium Attendance: 64,375 Referee: Chris Beath (Australia) |
| 29 March 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier | Iran | 2–0 | Lebanon | Mashhad, Iran |
| 16:00 UTC+4:30 |
| Report | Stadium: Imam Reza Stadium Attendance: 22,453[131] Referee: Fu Ming (China) |
| 12 June Friendly | Iran | 1–2 | Algeria | Doha, Qatar |
| 21:00 UTC+3 |
| Report | Stadium: Suheim bin Hamad Stadium Attendance: +200 Referee: Mohammed Ahmed Al-Shammari (Qatar) |
| 27 September Friendly | Iran | 1–1 | Senegal | Maria Enzersdorf, Austria |
| 16:30 UTC+2 | Azmoun 64' | Report | Pouraliganji 55' (og) | Stadium: Motion invest Arena Referee: Harald Lechner (Austria) |
| 10 November Friendly | Iran | 1–0 | Nicaragua | Tehran, Iran |
| 19:00 UTC+3:30 |
| Report | Stadium: Azadi Stadium Referee: Golmorad Saadollah (Tajikistan) |
| 21 November 2022 FIFA World Cup Group B | England | 6–2 | Iran | Al Rayyan, Qatar |
| 16:00 UTC+3 |
| Report | Stadium: Khalifa International Stadium Attendance: 45,334 Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil) |
| 25 November 2022 FIFA World Cup Group B | Wales | 0–2 | Iran | Al Rayyan, Qatar |
| 13:00 UTC+3 | Report | Cheshmi 90+8' Rezaeian 90+11' | Stadium: Ahmad bin Ali Stadium Attendance: 40,875 Referee: Mario Escobar (Guatemala) |
| 29 November 2022 FIFA World Cup Group B | Iran | 0–1 | United States | Doha, Qatar |
| 22:00 UTC+3 | Report |
| Stadium: Al Thumama Stadium Attendance: 42,127 Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain) |
2023
| 16 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Iran | v | TBD | |
| Stadium: TBD |
| 21 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Iran | v | TBD | |
| Stadium: TBD |
| TBD 2023 AFC Asian Cup | Iran | v | Qatar | |
| Stadium: TBD |
| TBD 2023 AFC Asian Cup | Iran | v | Qatar | |
| Stadium: TBD |
| TBD 2023 AFC Asian Cup | Iran | v | Qatar | |
| Stadium: TBD |
- FIFA International match days 2020–2024[133]
Coaching staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Vacant |
| Assistant Coach(es) | Markar Aghajanyan |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Vacant |
| Performance Coach | Ricardo Silva |
| Fitness Coach | Mikko Kujala |
| Tactical Assistant | Bruno Oliveira |
| IT Analyst | João Peixeiro |
| Rehabilitation Coach | Micael Moreira |
| Physiotherapist | Dr. Alireza Shahab |
| Team Doctor | Dr. Parhan Khanlari |
| Masseurs | Hadi Nejatpour Amir Esmaeili |
| Translator | Aryan Ghasemi |
| Team Supervisor | Mehdi Kharati |
| Team Management | Mahdi Mohammadnabi |
Players
Current squad
The following 25 players have been named in Iran's 2022 FIFA World Cup final squad.[135][136]
Caps and goals correct as of 29 November 2022, after the match against United States.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Alireza Beiranvand | 21 September 1992 (aged 30) | 54 | 0 | Persepolis |
| 12 | GK | Payam Niazmand | 6 April 1995 (aged 27) | 1 | 0 | Sepahan |
| 22 | GK | Amir Abedzadeh | 26 April 1993 (aged 29) | 11 | 0 | Ponferradina |
| 24 | GK | Hossein Hosseini | 30 June 1992 (aged 30) | 8 | 0 | Esteghlal |
| 2 | DF | Sadegh Moharrami | 1 March 1996 (aged 26) | 22 | 0 | Dinamo Zagreb |
| 3 | DF | Ehsan Hajsafi (captain) | 25 February 1990 (aged 32) | 124 | 7 | AEK Athens |
| 4 | DF | Shojae Khalilzadeh | 14 May 1989 (aged 33) | 25 | 1 | Al-Ahli |
| 5 | DF | Milad Mohammadi | 29 September 1993 (aged 29) | 48 | 1 | AEK Athens |
| 8 | DF | Morteza Pouraliganji | 19 April 1992 (aged 30) | 49 | 3 | Persepolis |
| 13 | DF | Hossein Kanaanizadegan | 23 March 1994 (aged 28) | 36 | 2 | Al-Ahli |
| 15 | DF | Rouzbeh Cheshmi | 24 July 1993 (aged 29) | 21 | 2 | Esteghlal |
| 19 | DF | Majid Hosseini | 20 June 1996 (aged 26) | 21 | 0 | Kayserispor |
| 23 | DF | Ramin Rezaeian | 21 March 1990 (aged 32) | 48 | 3 | Sepahan |
| 25 | DF | Abolfazl Jalali | 26 June 1998 (aged 24) | 4 | 0 | Esteghlal |
| 6 | MF | Saeid Ezatolahi | 1 October 1996 (aged 26) | 50 | 1 | Vejle |
| 7 | MF | Alireza Jahanbakhsh | 11 August 1993 (aged 29) | 66 | 13 | Feyenoord |
| 11 | MF | Vahid Amiri | 2 April 1988 (aged 34) | 68 | 2 | Persepolis |
| 14 | MF | Saman Ghoddos | 6 September 1993 (aged 29) | 34 | 2 | Brentford |
| 16 | MF | Mehdi Torabi | 10 September 1994 (aged 28) | 38 | 7 | Persepolis |
| 17 | MF | Ali Gholizadeh | 10 March 1996 (aged 26) | 29 | 6 | Charleroi |
| 18 | MF | Ali Karimi | 11 February 1994 (aged 28) | 16 | 0 | Kayserispor |
| 21 | MF | Ahmad Nourollahi | 1 February 1993 (aged 29) | 29 | 3 | Shabab Al-Ahli |
| 9 | FW | Mehdi Taremi | 18 July 1992 (aged 30) | 63 | 30 | Porto |
| 10 | FW | Karim Ansarifard | 3 April 1990 (aged 32) | 96 | 29 | Omonia |
| 20 | FW | Sardar Azmoun | 1 January 1995 (aged 27) | 68 | 41 | Bayer Leverkusen |
Recent call-ups
The following players have been called up for the team in the last 12 months.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Mohammad Reza Akhbari | 15 February 1993 | 1 | 0 | Tractor | Tehran Training Camp, 22 October 2022 |
| DF | Omid Noorafkan | 9 April 1997 | 14 | 0 | Sepahan | v. Nicaragua, 10 November 2022 |
| DF | Saman Touranian | 1 January 2002 | 1 | 0 | Mes Kerman | v. Nicaragua, 10 November 2022 |
| DF | Saleh Hardani | 14 September 1998 | 2 | 0 | Esteghlal | Tehran Training Camp, 22 October 2022 |
| DF | Armin Sohrabian | 26 July 1995 | 0 | 0 | Gol Gohar | Tehran Training Camp, 22 October 2022 |
| DF | Saman Fallah | 12 May 2001 | 0 | 0 | Paykan | Tehran Training Camp, 22 October 2022 |
| DF | Aref Aghasi | 2 January 1997 | 1 | 0 | Foolad | Tehran Training Camp, 11 September 2022 |
| DF | Mehdi Shiri | 31 January 1991 | 0 | 0 | Foolad | Tehran Training Camp, 11 September 2022 |
| DF | Aref Gholami | 23 April 1997 | 1 | 0 | Esteghlal | v. Algeria, 12 June 2022 |
| DF | Danial Esmaeilifar | 26 February 1993 | 1 | 0 | Persepolis | v. Lebanon, 29 March 2022 |
| DF | Farshad Faraji | 7 April 1994 | 0 | 0 | Persepolis | v. Lebanon, 29 March 2022 |
| DF | Siavash Yazdani | 27 February 1992 | 1 | 0 | Esteghlal | v. United Arab Emirates, 1 February 2022 |
| MF | Omid Ebrahimi INJ | 15 September 1987 | 55 | 0 | Al-Wakrah | v. Nicaragua, 10 November 2022 |
| MF | Milad Sarlak | 26 March 1995 | 11 | 0 | Persepolis | v. Nicaragua, 10 November 2022 |
| MF | Amirali Sadeghi | 9 February 2001 | 1 | 0 | Esteghlal | v. Nicaragua, 10 November 2022 |
| MF | Mehdi Hashemnejad | 27 October 2001 | 1 | 0 | Tractor | v. Nicaragua, 10 November 2022 |
| MF | Mehdi Mehdipour | 18 February 1994 | 3 | 0 | Esteghlal | Tehran Training Camp, 22 October 2022 |
| MF | Mohammad Khodabandelou | 7 September 1999 | 0 | 0 | Gol Gohar | Tehran Training Camp, 22 October 2022 |
| MF | Mehdi Hosseini | 16 September 1993 | 0 | 0 | Mes Rafsanjan | Tehran Training Camp, 11 September 2022 |
| MF | Saeid Sadeghi | 25 April 1994 | 0 | 0 | Persepolis | Tehran Training Camp, 11 September 2022 |
| MF | Reza Asadi | 17 January 1996 | 0 | 0 | Tractor | Tehran Training Camp, 11 September 2022 |
| MF | Mohammad Karimi | 20 June 1996 | 0 | 0 | Sepahan | Tehran Training Camp, 11 September 2022 |
| MF | Yasin Salmani | 27 February 2002 | 0 | 0 | Sepahan | Tehran Training Camp, 11 September 2022 |
| MF | Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh | 30 October 2000 | 3 | 0 | Charleroi | v. Algeria, 12 June 2022 |
| MF | Soroush Rafiei | 24 March 1990 | 4 | 0 | Persepolis | v. Algeria, 12 June 2022 PRE |
| MF | Kamal Kamyabinia | 18 January 1989 | 6 | 1 | Persepolis | v. Lebanon, 29 March 2022 |
| MF | Zobeir Niknafs | 12 April 1993 | 0 | 0 | Esteghlal | v. Iraq, 27 January 2022 |
| FW | Aria Barzegar | 10 October 2002 | 1 | 0 | Naft Masjed Soleyman | v. Nicaragua, 10 November 2022 |
| FW | Mohammad Mohebi | 20 December 1998 | 3 | 2 | Esteghlal | Tehran Training Camp, 22 October 2022 |
| FW | Mehdi Ghayedi | 5 December 1998 | 8 | 2 | Esteghlal | Tehran Training Camp, 11 September 2022 |
| FW | Shahriyar Moghanlou | 21 December 1994 | 0 | 0 | Sepahan | Tehran Training Camp, 11 September 2022 |
| FW | Allahyar Sayyadmanesh INJ | 29 June 2001 | 7 | 1 | Hull City | v. Algeria, 12 June 2022 |
| FW | Ali Alipour | 11 November 1995 | 3 | 0 | Gil Vicente | v. Algeria, 12 June 2022 |
| FW | Kaveh Rezaei | 5 April 1992 | 18 | 4 | Tractor | v. United Arab Emirates, 1 February 2022 |
| FW | Shahab Zahedi | 18 August 1995 | 0 | 0 | Puskás Akadémia | v. United Arab Emirates, 1 February 2022 |
INJ Withdrew due to injury | ||||||
Player records
- As of 29 November 2022[137]
- Players in bold are still active with Iran.
