Iran national football team
The Iran national football team (Persian: تیم ملی فوتبال مردان ایران, romanized: Team Mellie Futbâle Mardâne Irân), recognised by FIFA as IR Iran,[10] represents Iran in international football and is controlled by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI).[citation needed]
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
This article appears to be slanted towards recent events. (June 2016) |
Early years
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2022) |
The Iranian Football Federation was founded in 1920.[11] 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.[7] 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.[12] Team Melli managed to surprise some in the footballing community[13] 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.[14]
After the Iranian Revolution
After the Iranian Revolution, football was somewhat neglected. 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.[15]
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.[16]
At their first game at the 1998 FIFA World Cup against Yugoslavia, Iran lost 1–0 to a free kick by Siniša Mihajlović.[15] Iran recorded their first World Cup victory in the second game[14] 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.[17]
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.[18]
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.[19]
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
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.[20] The ban lasted less than a month[21] and as a dispensation was given to allow the Iran under-23 team to participate in the football competition of the 2006 Asian Games,[22] 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.[23] 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,[24] replaced by Afshin Ghotbi. Iran failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup after finishing fourth overall in its group.[25]
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".[26][27] 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.[28]
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.[29] 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.[30] 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."[31] Head coach Afshin Ghotbi also confirmed that it was a rumour and Iranian FA "has not taken any official stand on this issue."[32]
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.[33] 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.[34]
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.[35][36]
Iran competed in Group F alongside Argentina, Nigeria and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Prior to the tournament, they founded the Central Asian Football Association.[37]
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.[38] 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.[39] 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.[40] 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.[41]
Late 2010s
Iran qualified for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup as group winners where Team Melli were the highest ranked seed.[42] 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.[43][44] 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.[45][46] 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.[47][48]
Iran began their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign with friendly matches against Chile and Sweden in March 2015.[49][50][51] Queiroz resigned from his managerial post thereafter due to disagreements with the Iranian Football Federation.[52] On 14 April 2015, Iran were drawn with Oman, India, Turkmenistan and Guam in the second round of qualifiers.[53] 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[54] after a 2–0 win at home over Uzbekistan on 12 June 2017.[55] They also clinched first place in their qualification group after South Korea's defeat to Qatar.[56]
Iran won the first match against Morocco after Aziz Bouhaddouz scoring an own goal.[57] They then lost against Spain with a goal scored by Diego Costa, with video assistant referees denying an Iranian equalizer.[58] The third match against Portugal ended in a draw after a penalty scored by Karim Ansarifard[59] and because Morocco could only manage a 2–2 draw to Spain, Iran were eliminated.[60] 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.[61] A 2–0 win over the Vietnamese side gave Iran direct qualification to the knockout stage.[62] Iran ended their group stage with a goalless draw over neighbor Iraq and took first place.[63] 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.[64] In the quarter-finals against a defensive China, Iran outclassed the Chinese 3–0 to meet Japan in the semi-finals.[65] Iran missed the opportunity to reach the final once again when they fell 3–0 with all three goals scored in second half.[66]
Early 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.[67][68][69] Their next away encounters against Bahrain and Iraq went on to be consecutive defeats which Iran lost 0–1 and 1–2, respectively.[70][71] 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.[72]
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.[73]
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.[74] 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.[75][76]
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.[77][78][79] 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.[80] 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.[81][82][83][84]
In the following match against Wales, amidst the boos and whistles from some of 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.[85][86][87][88] 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.[89][90] 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.[91]
Ahead of Iran's final group stage match against the United States, the Iranian players were allegedly 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.[92] 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.[93] Some Iranians celebrated the defeat and one Iranian man was killed by security forces in Bandar-e Anzali after honking his car horn in celebration.[94] Another Iranian fan was also arrested by Qatari police after he was wearing a shirt with the Woman, Life, Freedom slogan.[95]
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",[96][97] other nicknames for the team include "Persian Stars"[98][99][100] (entitled since the World Cup 2006) "Shiran e Iran",[101][102] meaning "The Iranian Lions" or "The Lions of Persia",[103] "Shir Dilan", "Lion Hearts" and "Princes of Persia"[104][105] (used since AFC Asian Cup 2011).[106] Iran's slogan for the 2014 FIFA World Cup was Honour of Persia, selected in an internet poll held by FIFA.[107][108] 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".[109] The team mascot "Yupa" is also a cheetah.[110]
Kits and crests
Traditionally, Iran national football team's home kit is white, and the away 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 |
|---|---|
| Adidas | 1978 |
| Puma[111] | 1980 |
| Amini[112] | 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[109] | 2012–2016 |
| Givova[113] | 2016 |
| Adidas[114] | 2016–2019 |
| Uhlsport | 2019–2022 |
| Merooj[115] | 2022–present |
Sponsorship
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.[109]
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.[116][117][118][119][120] In 2001, for the first time in decades, an Iran-Iraq match was not held at a neutral venue.[118] The rivalry was escalated after Iraq knocked Iran out of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in controversial circumstances.[121][122] Iran leads the series with 17 wins, 7 draws and 6 losses.
Iran and Saudi Arabia are ideological rivals.[123] The game was ranked eighth in Goal.com's 2010 list of "Football's 10 Greatest International Rivalries".[124] and ninth in Bleacher Report's 2014 list of "International Football's 10 Most Politically-Charged Football Rivalries"[125] 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 competitive rivals with over 50 years of history.[126] As two of the leading teams in the continent in the 1970s, the 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. South 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 AFC Asian Cup.
Stadiums
Since 1972, Iran's national stadium has been Tehran's Azadi Stadium with a nominal capacity of 78,116 spectators.[127] 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.[128] Since 1979, the government restricts Iranian women from entering the stadiums.[129][130] 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.”[131] After the death of Sahar Khodayari, select Iranian women were allowed to attend the match against Cambodia in October 2019.[67] However, in March 2022, Iranian women were again blocked from entering the stadium for a World Cup qualifier.[132]
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 Fixture
2022
| 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
| 13 June 2023 CAFA Nations Cup | Iran | 6–1 | Afghanistan | Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan |
| 21:00 UTC+6 |
|
| Stadium: Dolen Omurzakov Stadium Referee: Golmorad Saadollah (Tajikistan) |
| 16 June 2023 CAFA Nations Cup | Kyrgyzstan | 1–5 | Iran | Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan |
| 21:00 UTC+6 |
| Stadium: Dolen Omurzakov Stadium Referee: Akhrol Riskullaev (Uzbekistan) |
| 20 June 2023 CAFA Nations Cup Final | Uzbekistan | 0–1 | Iran | Tashkent, Uzbekistan |
| 20:30 UTC+5 |
| Stadium: Milliy Stadium Referee: Kirill Levnikov (Russia) |
| 12 September Friendly | Iran | 4–0 | Angola | Tehran, Iran |
| 19:00 UTC+3:30 | Report | Stadium: Azadi Stadium Referee: Mohammed Al-Hoaish (Saudi Arabia) |
| 13 October 2023 Jordan International Tournament | Jordan | 1–3 | Iran | Amman, Jordan |
| 21:00 UTC+3 |
| Report | Stadium: Amman International Stadium Referee: Mohammed Al-Hoaish (Saudi Arabia) |
| 17 October 2023 Jordan International Tournament | Iran | 4–0 | Qatar | Amman, Jordan |
| 21:00 UTC+3 |
| Report | Stadium: Amman International Stadium Attendance: 1,000 Referee: ahmad Ibrahim Yacoub (Jordan) |
| 21 November 2026 WCQ / 2027 ACQ | Uzbekistan | 2–2 | Iran | Tashkent, Uzbekistan |
| 18:00 UTC+5 | Report | Stadium: Milliy Stadium Attendance: 32,551 Referee: Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed (UAE) |
2024
| 14 January Asian Cup | Iran | v | Palestine | Al Wakrah, Qatar |
| Stadium: Al Janoub Stadium |
| 19 January Asian Cup | Hong Kong | v | Iran | Al Rayyan, Qatar |
| Stadium: Khalifa International Stadium |
| 23 January Asian Cup | Iran | v | United Arab Emirates | Al Rayyan, Qatar |
| Stadium: Education City Stadium |
| 21 March 2026 WCQ / 2027 ACQ | Iran | v | Turkmenistan | Tehran, Iran |
| Stadium: Azadi Stadium |
| 26 March 2026 WCQ / 2027 ACQ | Turkmenistan | v | Iran | Ashgabat, Turkmenistan |
| Stadium: Köpetdag Stadium |
| 11 June 2026 WCQ / 2027 ACQ | Iran | v | Uzbekistan | Tehran, Iran |
| Stadium: Azadi Stadium |
- FIFA International match days 2020–2024[134]
Coaching staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Amir Ghalenoei |
| Assistant Coach(es) | Antonio Manicone |
| Rahman Rezaei | |
| Hamid Motahari | |
| Andranik Teymourian | |
| Saeid Alhoei | |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Alin Dincă |
| Fitness Coach | Ali Asghar Ghorbanalipour |
| Physiotherapist | Dr. Alireza Shahab |
| Team Doctor | Dr. Parhan Khanlari |
| Masseurs | Hadi Nejatpour |
| Amir Esmaeili | |
| Team Supervisor | Mehdi Kharati |
| Team Management | Mahdi Mohammadnabi |
Players
Current squad
The following 25 players have been called up to 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification and 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification match against Uzbekistan on 21 November 2023.[136]
Caps and goals updated as of 21 November 2023, after the match against Uzbekistan.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Alireza Beiranvand | 21 September 1992 | 62 | 0 | Persepolis |
| 12 | GK | Payam Niazmand | 6 April 1995 | 6 | 0 | Sepahan |
| 22 | GK | Hossein Hosseini | 30 June 1992 | 9 | 0 | Esteghlal |
| 2 | DF | Sadegh Moharrami | 1 March 1996 | 26 | 1 | Dinamo Zagreb |
| 3 | DF | Ehsan Hajsafi (captain) | 25 February 1990 | 135 | 7 | AEK Athens |
| 4 | DF | Shojae Khalilzadeh | 14 May 1989 | 32 | 1 | Tractor |
| 5 | DF | Milad Mohammadi | 29 September 1993 | 52 | 1 | AEK Athens |
| 13 | DF | Hossein Kanaanizadegan | 23 March 1994 | 44 | 4 | Persepolis |
| 19 | DF | Majid Hosseini | 20 June 1996 | 24 | 0 | Kayserispor |
| 23 | DF | Ramin Rezaeian | 21 March 1990 | 58 | 6 | Sepahan |
| 24 | DF | Amin Hazbavi | 6 May 2003 | 0 | 0 | Al Sadd |
| 25 | DF | Mohammad Daneshgar | 24 January 1994 | 2 | 0 | Sepahan |
| 6 | MF | Saeid Ezatolahi | 1 October 1996 | 58 | 1 | Vejle |