Most capped players
| Rank | Player | Caps | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ali Daei | 149 | 109 | 1993–2006 |
| Javad Nekounam[1] | 38 | 2000–2015 | ||
| 3 | Ali Karimi | 127 | 38 | 1998–2012 |
| 4 | Ehsan Hajsafi | 124 | 7 | 2008–present |
| 5 | Jalal Hosseini | 115 | 8 | 2007–2018 |
| 6 | Mehdi Mahdavikia | 110 | 13 | 1996–2009 |
| 7 | Andranik Teymourian | 101 | 9 | 2005–2016 |
| 8 | Karim Ansarifard | 96 | 29 | 2009–present |
| 9 | Karim Bagheri | 87 | 50 | 1993–2010 |
| Masoud Shojaei | 87 | 8 | 2004–2019 |
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ali Daei (list) | 109 | 149 | 0.73 | 1993–2006 |
| 2 | Karim Bagheri | 50 | 87 | 0.57 | 1993–2010 |
| 3 | Sardar Azmoun | 41 | 68 | 0.61 | 2014–Present |
| 4 | Ali Karimi | 38 | 127 | 0.3 | 1998–2012 |
| 5 | Javad Nekounam | 38 | 149 | 0.26 | 2000–2015 |
| 6 | Mehdi Taremi | 30 | 63 | 0.48 | 2015–present |
| 7 | Karim Ansarifard | 29 | 96 | 0.31 | 2009–present |
| 8 | Gholam Hossein Mazloumi | 19 | 40 | 0.48 | 1969–1977 |
| 9 | Farshad Pious[138] | 18 | 34 | 0.53 | 1984–1994 |
| 10 | Reza Ghoochannejhad | 17 | 44 | 0.36 | 2012–2018 |
Most capped goalkeepers
| Rank | Player | Caps | Career |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh | 79 | 1987–1998 |
| 2 | Mehdi Rahmati | 77 | 2004–2012 |
| 3 | Ebrahim Mirzapour | 71 | 2001–2011 |
| 4 | Nasser Hejazi[139] | 62 | 1968–1980 |
| 5 | Alireza Beiranvand | 54 | 2015–present |
| 6 | Aziz Asli | 28 | 1962–1968 |
| Behzad Gholampour | 1990–1999 | ||
| 8 | Alireza Haghighi | 24 | 2012–2018 |
| 9 | Mansour Rashidi | 20 | 1972–1985 |
| Parviz Boroumand | 1998–2001 |
Captains
| # | Reign | Player | Career | Total | As Captain | Tournaments | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caps | Goals | Caps | Goals | |||||
| 1 | 1965–1967 | Mohammad Ranjbar | 1959–1967 | 23 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2 | 1967–1970 | Hassan Habibi | 1958–1970 | 31 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1968 AFC Asian Cup |
| 3 | 1970–1972 | Mostafa Arab | 1959–1972 | 48 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 1972 AFC Asian Cup |
| 4 | 1972–1977 | Parviz Ghelichkhani | 1964–1977 | 64 | 12 | 26 | 7 | 1976 AFC Asian Cup |
| 5 | 1977–1980 | Ali Parvin | 1970–1980 | 76 | 13 | 31 | 2 | 1978 FIFA World Cup |
| 6 | 1980 | Nasser Hejazi | 1968–1980 | 62 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1980 AFC Asian Cup |
| 7 | 1980–1984 | Mehdi Dinvarzadeh | 1977–1984 | 26 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| 8 | 1984–87 1989–91 | Mohammad Panjali | 1978–1991 | 45 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 1984 AFC Asian Cup |
| 9 | 1987–89 1991–93 | Sirous Ghayeghran | 1986–1993 | 43 | 6 | 22 | 3 | 1988 AFC Asian Cup 1992 AFC Asian Cup |
| 10 | 1993 | Hamid Derakhshan | 1980–1993 | 41 | 9 | 12 | 3 | |
| 11 | 1993–1994 | Farshad Pious | 1984–1994 | 35 | 19 | 4 | 1 | |
| 12 | 1996 | Mojtaba Moharrami | 1988–1996 | 37 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1996 AFC Asian Cup |
| 13 | 1996–1998 | Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh | 1988–1998 | 79 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup |
| 14 | 1998–1999 | Nader Mohammadkhani | 1988–1999 | 64 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 1998 FIFA World Cup |
| 15 | 1999–2000 | Javad Zarincheh | 1987–2000 | 80 | 1 | 8 | 0 | |
| 16 | 2000–2006 | Ali Daei | 1993–2006 | 149 | 109 | 80 | 44 | 2000 AFC Asian Cup 2004 AFC Asian Cup 2006 FIFA World Cup |
| 17 | 2006–2009 | Mehdi Mahdavikia | 1996–2009 | 110 | 13 | 17 | 1 | 2007 AFC Asian Cup |
| 18 | 2009–2015 | Javad Nekounam | 2000–2015 | 149 | 38 | 56 | 18 | 2011 AFC Asian Cup 2014 FIFA World Cup 2015 AFC Asian Cup |
| 19 | 2015–2016 | Andranik Teymourian | 2005–2016 | 101 | 9 | 8 | 1 | |
| 20 | 2016–2019 | Masoud Shojaei | 2004–2019 | 87 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup 2019 AFC Asian Cup |
| 21 | 2019– | Ehsan Hajsafi | 2008– | 124 | 7 | 30 | 3 | 2022 FIFA World Cup |
Competition records
FIFA World Cup
| FIFA World Cup record | Qualification record | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Manager(s) | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | ||||
| 1930 | Not a FIFA member | No qualification | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1934 | Not a FIFA member | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1938 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1950 | Did not enter | Did not enter | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1954 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1958 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1962 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1966 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1970 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1974 | Did not qualify | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 6 | |||||||||||||
| 1978 | First round | 14th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | Squad | Mohajerani | 12 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 3 | ||||
| 1982 | Withdrew | Withdrew | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1986 | Disqualified | Disqualified | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1990 | Did not qualify | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 5 | |||||||||||||
| 1994 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 23 | 13 | ||||||||||||||
| 1998 | Group stage | 20th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | Squad | Talebi | 17 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 57 | 17 | ||||
| 2002 | Did not qualify | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 36 | 9 | |||||||||||||
| 2006 | Group stage | 25th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | Squad | Ivanković | 12 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 29 | 7 | ||||
| 2010 | Did not qualify | 14 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 15 | 9 | |||||||||||||
| 2014 | Group stage | 28th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | Squad | Queiroz | 16 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 30 | 7 | ||||
| 2018 | 18th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | Squad | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 36 | 5 | ||||||
| 2022 | 26th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | Squad | 18 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 49 | 8 | ||||||
| 2026 | To be determined | To be determined | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total | First round | 6/22 | 18 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 13 | 31 | — | — | 146 | 92 | 35 | 19 | 316 | 89 | ||||
| Iran's World Cup record | |
|---|---|
| First match | |
| Biggest win | |
| Biggest defeat | |
| Fastest Goal | |
| Latest goal | |
Olympic Games
| Summer Olympic Games record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Manager(s) | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1900 | Not an IOC member | No qualification | |||||||||||||||
| 1904 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1908 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1912 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1920 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1924 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1928 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1936 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1948 | Did not enter | ||||||||||||||||
| 1952 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1956 | Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||||
| 1960 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||||
| 1964 | First round | 12th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | Squad | Fekri | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 3 | |
| 1968 | Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||||
| 1972 | First round | 12th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 9 | Squad | Bayati | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1976 | Quarter-finals | 7th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | Squad | Mohajerani | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | |
| 1980 | Qualified but later boycotted the event | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 1984 | Boycotted the event | Did not enter | |||||||||||||||
| 1988 | Did not qualify | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 1992–present | See Iran national under-23 team | See Iran national under-23 team | |||||||||||||||
| Total | Quarter-finals | 4/17 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 20 | — | — | 23 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 52 | 8 | |
AFC Asian Cup
| AFC Asian Cup record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Manager(s) | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1956 | Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||||
| 1960 | Did not qualify | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 10 | ||||||||||
| 1964 | Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||||
| 1968 | Champions | 1st | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | Squad | Bayati | Automatic qualified as host | ||||||