| 8 | MF | Omid Ebrahimi | 15 September 1987 | 56 | 0 | Al-Shamal |
| 14 | MF | Saman Ghoddos | 6 September 1993 | 40 | 2 | Brentford |
| 15 | MF | Rouzbeh Cheshmi | 24 July 1993 | 29 | 2 | Esteghlal |
| 16 | MF | Mehdi Torabi | 10 September 1994 | 45 | 7 | Persepolis |
| 17 | MF | Javad Hosseinnejad | 26 June 2003 | 2 | 0 | Sepahan |
| 18 | MF | Ali Karimi | 11 February 1994 | 19 | 0 | Kayserispor |
| 21 | MF | Mohammad Mohebi | 20 December 1998 | 14 | 4 | Rostov |
| 9 | FW | Mehdi Taremi | 18 July 1992 | 74 | 41 | Porto |
| 10 | FW | Karim Ansarifard | 3 April 1990 | 98 | 29 | Omonia |
| 7 | FW | Mehrdad Mohammadi | 29 September 1993 | 5 | 2 | Esteghlal |
| 20 | FW | Sardar Azmoun | 1 January 1995 | 75 | 49 | Roma |
| 11 | FW | Reza Asadi | 17 January 1996 | 6 | 1 | Sepahan |
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 | Gol Gohar | v. Angola, 12 Sep 2023 |
| GK | Hossein Pour Hamidi | 26 March 1998 | 1 | 0 | Tractor | v. Angola, 12 Sep 2023 |
| GK | Amir Abedzadeh | 26 April 1993 | 11 | 0 | Marítimo | v. United States, 29 Nov 2022 |
| DF | Mohammad Ghorbani | 21 May 2001 | 0 | 0 | Sepahan | v. Hong Kong, 16 Nov 2023 |
| DF | Aria Yousefi | 22 April 2002 | 0 | 0 | Sepahan | v. Hong Kong, 16 Nov 2023 |
| DF | Morteza Pouraliganji INJ | 19 April 1992 | 54 | 3 | Persepolis | v. Qatar, 17 Oct 2023 |
| DF | Saleh Hardani | 14 September 1998 | 3 | 0 | Esteghlal | v. Qatar, 17 Oct 2023 |
| DF | Hossein Moradmand | 22 June 1993 | 1 | 0 | Esteghlal | v. Angola, 12 Sep 2023 |
| DF | Mohammad Naderi | 5 October 1996 | 1 | 0 | Tractor | Mini Camp, 2 Jun 2023 |
| DF | Aref Aghasi | 2 January 1997 | 1 | 0 | Tractor | Mini Camp, 2 Jun 2023 |
| DF | Mehdi Tikdari | 12 July 1996 | 0 | 0 | Gol Gohar | Mini Camp, 2 Jun 2023 |
| DF | Ehsan Hosseini | 3 October 1998 | 0 | 0 | Nassaji | Mini Camp, 2 Jun 2023 |
| DF | Amir Mehdi Janmaleki | 1 February 1999 | 0 | 0 | Nassaji | Mini Camp, 2 Jun 2023 |
| DF | Armin Sohrabian | 26 July 1995 | 1 | 0 | Esteghlal | v. Kenya, 28 Mar 2023 |
| DF | Milad Zakipour | 23 November 1995 | 1 | 0 | Sepahan | v. Kenya, 28 Mar 2023 |
| DF | Abolfazl Jalali | 26 June 1998 | 4 | 0 | Esteghlal | v. United States, 29 Nov 2022 |
| MF | Alireza Jahanbakhsh INJ | 11 August 1993 | 74 | 15 | Feyenoord | v. Hong Kong, 16 Nov 2023 |
| MF | Ahmad Nourollahi WD | 1 February 1993 | 31 | 3 | Al Wahda | v. Hong Kong, 16 Nov 2023 |
| MF | Vahid Amiri | 2 April 1988 | 71 | 2 | Persepolis | v. Angola, 12 Sep 2023 |
| MF | Milad Sarlak | 26 March 1995 | 13 | 0 | Persepolis | v. Angola, 12 Sep 2023 |
| MF | Alireza Alizadeh | 11 February 1993 | 1 | 0 | Gol Gohar | v. Angola, 12 Sep 2023 |
| MF | Omid Noorafkan | 9 April 1997 | 18 | 0 | Sepahan | v. Uzbekistan, 20 Jun 2023 |
| MF | Mohammad Karimi | 20 June 1996 | 3 | 0 | Sepahan | v. Uzbekistan, 20 Jun 2023 |
| MF | Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh | 30 October 2000 | 3 | 0 | Tractor | v. Uzbekistan, 20 Jun 2023 |
| MF | Saeid Mehri | 16 September 1995 | 1 | 0 | Esteghlal | v. Uzbekistan, 20 Jun 2023 |
| MF | Mehran Ahmadi | 1 January 1997 | 0 | 0 | Malavan | Mini Camp, 2 Jun 2023 |
| MF | Mehdi Ghanbari | 1 January 1999 | 0 | 0 | Tractor | Mini Camp, 2 Jun 2023 |
| MF | Mehdi Mamizadeh | 1 January 2000 | 0 | 0 | Gol Gohar | Mini Camp, 2 Jun 2023 |
| MF | Gholamreza Sabet Imani | 6 April 2000 | 0 | 0 | Paykan | Mini Camp, 2 Jun 2023 |
| MF | Ali Gholizadeh | 10 March 1996 | 30 | 6 | Lech Poznań | v. Kenya, 28 Mar 2023 |
| MF | Mehdi Hosseini | 16 September 1993 | 0 | 0 | Tractor | v. Kenya, 28 Mar 2023 |
| MF | Reza Shekari | 31 May 1998 | 0 | 0 | Sepahan | v. Kenya, 28 Mar 2023 |
| MF | Mohammadhossein Eslami | 13 April 2001 | 0 | 0 | Zob Ahan | v. Kenya, 28 Mar 2023 |
| FW | Saeid Saharkhizan | 26 June 2003 | 0 | 0 | Gol Gohar | v. Hong Kong, 16 Nov 2023 |
| FW | Shahriyar Moghanlou | 21 December 1994 | 4 | 1 | Sepahan | v. Angola, 12 Sep 2023 |
| FW | Mehdi Ghayedi | 5 December 1998 | 10 | 2 | Ittihad Kalba | v. Uzbekistan, 20 Jun 2023 |
| FW | Shahab Zahedi | 18 August 1995 | 1 | 0 | Persepolis | v. Uzbekistan, 20 Jun 2023 |
| FW | Allahyar Sayyadmanesh | 29 June 2001 | 7 | 1 | Hull City | Mini Camp, 2 Jun 2023 |
| FW | Javad Mohammadi | 20 July 1996 | 0 | 0 | Zob Ahan | Mini Camp, 2 Jun 2023 |
| FW | Mohammad Reza Azadi | 7 December 1999 | 0 | 0 | Nassaji | Mini Camp, 2 Jun 2023 |
INJ Withdrew due to injury | ||||||
Player records
- As of 21 November 2023[137]
- Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only
- Players in bold are still active with Iran.