| 1972 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 4 | Squad | Ranjbar | Automatic qualified as champion | ||||||
| 1976 | Champions | 1st | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | Squad | Mohajerani | Automatic qualified as host | ||||||
| 1980 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 6 | Squad | Habibi | Automatic qualified as champion | ||||||
| 1984 | Fourth place | 4th | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 3 | Squad | Ebrahimi | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 2 | |
| 1988 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Squad | Dehdari | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | |
| 1992 | Group stage | 5th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Squad | Parvin | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| 1996 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 6 | Squad | Mayeli Kohan | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 1 | |
| 2000 | Quarter-finals | 5th | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | Squad | Talebi | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 2 | |
| 2004 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 8 | Squad | Ivanković | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 5 | |
| 2007 | Quarter-finals | 5th | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | Squad | Ghalenoei | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 2 | |
| 2011 | 5th | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | Squad | Ghotbi | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 2 | ||
| 2015 | 6th | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | Squad | Queiroz | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 5 | ||
| 2019 | Semi-finals | 3rd | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 3 | Squad | Queiroz | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 3 | |
| 2023 | Qualified | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 34 | 4 | ||||||||||
| 2027 | To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 3 titles | 15/18 | 68 | 41 | 19 | 8 | 131 | 48 | — | — | 70 | 53 | 10 | 7 | 210 | 37 | |
| Iran's AFC Asian Cup record | |
|---|---|
| First match | |
| Biggest win(s) | |
| Biggest defeat(s) | |
| Best result | |
| Worst result | 1992 (Group stage) |
Asian Games
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Manager(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Runners-up | 2nd | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Squad | Sadaghiani | ||
| 1954 | Did not enter | |||||||||||
| 1958 | Preliminary round | 14th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | Squad | Mészáros | ||
| 1962 | Did not enter | |||||||||||
| 1966 | Runners-up | 2nd | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 6 | Squad | Szűcs | ||
| 1970 | Preliminary round | 8th | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | Squad | Netto | ||
| 1974 | Champions | 1st | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 | Squad | O'Farrell | ||
| 1978 | Did not enter | |||||||||||
| 1982 | Quarter-finals | 8th | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | Squad | Cheraghpour | ||
| 1986 | 6th | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 2 | Squad | Dehdari | |||
| 1990 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | Squad | Parvin | ||
| 1994 | Preliminary round | 9th | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | Squad | Poklepović | ||
| 1998 | Champions | 1st | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 7 | Squad | Pourheidari | ||
| 2002–present | See Iran national under-23 team | |||||||||||
| Total | 3 titles | 10/13 | 47 | 30 | 5 | 12 | 86 | 34 | — | — | ||
WAFF Championship
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Manager(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | Squad | Talebi |
| 2002 | Third place | 3rd | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | Squad | Ivanković |
| 2004 | Champions | 1st | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 3 | Squad | Ivanković |
| 2007 | Champions1 | 1st | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | Squad | Mazloumi |
| 2008 | Champions | 1st | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 | Squad | Daei |
| 2010 | Runners-up | 2nd | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 5 | Squad | Ghotbi |
| 2012 | Group stage | 6th | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | Squad | Queiroz |
| 2014 | Did not enter | |||||||||
| 2019–onwards | Not a WAFF member | |||||||||
| Total | 4 titles | 7/9 | 28 | 19 | 7 | 2 | 56 | 16 | — | — |
- 1 Iran played their B team in this tournament however recognised as international "A" matches.
Head-to-head record
- Last match updated: United States on 29 November 2022.
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals for | Goals against | Goal difference | Win percentage | Confederation | Best win | Worst loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 50% | AFC | 4–0 | X |
| Albania | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0% | UEFA | X | 0–1 |
| Algeria | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 50% | CAF | 2–1 | 1–2 |
| Angola | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 33.33% | CAF | 1–0 | X |
| Argentina | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0% | CONMEBOL | X | 0–1 |
| Armenia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 100% | UEFA | 3–1 | X |
| Australia | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 50% | AFC / OFC | 2–0 | 0–3 |
| Austria | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0% | UEFA | X | 1–5 |
| Azerbaijan | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 66.67% | UEFA | 2–1 | X |
| Bahrain | 18 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 32 | 13 | +19 | 44.44% | AFC | 6–0 | 2–4 |
| Bangladesh | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 1 | +27 | 100% | AFC | 6–0 | X |
| Belarus | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 0% | UEFA | X | 1–2 |
| Bolivia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 100% | CONMEBOL | 2–1 | X |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 10 | +9 | 71.43% | UEFA | 4–0 | 1–3 |
| Botswana | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0% | CAF | X | X |
| Brazil | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 0% | CONMEBOL | X | 0–3 |
| Bulgaria | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0% | UEFA | X | X |
| Cambodia | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 1 | +27 | 100% | AFC | 14–0 | X |
| Cameroon | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0% | CAF | X | X |
| Canada | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 66.67% | CONCACAF | 1–0 | 0–1 |
| Chile | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 33.33% | CONMEBOL | 2–0 | 1–2 |
| China | 23 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 39 | 18 | +21 | 56.52% | AFC | 4–0 | 0–2 |
| Chinese Taipei | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | +22 | 100% | AFC | 6–0 | X |
| Costa Rica | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 50% | CONCACAF | 3–2 | X |
| Croatia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 0% | UEFA | X | 0–2 |
| Cyprus | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | UEFA | X | X |
| Czech Republic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0% | UEFA | X | 0–1 |
| iran, national, football, team, this, article, about, team, women, team, iran, women, national, football, team, persian, تیم, ملی, فوتبال, مردان, ایران, romanized, melli, futbâl, mardân, irân, recognised, fifa, iran, represents, iran, international, football, . This article is about the men s team For the women s team see Iran women s national football team The Iran national football team Persian تیم ملی فوتبال مردان ایران romanized Tim e Melli ye Futbal e Mardan e Iran recognised by FIFA as IR Iran 9 represents Iran in international football and is controlled by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran FFIRI citation needed IranNickname s Team Melli Persian تیم ملی the national team other nicknamesAssociationFootball Federation Islamic Republic of IranConfederationAFC Asia Sub confederationCAFA Central Asia Head coachVacantCaptainEhsan HajsafiMost capsAli DaeiJavad Nekounam 149 a Top scorerAli Daei 109 Home stadiumAzadi StadiumFIFA codeIRNFirst coloursSecond coloursFIFA rankingCurrent24 4 22 December 2022 2 Highest15 August 2005 3 Lowest122 May 1996 4 First international Afghanistan 0 0 Iran Kabul Afghanistan 25 August 1941 Biggest win Iran 19 0 Guam Tabriz Iran 24 November 2000 5 Biggest defeat Turkey 6 1 Iran Istanbul Turkey 28 May 1950 6 South Korea 5 0 Iran Tokyo Japan 28 May 1958 7 World CupAppearances6 first in 1978 Best resultGroup stage 1978 1998 2006 2014 2018 2022 Olympic GamesAppearances3 first in 1964 Best resultQuarter finals 1976 Asian CupAppearances15 first in 1968 Best resultChampions 1968 1972 1976 Asian GamesAppearances10 first in 1951 Best resultChampions 1974 1990 1998 Medal record Men s footballAFC Asian Cup1968 Iran Team1972 Thailand Team1976 Iran Team1980 Kuwait Team1988 Qatar Team1996 UAE Team2004 China TeamAsian Games1974 Tehran Team1990 Beijing Team1998 Bangkok Team1951 New Delhi Team1966 Bangkok TeamWAFF Championship2000 Jordan Team2004 Iran Team2007 Jordan Team2008 Iran Team2010 Jordan Team2002 Syria TeamAt the continental level Iran has won three Asian Cup championships in 1968 1972 and 1976 The nation s best performance at the Olympics was reaching the quarterfinals at the 1976 Montreal Games At the FIFA World Cup Iran have qualified six times 1978 1998 2006 2014 2018 and 2022 but have never progressed beyond the group stages they have however won three matches against the United States in 1998 Morocco in 2018 and Wales in 2022 Contents 1 History 1 1 Early years 1 2 After the Revolution 1 3 1998 2006 1 4 Temporary suspension 1 5 2007 14 1 6 Late 2010s 1 7 2020s 2 Team image 2 1 Nicknames 2 2 Kits and crests 2 2 1 Kit suppliers 2 3 Sponsorship 2 4 Rivalries 3 Stadiums 4 Results and fixtures 4 1 2022 4 2 2023 5 Coaching staff 6 Players 6 1 Current squad 6 2 Recent call ups 7 Player records 7 1 Most capped players 7 2 Top goalscorers 7 3 Most capped goalkeepers 7 4 Captains 8 Competition records 8 1 FIFA World Cup 8 2 Olympic Games 8 3 AFC Asian Cup 8 4 Asian Games 8 5 WAFF Championship 9 Head to head record 10 FIFA World Rankings 11 Honours 11 1 Summary 11 2 Continental 11 3 Regional 11 4 Intercontinental 11 5 Minor tournaments 12 See also 13 Notes 14 References 15 External linksHistory EditSee also Football in Iran and History of the Iran national football team This article or section appears to be slanted towards recent events Please try to keep recent events in historical perspective and add more content related to non recent events June 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message Early years Edit This section needs expansion You can help by adding to it October 2022 The very first Iran football team that traveled to Baku in 1926 The Iranian Football Federation was founded in 1920 10 In 1926 Tehran XI selected players from Tehran Club Toofan F C and Armenian Sports Club traveled across the border to Baku USSR this was the first away football match for an Iranian team This Tehran Select team is the predecessor of Iran s national football team The first match that Team Melli played was on 23 August 1941 away at Kabul in a 1 0 win against British India while Iran s first FIFA international match was on 25 August 1941 away at Afghanistan 6 Iran won the Asian Cup three consecutive times 1968 1972 1976 to which the team has not been able to add since Dunai and Ghelichkhani at the 1972 Summer Olympics Iran playing in the 1978 World Cup against Scotland in Cordoba Argentina In 1978 Iran made its first appearance in the World Cup after defeating Australia in Tehran Iran lost two of three group stage matches against the Netherlands and Peru 11 Team Melli managed to surprise some in the footballing community 12 by securing one point in its first ever World Cup appearance against Scotland which saw Iraj Danaeifard cancel out an own goal scored by Andranik Eskandarian for the 1 1 draw 13 After the Revolution Edit After the 1979 Revolution football was somewhat neglected and cast aside During the 1980s the Iranian national team did not feature in World Cup competitions due to the Iran Iraq War 1980 88 and domestic football embraced the inevitable effects of conflict The national team withdrew from the Asian qualifiers for the 1982 World Cup and refused to participate in the qualifiers for the 1986 World Cup because of having to play on neutral ground The war and political upheavals left Iran without major club competitions until 1989 when the Qods League was established A year later the Qods League was renamed the Azadegan League Despite failing to qualify for both the 1990 and 1994 World Cups it was said that during this period a number of quality players burst onto the Iranian football scene laying the foundation for third place in the 1996 AFC Asian Cup victories in that tournament included a 3 0 victory against Saudi Arabia and a 6 2 victory against South Korea and their second stab at World Cup glory in 1998 14 1998 2006 Edit Further information 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification AFC OFC play off and 1998 FIFA World Cup In November 1997 Iran qualified for the 1998 World Cup after eliminating Australia in a close playoff series After being tied 3 3 on aggregate Iran advanced due to the away goals rule Iran held Australia to a 1 1 draw at home and a 2 2 draw in Melbourne 15 At their first game at the 1998 FIFA World Cup against Yugoslavia Iran lost 1 0 to a free kick by Sinisa Mihajlovic 14 Iran recorded their first World Cup victory in the second game 13 beating and eliminating the United States 2 1 with Hamid Estili and Mehdi Mahdavikia scoring goals for Iran The Iran US World Cup match was preheated with certain excitement because of each country s political stance after the Iranian revolution and the Iran hostage crisis However in an act of defiance against all forms of hatred or politics in sports both sides presented one another with gifts and flowers and took ceremonial pictures before the match kickoff 16 Iran played against Germany in the third game losing 2 0 courtesy of goals from Oliver Bierhoff and Jurgen Klinsmann finishing third in the group 17 Iran finished first in the group stage of the 2000 Asia Cup but lost to South Korea in the quarter finals They failed to qualify for World Cup 2002 held in Asia for the first time after an aggregate defeat to the Republic of Ireland losing 2 0 in Dublin and winning 1 0 in Tehran The elimination saw manager Miroslav Blazevic step down from the top spot to be replaced by his assistant Branko Ivankovic who stepped up from assistant coach After qualifying to the Asian Cup 2004 Iran was drawn with Thailand Oman and Japan in the tournament Iran finished second in the group In the quarter final clash against South Korea Iran won 4 3 They then lost to host China on penalty kicks and won against Bahrain 4 2 to finish third place in the tournament Iran score against Angola during a 2006 FIFA World Cup match On 8 June 2005 Iran and Japan became the first countries other than hosts Germany to qualify for the 2006 World Cup The Iran Japan leg of the 2006 World Cup qualifiers in Tehran played on 24 March 2005 was the highest attended qualifying match among all confederations The match ended with five fans dead and several others injured as they left the Azadi Stadium at the end of the match 18 Iran started their Germany 2006 appearance with a match against North America s Mexico in Group D Being 1 1 at half time defensive mistakes led to a Mexican 3 1 win with goals from Omar Bravo and Sinha Yahya Golmohammadi scored the only Iranian goal Iran played against Portugal in the second game losing 2 0 The goals were scored by Deco and a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo Iran were eliminated from the competition before their third and final game against Angola a 1 1 draw Temporary suspension Edit Iran s squad in August 2006 against Syria Manager Amir Ghalenoei Standing left to right Nekounam Enayati Nikbakht Shakouri Fekri Sadeghi Sitting left to right Taleblou Madanchi Khatibi Teymourian Mahdavikia In November 2006 Iran was suspended by FIFA from all participation in international football on the grounds of governmental interference in the national football association 19 The ban lasted less than a month 20 and as a dispensation was given to allow the Iran under 23 team to participate in the football competition of the 2006 Asian Games 21 fixtures were unaffected 2007 14 Edit Main article 2007 AFC Asian Cup The IRIFF appointed Amir Ghalenoei as manager of Iran on 17 July 2006 to succeed Branko Ivankovic After finishing first in the 2007 Asian Cup qualifying round two points ahead of South Korea Iran placed first in the group stage of the final tournament in Malaysia eventually losing to their qualifying opponents in a penalty shoot out in the quarterfinals After a period of discussion in the Iranian football federation his contract was not renewed and Team Melli was left with a caretaker manager for several months Then leading international goalscorer Ali Daei was chosen to become the new manager after Spanish coach Javier Clemente had been closer to signing on as Iran s national team manager when talks collapsed when he refused to live full time in the country 22 Iran was placed with Kuwait Syria and United Arab Emirates in the third round of 2010 World Cup qualifying Ali Daei resigned from his position as the Iranian national coach on 29 March 2009 23 replaced by Afshin Ghotbi Iran failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup after finishing fourth overall in its group 24 During the final game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against South Korea in Seoul on 17 June 2009 seven members of the team wore green wristbands in support of the Iranian Green Movement during the 2009 Iranian election protests Initial rumors and false reports were that all seven players were banned for life by the Iranian Football Federation however state run media claimed that all seven had retired 25 26 On 24 June 2009 FIFA wrote to Iran s Football Federation asking for clarification on the situation The Iranian Football Federation replied that no disciplinary action has been taken against any player 27 Iran s squad in July 2011 against Maldives Manager Carlos Queiroz Standing left to right Aghili Hosseini Haddadifar