Most appearances
| Rank | Player | Caps | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Javad Nekounam[a] | 149 | 38 | 2000–2015 |
| 2 | Ali Daei[b] | 148 | 108 | 1993–2006 |
| 3 | Ehsan Hajsafi | 135 | 7 | 2008–present |
| 4 | Ali Karimi | 127 | 38 | 1998–2012 |
| 5 | Jalal Hosseini | 115 | 8 | 2007–2018 |
| 6 | Mehdi Mahdavikia | 110 | 13 | 1996–2009 |
| 7 | Andranik Teymourian | 101 | 9 | 2005–2016 |
| 8 | Karim Ansarifard | 98 | 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[b] (list) | 108 | 148 | 0.73 | 1993–2006 |
| 2 | Karim Bagheri | 50 | 87 | 0.57 | 1993–2010 |
| 3 | Sardar Azmoun | 49 | 75 | 0.65 | 2014–present |
| 4 | Mehdi Taremi | 41 | 74 | 0.55 | 2015–present |
| 5 | Ali Karimi | 38 | 127 | 0.3 | 1998–2012 |
| Javad Nekounam | 38 | 149 | 0.26 | 2000–2015 | |
| 7 | Karim Ansarifard | 29 | 98 | 0.3 | 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 |
Notes
- ^ a b Nekounam has two additional caps awarded by the Iranian FA. Those matches are not considered full internationals by FIFA, which only counts 149 appearances.[1]
- ^ a b c Daei has an additional cap and goal awarded by the Iranian FA but in a match that is not considered a full international by FIFA, which only counts 108 goals and 148 appearances.[2]
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 | 62 | 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 | 78 | 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 | 148 | 108 | 80 | 44 | 2000 AFC Asian Cup 2004 AFC Asian Cup 2006 FIFA World Cup |
| 17 | 2006–2009 | Mehdi Mahdavikia | 1996–2009 | 111 | 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 | 9 | 1 | |
| 20 | 2016–2019 | Masoud Shojaei | 2004–2019 | 87 | 8 | 11 | 0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup 2019 AFC Asian Cup |
| 21 | 2019– | Ehsan Hajsafi | 2008– | 135 | 7 | 39 | 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 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 2030[a] | To be determined | ||||||||||||||||
| 2034 | |||||||||||||||||
| Total | First round | 6/22 | 18 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 13 | 31 | — | — | 148 | 93 | 36 | 19 | 322 | 91 | |
| Iran's World Cup record | |
|---|---|
| First match | |
| Biggest win | |
| Biggest defeat | |
| Fastest Goal | |
| Latest goal | |
Olympic Games
| Summer Olympics record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | 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 | Round | 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 | Qualified as hosts | ||||||
| 1972 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 4 | Squad | Ranjbar | Qualified as champions | ||||||
| 1976 | Champions | 1st | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | Squad | Mohajerani | Qualified as hosts | ||||||
| 1980 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 6 | Squad | Habibi | Qualified as champions | ||||||
| 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 | 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 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | ||||||||||
| Total | 3 titles | 15/18 | 68 | 41 | 19 | 8 | 131 | 48 | — | — | 72 | 54 | 11 | 7 | 216 | 39 | |
| Iran's AFC Asian Cup record | |
|---|---|
| First match | |
| Biggest win(s) | |
| Biggest defeat(s) | |
| Best result | |
| Worst result | 1992 (group stage) |
Asian Games
| Asian Games record | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Manager(s) | ||
| 1951 | Runners-up | 2nd | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 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 | 89 | 36 | — | — | ||
WAFF Championship
| WAFF Championship record | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
CAFA Nations Cup
| CAFA Nations Cup record | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Manager(s) |
| 2023 | Champions | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | Squad | Ghalenoei |
| Total | 1 title | 1/1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | — | — |
Other official competitions
| Year | Competition | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Manager(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Afro-Asian Cup of Nations | Not completed1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | Squad | Mohajerani | |
| 1991 | Afro-Asian Cup of Nations | Runners-up | 2nd | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | Squad Squad | Parvin |
| 2003 | AFC–OFC Challenge Cup | Champions | 1st | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | Squad | Ivanković |
- 1The trophy was not awarded, because the second leg was cancelled.
Head-to-head record
- Last match updated: Uzbekistan on 21 November.
| Team | M | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win percentage | Confederation | Best win | Worst loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 | +9 | 66.67% | AFC | 6–1 | 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 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 50% | CAF | 4–0 | 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[b] | 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 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 50% | UEFA | 1–0 | 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 |
| Denmark | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | UEFA | X | X |
| Ecuador | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 0% | CONMEBOL | X | 0–1 |
| Egypt | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0% | CAF | X | X |
| England | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 0% | UEFA | X | 2–6 |
| France | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0% | UEFA | X | 1–2 |
| Georgia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 100% | UEFA | 2–1 | X |
| Germany | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 0% | UEFA | X | 0–2 |
| Ghana | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 100% | CAF | 3–0 | X |
| Guam | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0 | +31 | 100% | AFC | 19–0 | X |
| Guatemala | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0% | CONCACAF | X | X |
| Guinea | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 0% | CAF | X | 1–2 |
| Hong Kong | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | +17 | 100% | AFC | 4–0 | X |
| Hungary | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 0% | UEFA | iran, national, football, team, national, association, football, team, representing, iran, this, article, about, team, women, team, iran, women, national, football, team, irannickname, team, melli, national, team, other, nicknamesassociationfootball, federatio. Men s national association football team representing Iran This article is about the men s team For the women s team see Iran women s national football team IranNickname s Team Melli the national team other nicknamesAssociationFootball Federation Islamic Republic of IranConfederationAFC Asia Sub confederationCAFA Central Asia Head coachAmir GhalenoeiCaptainEhsan HajsafiMost capsJavad Nekounam 149 91 a 93 Top scorerAli Daei 108 91 b 93 Home stadiumAzadi StadiumFIFA codeIRNFirst coloursSecond coloursFIFA rankingCurrent21 26 October 2023 91 3 93 Highest15 August 2005 91 4 93 Lowest122 May 1996 91 5 93 First international 160 Afghanistan 0 0 Iran 160 Kabul Afghanistan 25 August 1941 Biggest win 160 Iran 19 0 Guam 160 Tabriz Iran 24 November 2000 91 6 93 Biggest defeat 160 Turkey 6 1 Iran 160 Istanbul Turkey 28 May 1950 91 7 93 160 South Korea 5 0 Iran 160 Tokyo Japan 28 May 1958 91 8 93 World CupAppearances6 first in 1978 Best resultGroup stage 2018 2022 Asian CupAppearances15 first in 1968 Best resultChampions 1968 1972 1976 Olympic GamesAppearances3 4 first in 1964 Best resultQuarter finals 1976 WAFF ChampionshipAppearances7 first in 2000 Best resultChampions 2000 2004 2007 2004 Asian GamesAppearances10 first in 1951 Best resultChampions 1974 1990 1998 2002 Medal record Men s football AFC Asian Cup 1968 Iran Team 1972 Thailand Team 1976 Iran Team 1980 Kuwait Team 1988 Qatar Team 1996 UAE Team 2004 China Team Asian Games 1974 Tehran Team 1990 Beijing Team 1998 Bangkok Team 1951 New Delhi Team 1966 Bangkok Team WAFF Championship 2000 Jordan Team 2004 Iran Team 2007 Jordan Team 2008 Iran Team 2010 Jordan Team 2002 Syria Team CAFA Nations Cup 2023 Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan Team Afro Asian Cup of Nations 1991 Algeria Iran Team AFC OFC Challenge Cup 2003 Iran Team The Iran national football team Persian تیم ملی فوتبال مردان ایران romanized 160 Team Mellie Futbale Mardane Iran recognised by FIFA as IR Iran 91 10 93 represents Iran in international football and is controlled by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran FFIRI 91 citation needed 93 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 Contents 1 History 1 1 Early years 1 2 After the Iranian Revolution 1 3 1998 2006 1 4 Temporary suspension 1 5 2007 14 1 6 Late 2010s 1 7 Early 2020s 2 Team image 2 1 Nicknames 2 2 Kits and crests 2 2 1 Kit suppliers 2 3 Sponsorship 2 4 Rivalries 2 5 Stadiums 3 Results and fixtures 3 1 2022 3 2 2023 3 3 2024 4 Coaching staff 5 Players 5 1 Current squad 5 2 Recent call ups 6 Player records 6 1 Most appearances 6 2 Top goalscorers 6 3 Most capped goalkeepers 6 4 Captains 7 Competition records 7 1 FIFA World Cup 7 2 Olympic Games 7 3 AFC Asian Cup 7 4 Asian Games 7 5 WAFF Championship 7 6 CAFA Nations Cup 7 7 Other official competitions 8 Head to head record 9 FIFA World Rankings 10 Honours 10 1 Summary 10 2 Continental 10 3 Regional 10 4 Intercontinental 10 5 Minor tournaments 11 See also 12 Notes 13 References 14 External links History See also Football in Iran and History of the Iran national football team This article appears to be slanted towards recent events Please help improve the article June 2016 Early years 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 91 11 93 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 91 7 93 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 91 12 93 Team Melli managed to surprise some in the footballing community 91 13 93 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 91 14 93 After the Iranian Revolution After the Iranian Revolution football was somewhat neglected 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 91 15 93 1998 2006 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 91 16 93 At their first game at the 1998 FIFA World Cup against Yugoslavia Iran lost 1 0 to a free kick by Sinisa Mihajlovic 91 15 93 Iran recorded their first World Cup victory in the second game 91 14 93 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 91 17 93 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 91 18 93 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 91 19 93 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 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 91 20 93 The ban lasted less than a month 91 21 93 and as a dispensation was given to allow the Iran under 23 team to participate in the football competition of the 2006 Asian Games 91 22 93 fixtures were unaffected 2007 14 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 91 23 93 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 91 24 93 replaced by Afshin Ghotbi Iran failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup after finishing fourth overall in its group 91 25 93 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 91 26 93 91 27 93 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 91 28 93 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 91 29 93 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 91 30 93 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 91 31 93 Head coach Afshin Ghotbi also confirmed that it was a rumour and Iranian FA has not taken any official stand on this issue 91 32 93 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 91 33 93 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 91 34 93 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 91 35 93 91 36 93 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 91 37 93 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 91 38 93 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 91 39 93 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 91 40 93 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 91 41 93 Late 2010s Iran qualified for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup as group winners where Team Melli were the highest ranked seed 91 42 93 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 91 43 93 91 44 93 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 91 45 93 91 46 93 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 91 47 93 91 48 93 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 91 49 93 91 50 93 91 51 93 Queiroz resigned from his managerial post thereafter due to disagreements with the Iranian