Ansarifard Zare Pooladi Sitting left to right Heydari Norouzi Rahmati Khalatbari Karimi Iran renewed the contract with Afshin Ghotbi until the end of 2011 AFC Asian Cup and the team qualified to the tournament with 13 points as the group winners During the final qualification match against South Korea several Iranian players started the match wearing green armbands or wristbands a symbol of protest at the outcome of the Iranian presidential election 28 Most removed them at half time The newspaper Iran reported that Ali Karimi Mehdi Mahdavikia Hosein Kaebi and Vahid Hashemian had received life bans from the Iranian FA for the gesture 29 However the Iranian FA denied this claim in a response to FIFA s inquiry saying that the comments in foreign media are nothing but lies and a mischievous act 30 Head coach Afshin Ghotbi also confirmed that it was a rumour and Iranian FA has not taken any official stand on this issue 31 Afshin Ghotbi qualified Iran for the 2011 Asian Cup and finished second in the West Asian Football Federation Championship 2010 just a few months before the Asian Cup Iran were able to gain all nine possible points in the group stage of the Asian Cup but after an extra time goal from South Korea Iran were yet again eliminated from the quarter finals On 4 April 2011 former Real Madrid manager Carlos Queiroz agreed to a two and a half year deal to coach the Iranian national team until the end of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil 32 Under Queiroz Iran began their World Cup qualification campaign successfully defeating the Maldives 4 0 in the first leg of their second round of qualifiers After winning 5 0 on aggregate Iran advanced to the third round of qualifiers where they were drawn with Indonesia Qatar and Bahrain Iran highlighted their position at the top of their group by defeating Bahrain 6 0 at home in the Azadi Stadium as well as inviting former German youth international Ashkan Dejagah who scored twice on his debut against Qatar After a 4 1 win at Indonesia Iran qualified for the final round of direct qualifiers the fourth round In the fourth round Iran played South Korea Qatar Uzbekistan and Lebanon in their group Queiroz made new foreign based additions to his squad adding players such as Reza Ghoochannejhad to his team Iran started their fourth round of Asian qualifiers with a 1 0 win in Uzbekistan Team Melli then drew Qatar and lost in Lebanon before defeating South Korea at the Azadi on 16 October with a goal from captain Javad Nekounam After a 1 0 loss in Tehran against Uzbekistan Iran defeated Qatar 1 0 in Doha and Lebanon 4 0 at home In their last qualification match Iran defeated South Korea 1 0 in Ulsan Munsu with a goal from Ghoochannejhad clinching their ticket to Brazil as group winners with 16 points Thus Iran became the third team that Queiroz has managed to qualify for the World Cup having reached the 2002 edition with South Africa and the 2010 edition with Portugal leading the latter to a knockout stage finish Iran continued their winning streak securing qualification to the 2015 Asian Cup months later as well 33 Since Queiroz s role as manager of the Iranian national team he has been renowned for introducing players from the Iranian diaspora to the national squad These players include German Iranians Daniel Davari and Ashkan Dejagah Dutch Iranian Reza Ghoochannejhad Swedish Iranians Omid Nazari and Saman Ghoddos and Iranian American Steven Beitashour among others 34 35 Iran v Argentina 2014 World Cup Iran competed in Group F alongside Argentina Nigeria and Bosnia and Herzegovina Prior to the tournament they founded the Central Asian Football Association 36 In the opening match of the tournament on 16 June Iran drew Nigeria 0 0 making it their first clean sheet in the World Cup 37 In their next match Iran was defeated by Argentina 1 0 with a late goal from Lionel Messi and received praise after holding Argentina for 90 minutes while creating some attacking opportunities of their own 38 Iran was eliminated from the tournament in their next game a 3 1 defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina Iran s lone goal was scored by Reza Ghoochannejhad 39 After the tournament Queiroz declared he would resign as manager of Iran but later switched and extended his contract until the 2018 FIFA World Cup 40 Late 2010s Edit Iran qualified for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup as group winners where Team Melli were the highest ranked seed 41 Iran faced Bahrain Qatar and the UAE in Group C With the second highest number of fans in the tournament after hosts Australia the Iranians defeated Bahrain 2 0 with limited preparations 42 43 A defensive minded Iran then defeated Qatar 1 0 thanks to a Sardar Azmoun goal before defeating UAE by the same scoreline to reach the top of their group 44 45 In the quarter finals Iran faced Iraq who they had beaten weeks prior in a friendly match Having received a controversial red card in the first half Iran competed with ten men managing to score goals late in extra time to draw the match 3 3 In the ensuing penalty shootout Iran lost 7 6 46 47 Iran s squad against Portugal in Mordovia Arena at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Iran began their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign with friendly matches against Chile and Sweden in March 2015 48 49 50 Queiroz resigned from his managerial post thereafter due to disagreements with the Iranian Football Federation 51 On 14 April 2015 Iran were drawn with Oman India Turkmenistan and Guam in the second round of qualifiers 52 On 26 April Queiroz announced that he would continue as the manager of Iran for their 2018 World Cup campaign Azadi Stadium with the Iranian flag 2017 Iran became the second team to qualify for the 2018 World Cup 53 after a 2 0 win at home over Uzbekistan on 12 June 2017 54 They also clinched first place in their qualification group after South Korea s defeat to Qatar 55 Iran won the first match against Morocco after Aziz Bouhaddouz scoring an own goal 56 They then lost against Spain with a goal scored by Diego Costa with video assistant referees denying an Iranian equalizer 57 The third match against Portugal ended in a draw after a penalty scored by Karim Ansarifard 58 and because Morocco could only manage a 2 2 draw to Spain Iran were eliminated 59 Iran s four points is the most received in any World Cup appearance Iran s squad against China at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup Having qualified for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup earlier Iran was drawn into group D where they shared fate with Iraq Vietnam and Yemen Iran opened their tournament against Yemen slower and almost conceded a goal but after 10 minutes Iran regained the ground and proved more dominant in certain aspects thrashing Yemen 5 0 60 A 2 0 win over the Vietnamese side gave Iran direct qualification to the knockout stage 61 Iran ended their group stage with a goalless draw over neighbor Iraq and took first place 62 After the group stage Iran encountered Oman with a defending mistake almost costing Iran s chances but Ahmed Mubarak Al Mahaijri s penalty was saved by Alireza Beiranvand Iran then defeated Oman 2 0 to reach the last eight 63 In the quarter finals against a defensive China Iran outclassed the Chinese 3 0 to meet Japan in the semi finals 64 Iran missed the opportunity to reach the final once again when they fell 3 0 with all three goals scored in second half 65 2020s Edit Main articles 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification AFC 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2022 FIFA World Cup controversies Iranian protests Iran was the highest ranked team to be seeded in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Iran was drawn into the second round where they would have to deal with two Arab countries Iraq and Bahrain along with Cambodia and Hong Kong Iran under new Belgian manager Marc Wilmots began with a 2 0 win over Hong Kong away After the death of Sahar Khodayari the 14 0 win over Cambodia allowed select Iranian women to enter the stadium for the first time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution 66 67 68 Their next away encounters against Bahrain and Iraq went on to be consecutive defeats which Iran lost 0 1 and 1 2 respectively 69 70 Following two consecutive draws between Iraq and Bahrain Iran was left with the possibility of being eliminated from the World Cup outright in the second round leading to the sacking of Marc Wilmots 71 The COVID 19 pandemic in Iran forced the remaining fixtures to be played without spectators in June 2021 forcing Iran to play their remaining games in Bahrain under new coach Dragan Skocic but with Bahrain losing its home support as an advantage and Iraq assured a place in the final phase Iran was able to stage a comeback occupying first place and together with Iraq progressed to the final phase 72 Iran became the thirteenth team to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup after a 1 0 win at home over Iraq on 27 January 2022 In March 2022 Iranian women were again banned from entering the stadium for a World Cup qualifier 73 Iran s World Cup preparation friendly match against Canada at BC Place in June 2022 was cancelled