Football Federation 91 52 93 On 14 April 2015 Iran were drawn with Oman India Turkmenistan and Guam in the second round of qualifiers 91 53 93 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 91 54 93 after a 2 0 win at home over Uzbekistan on 12 June 2017 91 55 93 They also clinched first place in their qualification group after South Korea s defeat to Qatar 91 56 93 Iran won the first match against Morocco after Aziz Bouhaddouz scoring an own goal 91 57 93 They then lost against Spain with a goal scored by Diego Costa with video assistant referees denying an Iranian equalizer 91 58 93 The third match against Portugal ended in a draw after a penalty scored by Karim Ansarifard 91 59 93 and because Morocco could only manage a 2 2 draw to Spain Iran were eliminated 91 60 93 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 91 61 93 A 2 0 win over the Vietnamese side gave Iran direct qualification to the knockout stage 91 62 93 Iran ended their group stage with a goalless draw over neighbor Iraq and took first place 91 63 93 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 91 64 93 In the quarter finals against a defensive China Iran outclassed the Chinese 3 0 to meet Japan in the semi finals 91 65 93 Iran missed the opportunity to reach the final once again when they fell 3 0 with all three goals scored in second half 91 66 93 Early 2020s Main articles 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification AFC 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2022 FIFA World Cup controversies 160 Iranian protests Iran against Lebanon at the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Iran s squad against England at the 2022 FIFA World Cup 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 91 67 93 91 68 93 91 69 93 Their next away encounters against Bahrain and Iraq went on to be consecutive defeats which Iran lost 0 1 and 1 2 respectively 91 70 93 91 71 93 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 91 72 93 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 91 73 93 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 91 74 93 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 91 75 93 91 76 93 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 91 77 93 91 78 93 91 79 93 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 91 80 93 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 91 81 93 91 82 93 91 83 93 91 84 93 In the following match against Wales amidst the boos and whistles from some of 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 91 85 93 91 86 93 91 87 93 91 88 93 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 91 89 93 91 90 93 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 91 91 93 Ahead of Iran s final group stage match against the United States the Iranian players were allegedly 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 92 93 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 91 93 93 Some Iranians celebrated the defeat and one Iranian man was killed by security forces in Bandar e Anzali after honking his car horn in celebration 91 94 93 Another Iranian fan was also arrested by Qatari police after he was wearing a shirt with the Woman Life Freedom slogan 91 95 93 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 91 96 93 91 97 93 other nicknames for the team include Persian Stars 91 98 93 91 99 93 91 100 93 entitled since the World Cup 2006 Shiran e Iran 91 101 93 91 102 93 meaning The Iranian Lions or The Lions of Persia 91 103 93 Shir Dilan Lion Hearts and Princes of Persia 91 104 93 91 105 93 used since AFC Asian Cup 2011 91 106 93 Iran s slogan for the 2014 FIFA World Cup was Honour of Persia selected in an internet poll held by FIFA 91 107 93 91 108 93 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 91 109 93 The team mascot Yupa is also a cheetah 91 110 93 Kits and crests Wikimedia Commons has media related to Iran national football team kits Traditionally Iran national football team s home kit is white and the away 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 Adidas 1978 Puma 91 111 93 1980 Amini 91 112 93 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 91 109 93 2012 2016 Givova 91 113 93 2016 Adidas 91 114 93 2016 2019 Uhlsport 2019 2022 Merooj 91 115 93 2022 present Sponsorship 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 91 109 93 Rivalries 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 91 116 93 91 117 93 91 118 93 91 119 93 91 120 93 In 2001 for the first time in decades an Iran Iraq match was not held at a neutral venue 91 118 93 The rivalry was escalated after Iraq knocked Iran out of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in controversial circumstances 91 121 93 91 122 93 Iran leads the series with 17 wins 7 draws and 6 losses Iran and Saudi Arabia are ideological rivals 91 123 93 The game was ranked eighth in Goal com s 2010 list of Football s 10 Greatest International Rivalries 91 124 93 and ninth in Bleacher Report s 2014 list of International Football s 10 Most Politically Charged Football Rivalries 91 125 93 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 competitive rivals with over 50 years of history 91 126 93 As two of the leading teams in the continent in the 1970s the 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 South 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 AFC Asian Cup Stadiums Main article Iran national football team records 160 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 91 127 93 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 91 128 93 Since 1979 the government restricts Iranian women from entering the stadiums 91 129 93 91 130 93 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 91 131 93 After the death of Sahar Khodayari select Iranian women were allowed to attend the match against Cambodia in October 2019 91 67 93 However in March 2022 Iranian women were again blocked from entering the stadium for a World Cup qualifier 91 132 93 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 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 160 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 160 160 Win 160 160 Draw 160 160 Loss 160 160 Fixture 2022 Wales 160 v 160 Iran 25 November 2022 FIFA World Cup Group BWales 160 0 2 160 IranAl Rayyan Qatar13 00 160 UTC 3 Report Cheshmi 32 90 8 39 Rezaeian 32 90 11 39 Stadium Ahmad bin Ali Stadium Attendance 40 875Referee Mario Escobar Guatemala Iran 160 v 160 United States 29 November 2022 FIFA World Cup Group BIran 160 0 1 160 United StatesDoha Qatar22 00 160 UTC 3 Report Pulisic 32 38 39 Stadium Al Thumama Stadium Attendance 42 127Referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz Spain 2023 Iran 160 v 160 Russia 23 March FriendlyIran 160 1 1 160 RussiaTehran Iran20 30 160 UTC 3 30 Taremi 32 49 39 160 pen Report Miranchuk 32 28 39 160 pen Stadium Azadi Stadium Referee Ilgiz Tantashev Uzbekistan Iran 160 v 160 Kenya 28 March FriendlyIran 160 2 1 160 KenyaTehran Iran20 30 160 UTC 3 30 Mohebi 32 77 39 Rezaeian 32 84 39 Report Olunga 32 51 39 Stadium Azadi Stadium Attendance 25 000Referee Zaid Thamer Iraq Iran 160 v 160 Afghanistan 13 June 2023 CAFA Nations CupIran 160 6 1 160 AfghanistanBishkek Kyrgyzstan21 00 160 UTC 6 Azmoun 32 20 39 Taremi 32 21 39 28 39 51 39 Jahanbakhsh 32 45 39 Asadi 32 67 39 Noor 32 57 39 Stadium Dolen Omurzakov Stadium Referee Golmorad Saadollah Tajikistan Kyrgyzstan 160 v 160 Iran 16 June 2023 CAFA Nations CupKyrgyzstan 160 1 5 160 IranBishkek Kyrgyzstan21 00 160 UTC 6 Murzayev 32 52 39 Taremi 32 34 39 39 39 160 pen 56 39 Azmoun 32 66 39 79 39 Stadium Dolen Omurzakov Stadium Referee Akhrol Riskullaev Uzbekistan Uzbekistan 160 v 160 Iran 20 June 2023 CAFA Nations Cup FinalUzbekistan 160 0 1 160 IranTashkent Uzbekistan20 30 160 UTC 5 Azmoun 32 48 39 Stadium Milliy Stadium Referee Kirill Levnikov Russia Bulgaria 160 v 160 Iran 7 September FriendlyBulgaria 160 0 1 160 IranPlovdiv Bulgaria19 00 160 UTC 3 Report Mohebi 32 14 39 Stadium Hristo Botev Attendance 9 500Referee Lazar Lukic Serbia Iran 160 v 160 Angola 12 September FriendlyIran 160 4 0 160 AngolaTehran Iran19 00 160 UTC 3 30 Taremi 32 8 39 16 39 Moharrami 32 20 39 Moghanloo 32 87 39 Report Stadium Azadi Stadium Referee Mohammed Al Hoaish Saudi Arabia Jordan 160 v 160 Iran 13 October 2023 Jordan International TournamentJordan 160 1 3 160 IranAmman Jordan21 00 160 UTC 3 Al Naimat 32 74 39 Report Azmoun 32 6 39 Taremi 32 28 39 Mohammadi 32 90 4 39 Stadium Amman International Stadium Referee Mohammed Al Hoaish Saudi Arabia Iran 160 v 160 Qatar 17 October 2023 Jordan International TournamentIran 160 4 0 160 QatarAmman Jordan21 00 160 UTC 3 Kanaanizadegan 32 69 39 79 39 Jahanbakhsh 32 73 39 Azmoun 32 75 39 Report Stadium Amman International Stadium Attendance 1 000Referee ahmad Ibrahim Yacoub Jordan Iran 160 v 160 Hong Kong 16 November 2026 WCQ 2027 ACQIran 160 4 0 160 Hong KongTehran Iran18 00 160 UTC 3 30 Azmoun 32 12 39 15 39 Taremi 32 87 39 Rezaeian 32 90 2 39 Report Stadium Azadi Stadium Attendance 6 191Referee Nazmi Nasaruddin Malaysia Uzbekistan 160 v 160 Iran 21 November 2026 WCQ 2027 ACQUzbekistan 160 2 2 160 IranTashkent Uzbekistan18 00 160 UTC 5 Urunov 32 52 39 Sergeev 32 83 39 Report Rezaeian 32 14 39 Taremi 32 38 39 Stadium Milliy Stadium Attendance 32 551Referee Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed UAE 2024 Iran 160 v 160 Indonesia 6 January 91 133 93 FriendlyIran 160 v 160 IndonesiaDoha Qatar Iran 160 v 160 Palestine 14 January Asian CupIran 160 v 160 PalestineAl Wakrah QatarStadium Al Janoub Stadium Hong Kong 160 v 160 Iran 19 January Asian CupHong Kong 160 v 160 IranAl Rayyan QatarStadium Khalifa International Stadium Iran 160 v 160 United Arab Emirates 23 January Asian CupIran 160 v 160 United Arab EmiratesAl Rayyan QatarStadium Education City Stadium Iran 160 v 160 Turkmenistan 21 March 2026 WCQ 2027 ACQIran 160 v 160 TurkmenistanTehran IranStadium Azadi Stadium Turkmenistan 160 v 160 Iran 26 March 2026 WCQ 2027 ACQTurkmenistan 160 v 160 IranAshgabat TurkmenistanStadium Kopetdag Stadium Hong Kong 160 v 160 Iran 6 June 2026 WCQ 2027 ACQHong Kong 160 v 160 IranSo Kon Po Hong KongStadium Hong Kong Stadium Iran 160 v 160 Uzbekistan 11 June 2026 WCQ 2027 ACQIran 160 v 160 UzbekistanTehran IranStadium Azadi Stadium FIFA International match days 2020 2024 91 134 93 Coaching staff Main article List of Iran national football team managers 91 135 93 Position Name Head Coach Amir Ghalenoei Assistant Coach es Antonio Manicone Rahman Rezaei Hamid Motahari Andranik Teymourian Saeid Alhoei Goalkeeping Coach Alin Dincă Fitness Coach Ali Asghar Ghorbanalipour Physiotherapist Dr Alireza Shahab Team Doctor Dr Parhan Khanlari Masseurs Hadi Nejatpour Amir Esmaeili Team Supervisor Mehdi Kharati Team Management Mahdi Mohammadnabi Players Current squad The following 25 players have been called up to 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification and 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification match against 160 Uzbekistan on 21 November 2023 91 136 93 Caps and goals updated as of 21 November 2023 after the match against 160 Uzbekistan No Pos Player Date of birth age Caps Goals Club 1 1 GK Alireza Beiranvand 1992 09 21 21 September 1992 age 160 31 62 0 Persepolis 12 1 GK Payam Niazmand 1995 04 06 6 April 1995 age 160 28 6 0 Sepahan 22 1 GK Hossein Hosseini 1992 06 30 30 June 1992 age 160 31 9 0 Esteghlal 2 2 DF Sadegh Moharrami 1996 03 01 1 March 1996 age 160 27 26 1 Dinamo Zagreb 3 2 DF Ehsan Hajsafi captain 1990 02 25 25 February 1990 age 160 33 135 7 AEK Athens 4 2 DF Shojae Khalilzadeh 1989 05 14 14 May 1989 age 160 34 32 1 Tractor 5 2 DF Milad Mohammadi 1993 09 29 29 September 1993 age 160 30 52 1 AEK Athens 13 2 DF Hossein Kanaanizadegan 1994 03 23 23 March 1994 age 160 29 44 4 Persepolis 19 2 DF Majid Hosseini 1996 06 20 20 June 1996 age 160 27 24 0 Kayserispor 23 2 DF Ramin Rezaeian 1990 03 21 21 March 1990 age 160 33 58 6 Sepahan 24 2 DF Amin Hazbavi 2003 05 06 6 May 2003 age 160 20 0 0 Al Sadd 25 2 DF Mohammad Daneshgar 1994 01 24 24 January 1994 age 160 29 2 0 Sepahan 6 3 MF Saeid Ezatolahi 1996 10 01 1 October 1996 age 160 27 58 1 Vejle 8 3 MF Omid Ebrahimi 1987 09 15 15 September 1987 age 160 36 56 0 Al Shamal 14 3 MF Saman Ghoddos 1993 09 06 6 September 1993 age 160 30 40 2 Brentford 15 3 MF Rouzbeh Cheshmi 1993 07 24 24 July 1993 age 160 30 29 2 Esteghlal 16 3 MF Mehdi Torabi 1994 09 10 10 September 1994 age 160 29 45 7 Persepolis 17 3 MF Javad Hosseinnejad 2003 06 26 26 June 2003 age 160 20 2 0 Sepahan 18 3 MF Ali Karimi 1994 02 11 11 February 1994 age 160 29 19 0 Kayserispor 21 3 MF Mohammad Mohebi 1998 12 20 20 December 1998 age 160 24 14 4 Rostov 9 4 FW Mehdi Taremi 1992 07 18 18 July 1992 age 160 31 74 41 Porto 10 4 FW Karim Ansarifard 1990 04 03 3 April 1990 age 160 33 98 29 Omonia 7 4 FW Mehrdad