by the Canadian Soccer Association amid opposition and mounting criticism namely in regards to the Iranian government s role in shooting down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 74 75 By the start of the World Cup in Qatar Iran was the highest ranked team from Asia In October 2022 calls were made to ban the Iranian national team from the World Cup for the Iranian government s blocking of Iranian women from their stadiums their supplying of weapons to Russia during the invasion of Ukraine and the treatment towards protesters during the Mahsa Amini protests 76 77 78 However Iran started its World Cup campaign with a nightmare losing 2 6 to England in the opening game as Iran suffered the worst ever loss in its FIFA World Cup history 79 The Iranian team notably made headlines in their opening match against England after refusing to sing the national anthem in solidarity with the Mahsa Amini protests with some Iranian supporters cheering against their own team or boycotting their team amidst the ongoing protests as they felt the team was representing the government 80 81 82 83 In the following match against Wales amidst the boos and whistles from the Iranian supporters during the playing of the national anthem the Iranian players were filmed singing the national anthem before defeating Wales 2 0 for their first ever win over a European nation at the World Cup with some protestors having their pre revolutionary Lion and Sun flags and Women Life Freedom banners snatched from them by pro government fans and stadium security at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium 84 85 86 87 Protesters were harassed by government supporters with some protesters being detained by Qatari police while stadium security confirmed they were given orders to confiscate anything but the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran 88 89 Documents obtained by Iran International showed Iran was coordinating secret efforts with Qatar to control who attends the World Cup and restrict any signs of dissent 90 Ahead of Iran s final group stage match against the United States the Iranian players were reportedly called in to a meeting with members of the IRGC and were threatened with violence and torture for their families if they did not sing the national anthem or joined the protests against the Iranian regime 91 During the match the Iranian players sang the national anthem again before losing to the United States 1 0 for the first time in their history and thereby being knocked out of the tournament 92 Many Iranians celebrated the defeat and one Iranian man was killed by security forces in Bandar e Anzali after honking his car horn in celebration 93 Another Iranian fan was also arrested by Qatari police after he was wearing a shirt with the Woman Life Freedom slogan 94 Team image EditNicknames Edit The Iranian national team has received several nicknames by supporters and media The most common one used is Team Melli Persian تیم ملی meaning The National Team in Persian language Although the Iranian supporters have popularized Team Melli 95 96 other nicknames for the team include Persian Stars 97 98 99 entitled since the World Cup 2006 Shiran e Iran 100 101 meaning The Iranian Lions or The Lions of Persia 102 Shirdilan Lion Hearts and Princes of Persia 103 104 used since AFC Asian Cup 2011 105 Iran s slogan for the 2014 FIFA World Cup was Honour of Persia selected in an internet poll held by FIFA 106 107 A more recently used nickname due to the presence of the Asiatic cheetah on the 2014 World Cup jersey is Youzpalangan which means The Cheetahs 108 Kits and crests Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Iran national football team kits The Iran national football team s kit traditionally utilizes white and secondary kit is red sometimes green shirts with white shorts and red socks are used Kit suppliers Edit The table below shows the history of kit supplier for the Iranian national football team Kit supplier Period Notes Adidas 1978 Puma 109 1980 Amini 110 1981 1993 Shekari 1993 1998 Puma 1998 2000 Shekari 2000 2003 Daei Sport 2003 2006 Puma 2006 2007 Merooj 2007 2008 Daei Sport 2008 2009 Legea 2009 2012 Uhlsport 108 2012 2016 Givova 111 2016 Adidas 112 2016 2019 Uhlsport 2019 2022 Merooj 2022 Sponsorship Edit Primary sponsors include Adidas Bank Pasargad 9090 Golrang Oila and Kaspid 113 On 1 February 2014 Iran announced the addition of the endangered Asiatic cheetah on their 2014 FIFA World Cup kits in order to bring attention to its conservation efforts 108 Rivalries Edit Main articles Iran Iraq football rivalry and Iran Saudi Arabia football rivalry Iran and Iraq are neighboring rivals sharing a history According to the Malay Mail Emotions are always high when Iran and Iraq meet on the football pitch In the contemporary era especially during the reign of Saddam Hussein the two countries had worsened relations and fought the Iran Iraq War for 8 years 114 115 116 117 118 In 2001 for the first time in decades an Iran Iraq match was not held at a neutral venue 116 The rivalry was escalated after Iraq knocked Iran out of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in controversial circumstances 119 120 Iran leads the series with 17 wins 7 draws and 6 losses Iran and Saudi Arabia are ideological rivals 121 The game was ranked eighth in Goal com s 2010 list of Football s 10 Greatest International Rivalries 122 and ninth in Bleacher Report s 2014 list of International Football s 10 Most Politically Charged Football Rivalries 123 All of their matches have been competitive none of them were friendlies The first match was played on 24 August 1975 with Iran defeating Saudi Arabia 3 0 Iran leads the series with 5 wins 6 draws and 4 losses Iran and South Korea are top Asian rivals with over 50 years of history As two of the leading competitors on the continent in the 1970s the Korea Iran rivalry is among the most storied in Asian football Since their initial meeting in the 1958 Asian Games they have faced off in a total of 32 games Korea frequently held the upper hand in the early years of the competition but things started to shift in the twenty first century Iran has triumphed six times since 2006 while Korea has only defeated them once by a score of 1 0 at the Asian Cup in 2011 Before Korea recovered its footing in 2017 and pushed the Middle Eastern team to a tie the past three times they faced off Iran won four straight games after the 2011 Asian Cup Stadiums EditMain article Iran national football team records Home record Azadi Stadium 1991 Since 1972 Iran s national stadium has been Tehran s Azadi Stadium with a nominal capacity of 78 116 spectators 124 Azadi Stadium is the 28th largest association football stadium in the world seventh in Asia and first in West Asia A record was set in Azadi for the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Australia with over 128 000 in attendance 125 Since 1979 the government restricts Iranian women from entering the stadiums 126 127 However FIFA condemned the move and wrote to Iranian Football Federation in June 2019 The federation in their letter gave deadline to uplift the restrictions and let women enter the stadiums On 25 August 2019 deputy Sports Minister Jamshid Taghizadeh stated Women can go to Tehran s Azadi stadium to watch the match between Iran s national team and Cambodia in October for the Qatar World Cup qualifier 128 After the death of Sahar Khodayari select Iranian women were allowed to attend the match against Cambodia in October 2019 66 However in March 2022 Iranian women were again blocked from entering the stadium for a World Cup qualifier 129 From 1942 to 1972 Amjadieh Stadium was Iran s national stadium The other stadiums that Iran has been played international games are Bagh Shomal and Yadegar Emam Stadium Tabriz Takhti Stadium Tehran Enghelab Stadium Karaj Hafezieh Stadium Shiraz Takhti Stadium and Imam Reza Stadium Mashhad The Iran National Football Camp is the team s training ground Results and fixtures Edit All opponents that the Iran football team has played at least once Main articles Iran national football team results and Iran national football team records and statistics Head to head records Further information Iran national football team results 2020 present The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months as well as any future matches that have been scheduled Win Draw Loss 2022 Edit Iran v Iraq 27 January 2022 FIFA World Cup QualifierIran 1 0 IraqTehran Iran18 00 UTC 3 30 Taremi 48 Report Stadium Azadi Stadium Attendance 9 354 130 Referee Chris Beath Australia Iran v United Arab Emirates 1 February 2022 FIFA World Cup QualifierIran 1 0 United Arab EmiratesTehran Iran18 00 UTC 3 30 Taremi 44 Report Stadium Azadi Stadium Attendance 0Referee Ahmed Al Kaf Oman South Korea v Iran 24 March 2022 FIFA World Cup QualifierSouth Korea 2 0 IranSeoul South Korea20 00 UTC 9 Son Heung min 45 2 Kim Young gwon 62 Report Stadium Seoul World Cup Stadium Attendance 64 375Referee Chris Beath Australia Iran v Lebanon 29 March 2022 FIFA World Cup QualifierIran 2 0 LebanonMashhad Iran16 00 UTC 4 30 Azmoun 35 Jahanbakhsh 62 Report Stadium Imam Reza Stadium Attendance 22 453 131 Referee Fu Ming China Iran v Algeria 12 June FriendlyIran 1 2 AlgeriaDoha Qatar21 00 UTC 3 Jahanbakhsh 64 Report Benayad 44 Amoura 83 Stadium Suheim bin Hamad Stadium Attendance 200Referee Mohammed Ahmed Al Shammari Qatar Uruguay v Iran 23 September FriendlyUruguay 0 1 IranSankt Polten Austria18 00 UTC 2 Report Taremi 79 Stadium NV Arena Referee Walter Altmann Austria Iran v Senegal 27 September FriendlyIran 1 1 SenegalMaria Enzersdorf Austria16 30 UTC 2 Azmoun 64 Report Pouraliganji 55 og Stadium Motion invest Arena Referee Harald Lechner Austria Iran v Nicaragua 10 November FriendlyIran 1 0 NicaraguaTehran Iran19 00 UTC 3 30 Torabi 15 Report Stadium Azadi Stadium Referee Golmorad Saadollah Tajikistan Iran v Tunisia 16 November Unofficial Friendly 132 Iran 0 2 TunisiaDoha Qatar16 00 UTC 3 Report Sliti 62 pen Abdi 69 Stadium Al Rayyan SC Training Stadium Attendance 0 England v Iran 21 November 2022 FIFA World Cup Group BEngland 6 2 IranAl Rayyan Qatar16 00 UTC 3 Bellingham 35 Saka 43 62 Sterling 45 1 Rashford 71 Grealish 89 Report Taremi 65 90 13 pen Stadium Khalifa International Stadium Attendance 45 334Referee Raphael Claus Brazil Wales v Iran 25 November 2022 FIFA World Cup Group BWales 0 2 IranAl Rayyan Qatar13 00 UTC 3 Report Cheshmi 90 8 Rezaeian 90 11 Stadium Ahmad bin Ali Stadium Attendance 40 875Referee Mario Escobar Guatemala Iran v United States 29 November 2022 FIFA World Cup Group BIran 0 1 United StatesDoha Qatar22 00 UTC 3 Report Pulisic 38 Stadium Al Thumama Stadium Attendance 42 127Referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz Spain 2023 Edit Iran v 16 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualificationIran v TBDStadium TBD Iran v 21 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualificationIran v TBDStadium TBD Iran v TBD 2023 AFC Asian CupIran v QatarStadium TBD Iran v TBD 2023 AFC Asian CupIran v QatarStadium TBD Iran v TBD 2023 AFC Asian CupIran v QatarStadium TBD FIFA International match days 2020 2024 133 Coaching staff EditMain article List of Iran national football team managers 134 Position NameHead Coach VacantAssistant Coach es Markar AghajanyanGoalkeeping Coach VacantPerformance Coach Ricardo SilvaFitness Coach Mikko KujalaTactical Assistant Bruno OliveiraIT Analyst Joao PeixeiroRehabilitation Coach Micael MoreiraPhysiotherapist Dr Alireza ShahabTeam Doctor Dr Parhan KhanlariMasseurs Hadi Nejatpour Amir EsmaeiliTranslator Aryan GhasemiTeam Supervisor Mehdi KharatiTeam Management Mahdi MohammadnabiPlayers EditCurrent squad Edit The following 25 players have been named in Iran s 2022 FIFA World Cup final squad 135 136 Caps and goals correct as of 29 November 2022 after the match against United States No Pos Player Date of birth age Caps Goals Club1 1 GK Alireza Beiranvand 1992 09 21 21 September 1992 aged 30 54 0 Persepolis12 1 GK Payam Niazmand 1995 04 06 6 April 1995 aged 27 1 0 Sepahan22 1 GK Amir Abedzadeh 1993 04 26 26 April 1993 aged 29 11 0 Ponferradina24 1 GK Hossein Hosseini 1992 06 30 30 June 1992 aged 30 8 0 Esteghlal2 2 DF Sadegh Moharrami 1996 03 01 1 March 1996 aged 26 22 0 Dinamo Zagreb3 2 DF Ehsan Hajsafi captain 1990 02 25 25 February 1990 aged 32 124 7 AEK Athens4 2 DF Shojae Khalilzadeh 1989 05 14 14 May 1989 aged 33 25 1 Al Ahli5 2 DF Milad Mohammadi 1993 09 29 29 September 1993 aged 29 48 1 AEK Athens8 2 DF Morteza Pouraliganji 1992 04 19 19 April 1992 aged 30 49 3 Persepolis13 2 DF Hossein Kanaanizadegan 1994 03 23 23 March 1994 aged 28 36 2 Al Ahli15 2 DF Rouzbeh Cheshmi 1993 07 24 24 July 1993 aged 29 21 2 Esteghlal19 2 DF Majid Hosseini 1996 06 20 20 June 1996 aged 26 21 0 Kayserispor23 2 DF Ramin Rezaeian 1990 03 21 21 March 1990 aged 32 48 3 Sepahan25 2 DF Abolfazl Jalali 1998 06 26 26 June 1998 aged 24 4 0 Esteghlal6 3 MF Saeid Ezatolahi 1996 10 01 1 October 1996 aged 26 50 1 Vejle7 3 MF Alireza Jahanbakhsh 1993 08 11 11 August 1993 aged 29 66 13 Feyenoord11 3 MF Vahid Amiri 1988 04 02 2 April 1988 aged 34 68 2 Persepolis14 3 MF Saman Ghoddos 1993 09 06 6 September 1993 aged 29 34 2 Brentford16 3 MF Mehdi Torabi 1994 09 10 10 September 1994 aged 28 38 7 Persepolis17 3 MF Ali Gholizadeh 1996 03 10 10 March 1996 aged 26 29 6 Charleroi18 3 MF Ali Karimi 1994 02 11 11 February 1994 aged 28 16 0 Kayserispor21 3 MF Ahmad Nourollahi 1993 02 01 1 February 1993 aged 29 29 3 Shabab Al Ahli9 4 FW Mehdi Taremi 1992 07 18 18 July 1992 aged 30 63 30 Porto10 4 FW Karim Ansarifard 1990 04 03 3 April 1990 aged 32 96 29 Omonia20 4 FW Sardar Azmoun 1995 01 01 1 January 1995 aged 27 68 41 Bayer LeverkusenRecent call ups Edit The following players have been called up for the team in the last 12 months Pos Player Date of birth age Caps Goals Club Latest call upGK Mohammad Reza Akhbari 1993 02 15 15 February 1993 age 29 1 0 Tractor Tehran Training Camp 22 October 2022DF Omid Noorafkan 1997 04 09 9 April 1997 age 25 14 0 Sepahan v Nicaragua 10 November 2022DF Saman Touranian 2002 01 01 1 January 2002 age 21 1 0 Mes Kerman v Nicaragua 10 November 2022DF Saleh Hardani 1998 09 14 14 September 1998 age 24 2 0 Esteghlal Tehran Training Camp 22 October 2022DF Armin Sohrabian 1995 07 26 26 July 1995 age 27 0 0 Gol Gohar Tehran Training Camp 22 October 2022DF Saman Fallah 2001 05 12 12 May 2001 age 21 0 0 Paykan Tehran Training Camp 22 October 2022DF Aref Aghasi 1997 01 02 2 January 1997 age 26 1 0 Foolad Tehran Training Camp 11 September 2022DF Mehdi Shiri 1991 01 31 31 January 1991 age 31 0 0 Foolad Tehran Training Camp 11 September 2022DF Aref Gholami 1997 04 23 23 April 1997 age 25 1 0 Esteghlal v Algeria 12 June 2022DF Danial Esmaeilifar 1993 02 26 26 February 1993 age 29 1 0 Persepolis v Lebanon 29 March 2022DF Farshad Faraji 1994 04 07 7 April 1994 age 28 0 0 Persepolis v Lebanon 29 March 2022DF Siavash Yazdani 1992 02 27 27 February 1992 age 30 1 0 Esteghlal v United Arab Emirates 1 February 2022MF Omid Ebrahimi INJ 1987 09 15 15 September 1987 age 35 55 0 Al Wakrah v Nicaragua 10 November 2022MF Milad Sarlak 1995 03 26 26 March 1995 age 27 11 0 Persepolis v Nicaragua 10 November 2022MF Amirali Sadeghi 2001 02 09 9 February 2001 age 21 1 0 Esteghlal v Nicaragua 10 November 2022MF Mehdi Hashemnejad 2001 10 27 27 October 2001 age 21 1 0 Tractor v Nicaragua 10 November 2022MF Mehdi Mehdipour 1994 02 18 18 February 1994 age 28 3 0 Esteghlal Tehran Training Camp 22 October 2022MF Mohammad Khodabandelou 1999 09 07 7 September 1999 age 23 0 0 Gol Gohar Tehran Training Camp 22 October 2022MF Mehdi Hosseini 1993 09 16 16 September 1993 age 29 0 0 Mes Rafsanjan Tehran Training Camp 11 September 2022MF Saeid Sadeghi 1994 04 25 25 April 1994 age 28 0 0 Persepolis Tehran Training Camp 11 September 2022MF Reza Asadi 1996 01 17 17 January 1996 age 27 0 0 Tractor Tehran Training Camp 11 September 2022MF Mohammad Karimi 1996 06 20 20 June 1996 age 26 0 0 Sepahan Tehran Training Camp 11 September 2022MF Yasin Salmani 2002 02 27 27 February 2002 age 20 0 0 Sepahan Tehran Training Camp 11 September 2022MF Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh 2000 10 30 30 October 2000 age 22 3 0 Charleroi v Algeria 12 June 2022MF Soroush Rafiei 1990 03 24 24 March 1990 age 32 4 0 Persepolis v Algeria 12 June 2022 PREMF Kamal Kamyabinia 1989 01 18 18 January 1989 age 34 6 1 Persepolis v Lebanon 29 March 2022MF Zobeir Niknafs 1993 04 12 12 April 1993 age 29 0 0 Esteghlal v Iraq 27 January 2022FW Aria Barzegar 2002 10 10 10 October 2002 age 20 1 0 Naft Masjed Soleyman v Nicaragua 10 November 2022FW Mohammad Mohebi 1998 12 20 20 December 1998 age 24 3 2 Esteghlal Tehran Training Camp 22 October 2022FW Mehdi Ghayedi 1998 12 05 5 December 1998 age 24 8 2 Esteghlal Tehran Training Camp 11 September 2022FW Shahriyar Moghanlou 1994 12 21 21 December 1994 age 28 0 0 Sepahan Tehran Training Camp 11 September 2022FW Allahyar Sayyadmanesh INJ 2001 06 29 29 June 2001 age 21 7 1 Hull City v Algeria 12 June 2022FW Ali Alipour 1995 11 11 11 November 1995 age 27 3 0 Gil Vicente v Algeria 12 June 2022FW Kaveh Rezaei 1992 04 05 5 April 1992 age 30 18 4 Tractor v United Arab Emirates 1 February 2022FW Shahab Zahedi 1995 08 18 18 August 1995 age 27 0 0 Puskas Akademia v United Arab Emirates 1 February 2022INJ Withdrew due to injuryPRE Preliminary squad standbyRET Retired from the national teamSUS Serving suspensionWD Player withdrew from the squad due to a non injury issue COV Injured because of COVID 19Player records EditMain pages Iran national football team records and statistics and Category Iran international footballers As of 29 November 2022 137 Players in bold are still active with Iran Most capped players Edit Main article List of men s footballers with 100 or more international caps Javad Nekounam is the most capped player in the history of Iran with 149 caps alongside with Ali Daei Rank Player Caps Goals Career1 Ali Daei 149 109 1993 2006Javad Nekounam 1 38 2000 20153 Ali Karimi 127 38 1998 20124 Ehsan Hajsafi 124 7 2008 present5 Jalal Hosseini 115 8 2007 20186 Mehdi Mahdavikia 110 13 1996 20097 Andranik Teymourian 101 9 2005 20168 Karim Ansarifard 96 29 2009 present9 Karim Bagheri 87 50 1993 2010Masoud Shojaei 87 8 2004 2019Top goalscorers Edit Main article List of men s footballers with 50 or more international goals Ali Daei is the world s second all time leading goalscorer in international matches having scored 109 goals in 149 matches Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career1 Ali Daei list 109 149 0 73 1993 20062 Karim Bagheri 50 87 0 57 1993 20103 Sardar Azmoun 41 68 0 61 2014 Present4 Ali Karimi 38 127 0 3 1998 20125 Javad Nekounam 38 149 0 26 2000 20156 Mehdi Taremi 30 63 0 48 2015 present7 Karim Ansarifard 29 96 0 31 2009 present8 Gholam Hossein Mazloumi 19 40 0 48 1969 19779 Farshad Pious 138 18 34 0 53 1984 199410 Reza Ghoochannejhad 17 44 0 36 2012 2018Most capped goalkeepers Edit Ahmadreza Abedzadeh is the most capped goalkeeper in the history of Iran with 79 caps Rank Player Caps Career1 Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh 79 1987 19982 Mehdi Rahmati 77 2004 20123 Ebrahim Mirzapour 71 2001 20114 Nasser Hejazi 139 62 1968 19805 Alireza Beiranvand 54 2015 present6 Aziz Asli 28 1962 1968Behzad Gholampour 1990 19998 Alireza Haghighi 24 2012 20189 Mansour Rashidi 20 1972 1985Parviz Boroumand 1998 2001Captains Edit Ehsan Hajsafi is the current Iran national team captain Reign Player Career Total As Captain TournamentsCaps Goals Caps Goals1 1965 1967 Mohammad Ranjbar 1959 1967 23 0 9 02 1967 1970 Hassan Habibi 1958 1970 31 0 10 0 1968 AFC Asian Cup3 1970 1972 Mostafa Arab 1959 1972 48 2 13 0 1972 AFC Asian Cup4 1972 1977 Parviz Ghelichkhani 1964 1977 64 12 26 7 1976 AFC Asian Cup5 1977 1980 Ali Parvin 1970 1980 76 13 31 2 1978 FIFA World Cup6 1980 Nasser Hejazi 1968 1980 62 0 7 0 1980 AFC Asian Cup7 1980 1984 Mehdi Dinvarzadeh 1977 1984 26 0 9 08 1984 871989 91 Mohammad Panjali 1978 1991 45 0 27 0 1984 AFC Asian Cup9 1987 891991 93 Sirous Ghayeghran 1986 1993 43 6 22 3 1988 AFC Asian Cup 1992 AFC Asian Cup10 1993 Hamid Derakhshan 1980 1993 41 9 12 311 1993 1994 Farshad Pious 1984 1994 35 19 4 112 1996 Mojtaba Moharrami 1988 1996 37 5 2 0 1996 AFC Asian Cup13 1996 1998 Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh 1988 1998 79 0 38 0 1998 FIFA World Cup14 1998 1999 Nader Mohammadkhani 1988 1999 64 4 9 1 1998 FIFA World Cup15 1999 2000 Javad Zarincheh 1987 2000 80 1 8 016 2000 2006 Ali Daei 1993 2006 149 109 80 44 2000 AFC Asian Cup 2004 AFC Asian Cup 2006 FIFA World Cup17 2006 2009 Mehdi Mahdavikia 1996 2009 110 13 17 1 2007 AFC Asian Cup18 2009 2015 Javad Nekounam 2000 2015 149 38 56 18 2011 AFC Asian Cup2014 FIFA World Cup2015 AFC Asian Cup19 2015 2016 Andranik Teymourian 2005 2016 101 9 8 120 2016 2019 Masoud Shojaei 2004 2019 87 8 10 0 2018 FIFA World Cup2019 AFC Asian Cup21 2019 Ehsan Hajsafi 2008 124 7 30 3 2022 FIFA World CupCompetition records EditFIFA World Cup Edit Main article Iran at the FIFA World Cup FIFA World Cup record Qualification recordYear Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Manager s Pld W D L GF GA 1930 Not a FIFA member No qualification 1934 Not a FIFA member 1938 1950 Did not enter Did not enter 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 Did not qualify 8 5 1 2 9 6 1978 First round 14th 3 0 1 2 2 8 Squad Mohajerani 12 10 2 0 20 3 1982 Withdrew Withdrew 1986 Disqualified Disqualified 1990 Did not qualify 6 5 0 1 12 5 1994 11 5 3 3 23 13 1998 Group stage 20th 3 1 0 2 2 4 Squad Talebi 17 8 6 3 57 17 2002 Did not qualify 14 9 3 2 36 9 2006 Group stage 25th 3 0 1 2 2 6 Squad Ivankovic 12 9 1 2 29 7 2010 Did not qualify 14 5 8 1 15 9 2014 Group stage 28th 3 0 1 2 1 4 Squad Queiroz 16 10 4 2 30 7 2018 18th 3 1 1 1 2 2 Squad 18 12 6 0 36 5 2022 26th 3 1 0 2 4 7 Squad 18 14 1 3 49 8 2026 To be determined To be determinedTotal First round 6 22 18 3 4 11 13 31 146 92 35 19 316 89Iran s World Cup recordFirst match Netherlands 3 0 Iran 3 June 1978 Mendoza Argentina Biggest win Wales 0 2 Iran 25 November 2022 Al Rayyan Qatar Biggest defeat England 6 2 Iran 21 November 2022 Al Rayyan Qatar Fastest Goal 36th minute Yahya Golmohammadi vs Mexico 11 June 2006 Nuremberg Germany Latest goal 90 13th minute Mehdi Taremi vs England 21 November 2022 Al Rayyan Qatar Olympic Games Edit Main article Football at the Summer Olympics Summer Olympic Games record Qualification recordYear Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Manager s Pld W D L GF GA 1900 Not an IOC member No qualification 1904 1908 1912 1920 1924 1928 1936 1948 Did not enter 1952 1956 Withdrew Withdrew 1960 Did not enter Did not enter 1964 First round 12th 3 0 1 2 1 6 Squad Fekri 6 4 1 1 14 3 1968 Withdrew Withdrew 1972 First round 12th 3 1 0 2 1 9 Squad Bayati 5 3 2 0 6 0 1976 Quarter finals 7th 3 1 0 2 4 5 Squad Mohajerani 4 3 1 0 8 1 1980 Qualified but later boycotted the event 6 4 2 0 22 2 1984 Boycotted the event Did not enter 1988 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 2 21992 present See Iran national under 23 team See Iran national under 23 teamTotal Quarter finals 4 17 9 2 1 6 6 20 23 15 6 2 52 8AFC Asian Cup Edit Main article Iran at the AFC Asian Cup AFC Asian Cup record Qualification recordYear Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Manager s Pld W D L GF GA 1956 Withdrew Withdrew 1960 Did not qualify 6 3 1 2 12 10 1964 Withdrew Withdrew 1968 Champions 1st 4 4 0 0 11 2 Squad Bayati Automatic qualified as host 1972 Champions 1st 5 5 0 0 12 4 Squad Ranjbar Automatic qualified as champion 1976 Champions 1st 4 4 0 0 13 0 Squad Mohajerani Automatic qualified as host 1980 Third place 3rd 6 3 2 1 16 6 Squad Habibi Automatic qualified as champion 1984 Fourth place 4th 6 2 4 0 8 3 Squad Ebrahimi 6 6 0 0 22 2 1988 Third place 3rd 6 2 2 2 3 4 Squad Dehdari 4 2 2 0 6 1 1992 Group stage 5th 3 1 1 1 2 1 Squad Parvin 2 2 0 0 10 0 1996 Third place 3rd 6 3 2 1 14 6 Squad Mayeli Kohan 6 6 0 0 27 1 2000 Quarter finals 5th 4 2 1 1 7 3 Squad Talebi 6 4 1 1 16 2 2004 Third place 3rd 6 3 3 0 14 8 Squad Ivankovic 6 5 0 1 16 5 2007 Quarter finals 5th 4 2 2 0 6 3 Squad Ghalenoei 6 4 2 0 12 2 2011 5th 4 3 0 1 6 2 Squad Ghotbi 6 4 1 1 11 2 2015 6th 4 3 1 0 7 3 Squad Queiroz 6 5 1 0 18 5 2019 Semi finals 3rd 6 4 1 1 12 3 Squad Queiroz 8 6 2 0 26 3 2023 Qualified 8 6 0 2 34 4 2027 To be determined To be determinedTotal 3 titles 15 18 68 41 19 8 131 48 70 53 10 7 210 37Iran s AFC Asian Cup recordFirst match Iran 2 0 Hong Kong 10 May 1968 Tehran Iran Biggest win s Iran 8 0 South Yemen 8 June 1976 Tehran Iran Biggest defeat s South Korea 3 0 Iran 11 December 1988 Doha Qatar Iran 0 3 Japan 28 January 2019 Al Ain UAE Best result Champions in 1968 1972 and 1976Worst result 1992 Group stage Asian Games Edit Main article Football at the Asian Games Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Manager s 1951 Runners up 2nd 3 2 0 1 2 1 Squad Sadaghiani 1954 Did not enter 1958 Preliminary round 14th 2 0 0 2 0 9 Squad Meszaros 1962 Did not enter 1966 Runners up 2nd 7 4 0 3 9 6 Squad Szucs 1970 Preliminary round 8th 2 0 1 1 2 3 Squad Netto 1974 Champions 1st 7 7 0 0 20 1 Squad O Farrell 1978 Did not enter 1982 Quarter finals 8th 4 2 0 2 3 2 Squad Cheraghpour 1986 6th 5 3 1 1 13 2 Squad Dehdari 1990 Champions 1st 5 4 1 0 7 1 Squad Parvin 1994 Preliminary round 9th 4 1 2 1 5 2 Squad Poklepovic 1998 Champions 1st 8 7 0 1 25 7 Squad Pourheidari2002 present See Iran national under 23 teamTotal 3 titles 10 13 47 30 5 12 86 34 WAFF Championship Edit Main article WAFF Championship Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Manager s 2000 Champions 1st 5 4 1 0 7 1 Squad Talebi 2002 Third place 3rd 4 1 2 1 4 3 Squad Ivankovic 2004 Champions 1st 4 4 0 0 17 3 Squad Ivankovic 2007 Champions1 1st 4 3 1 0 5 1 Squad Mazloumi 2008 Champions 1st 4 4 0 0 13 2 Squad Daei 2010 Runners up 2nd 4 2 1 1 8 5 Squad Ghotbi 2012 Group stage 6th 3 1 2 0 2 1 Squad Queiroz 2014 Did not enter2019 onwards Not a WAFF memberTotal 4 titles 7 9 28 19 7 2 56 16 1 Iran played their B team in this tournament however recognised as international A matches Head to head record EditMain article Iran national football team records and statistics Last match updated United States on 29 November 2022 Team Played Won Drawn Lost Goals for Goals against Goal difference Win percentage Confederation Best win Worst loss Afghanistan 2 1 1 0 4 0 4 50 AFC 4 0 X Albania 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 UEFA X 0 1 Algeria 4 2 0 2 5 5 0 50 CAF 2 1 1 2 Angola 3 1 2 0 3 2 1 33 33 CAF 1 0 X Argentina 2 0 1 1 1 2 1 0 CONMEBOL X 0 1 Armenia 1 1 0 0 3 1 2 100 UEFA 3 1 X Australia 6 3 2 1 7 6 1 50 AFC OFC 2 0 0 3 Austria 1 0 0 1 1 5 4 0 UEFA X 1 5 Azerbaijan 3 2 1 0 4 2 2 66 67 UEFA 2 1 X Bahrain 18 8 5 5 32 13 19 44 44 AFC 6 0 2 4 Bangladesh 6 6 0 0 28 1 27 100 AFC 6 0 X Belarus 3 0 2 1 3 4 1 0 UEFA X 1 2 Bolivia 1 1 0 0 2 1 1 100 CONMEBOL 2 1 X Bosnia and Herzegovina 7 5 1 1 19 10 9 71 43 UEFA 4 0 1 3 Botswana 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 CAF X X Brazil 1 0 0 1 0 3 3 0 CONMEBOL X 0 3 Bulgaria 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 UEFA X X Cambodia 4 4 0 0 28 1 27 100 AFC 14 0 X Cameroon 2 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 CAF X X Canada 3 2 0 1 2 1 1 66 67 CONCACAF 1 0 0 1 Chile 3 1 1 1 4 3 1 33 33 CONMEBOL 2 0 1 2 China 23 13 6 4 39 18 21 56 52 AFC 4 0 0 2 Chinese Taipei 5 5 0 0 22 0 22 100 AFC 6 0 X Costa Rica 2 1 1 0 3 2 1 50 CONCACAF 3 2 X Croatia 2 0 1 1 2 4 2 0 UEFA X 0 2 Cyprus 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 UEFA X X Czech Republic 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 UEFA X 0 1, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library, article, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games. |