Mohammadi 1993 09 29 29 September 1993 age 160 30 5 2 Esteghlal 20 4 FW Sardar Azmoun 1995 01 01 1 January 1995 age 160 28 75 49 Roma 11 4 FW Reza Asadi 1996 01 17 17 January 1996 age 160 27 6 1 Sepahan 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 1993 02 15 15 February 1993 age 160 30 1 0 Gol Gohar v 160 Angola 12 Sep 2023 GK Hossein Pour Hamidi 1998 03 26 26 March 1998 age 160 25 1 0 Tractor v 160 Angola 12 Sep 2023 GK Amir Abedzadeh 1993 04 26 26 April 1993 age 160 30 11 0 Maritimo v 160 United States 29 Nov 2022 DF Mohammad Ghorbani 2001 05 21 21 May 2001 age 160 22 0 0 Sepahan v 160 Hong Kong 16 Nov 2023 DF Aria Yousefi 2002 04 22 22 April 2002 age 160 21 0 0 Sepahan v 160 Hong Kong 16 Nov 2023 DF Morteza Pouraliganji INJ 1992 04 19 19 April 1992 age 160 31 54 3 Persepolis v 160 Qatar 17 Oct 2023 DF Saleh Hardani 1998 09 14 14 September 1998 age 160 25 3 0 Esteghlal v 160 Qatar 17 Oct 2023 DF Hossein Moradmand 1993 06 22 22 June 1993 age 160 30 1 0 Esteghlal v 160 Angola 12 Sep 2023 DF Mohammad Naderi 1996 10 05 5 October 1996 age 160 27 1 0 Tractor Mini Camp 2 Jun 2023 DF Aref Aghasi 1997 01 02 2 January 1997 age 160 26 1 0 Tractor Mini Camp 2 Jun 2023 DF Mehdi Tikdari 1996 07 12 12 July 1996 age 160 27 0 0 Gol Gohar Mini Camp 2 Jun 2023 DF Ehsan Hosseini 1998 10 03 3 October 1998 age 160 25 0 0 Nassaji Mini Camp 2 Jun 2023 DF Amir Mehdi Janmaleki 1999 02 01 1 February 1999 age 160 24 0 0 Nassaji Mini Camp 2 Jun 2023 DF Armin Sohrabian 1995 07 26 26 July 1995 age 160 28 1 0 Esteghlal v 160 Kenya 28 Mar 2023 DF Milad Zakipour 1995 11 23 23 November 1995 age 160 28 1 0 Sepahan v 160 Kenya 28 Mar 2023 DF Abolfazl Jalali 1998 06 26 26 June 1998 age 160 25 4 0 Esteghlal v 160 United States 29 Nov 2022 MF Alireza Jahanbakhsh INJ 1993 08 11 11 August 1993 age 160 30 74 15 Feyenoord v 160 Hong Kong 16 Nov 2023 MF Ahmad Nourollahi WD 1993 02 01 1 February 1993 age 160 30 31 3 Al Wahda v 160 Hong Kong 16 Nov 2023 MF Vahid Amiri 1988 04 02 2 April 1988 age 160 35 71 2 Persepolis v 160 Angola 12 Sep 2023 MF Milad Sarlak 1995 03 26 26 March 1995 age 160 28 13 0 Persepolis v 160 Angola 12 Sep 2023 MF Alireza Alizadeh 1993 02 11 11 February 1993 age 160 30 1 0 Gol Gohar v 160 Angola 12 Sep 2023 MF Omid Noorafkan 1997 04 09 9 April 1997 age 160 26 18 0 Sepahan v 160 Uzbekistan 20 Jun 2023 MF Mohammad Karimi 1996 06 20 20 June 1996 age 160 27 3 0 Sepahan v 160 Uzbekistan 20 Jun 2023 MF Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh 2000 10 30 30 October 2000 age 160 23 3 0 Tractor v 160 Uzbekistan 20 Jun 2023 MF Saeid Mehri 1995 09 16 16 September 1995 age 160 28 1 0 Esteghlal v 160 Uzbekistan 20 Jun 2023 MF Mehran Ahmadi 1997 01 01 1 January 1997 age 160 26 0 0 Malavan Mini Camp 2 Jun 2023 MF Mehdi Ghanbari 1999 01 01 1 January 1999 age 160 24 0 0 Tractor Mini Camp 2 Jun 2023 MF Mehdi Mamizadeh 2000 01 01 1 January 2000 age 160 23 0 0 Gol Gohar Mini Camp 2 Jun 2023 MF Gholamreza Sabet Imani 2000 04 06 6 April 2000 age 160 23 0 0 Paykan Mini Camp 2 Jun 2023 MF Ali Gholizadeh 1996 03 10 10 March 1996 age 160 27 30 6 Lech Poznan v 160 Kenya 28 Mar 2023 MF Mehdi Hosseini 1993 09 16 16 September 1993 age 160 30 0 0 Tractor v 160 Kenya 28 Mar 2023 MF Reza Shekari 1998 05 31 31 May 1998 age 160 25 0 0 Sepahan v 160 Kenya 28 Mar 2023 MF Mohammadhossein Eslami 2001 04 13 13 April 2001 age 160 22 0 0 Zob Ahan v 160 Kenya 28 Mar 2023 FW Saeid Saharkhizan 2003 06 26 26 June 2003 age 160 20 0 0 Gol Gohar v 160 Hong Kong 16 Nov 2023 FW Shahriyar Moghanlou 1994 12 21 21 December 1994 age 160 28 4 1 Sepahan v 160 Angola 12 Sep 2023 FW Mehdi Ghayedi 1998 12 05 5 December 1998 age 160 24 10 2 Ittihad Kalba v 160 Uzbekistan 20 Jun 2023 FW Shahab Zahedi 1995 08 18 18 August 1995 age 160 28 1 0 Persepolis v 160 Uzbekistan 20 Jun 2023 FW Allahyar Sayyadmanesh 2001 06 29 29 June 2001 age 160 22 7 1 Hull City Mini Camp 2 Jun 2023 FW Javad Mohammadi 1996 07 20 20 July 1996 age 160 27 0 0 Zob Ahan Mini Camp 2 Jun 2023 FW Mohammad Reza Azadi 1999 12 07 7 December 1999 age 160 23 0 0 Nassaji Mini Camp 2 Jun 2023 INJ Withdrew due to injury PRE Preliminary squad standby RET Retired from the national team SUS Serving suspension WD Player withdrew from the squad due to a non injury issue COV Injured because of COVID 19 Player records Main pages Iran national football team records and statistics and Category Iran men s international footballers As of 21 November 2023 91 137 93 Statistics include official FIFA recognised matches only Players in bold are still active with Iran Most appearances Main article List of men s footballers with 100 or more international caps See also Most appearances for Iran national team Javad Nekounam is the most capped player in the history of Iran with 149 appearances Rank Player Caps Goals Career 1 Javad Nekounam 91 a 93 149 38 2000 2015 2 Ali Daei 91 b 93 148 108 1993 2006 3 Ehsan Hajsafi 135 7 2008 present 4 Ali Karimi 127 38 1998 2012 5 Jalal Hosseini 115 8 2007 2018 6 Mehdi Mahdavikia 110 13 1996 2009 7 Andranik Teymourian 101 9 2005 2016 8 Karim Ansarifard 98 29 2009 present 9 Karim Bagheri 87 50 1993 2010 Masoud Shojaei 87 8 2004 2019 Top goalscorers Main article List of men s footballers with 50 or more international goals See also Top goalscorers for Iran national team Ali Daei is the world s second all time leading goalscorer in international matches having scored 108 goals in 148 matches Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career 1 Ali Daei 91 b 93 list 108 148 0 73 1993 2006 2 Karim Bagheri 50 87 0 57 1993 2010 3 Sardar Azmoun 49 75 0 65 2014 present 4 Mehdi Taremi 41 74 0 55 2015 present 5 Ali Karimi 38 127 0 3 1998 2012 Javad Nekounam 38 149 0 26 2000 2015 7 Karim Ansarifard 29 98 0 3 2009 present 8 Gholam Hossein Mazloumi 19 40 0 48 1969 1977 9 Farshad Pious 91 138 93 18 34 0 53 1984 1994 10 Reza Ghoochannejhad 17 44 0 36 2012 2018 Notes a b Nekounam has two additional caps awarded by the Iranian FA Those matches are not considered full internationals by FIFA which only counts 149 appearances 91 1 93 a b c Daei has an additional cap and goal awarded by the Iranian FA but in a match that is not considered a full international by FIFA which only counts 108 goals and 148 appearances 91 2 93 Most capped goalkeepers Ahmadreza Abedzadeh is the most capped goalkeeper in the history of Iran with 79 caps 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 91 139 93 62 1968 1980 5 Alireza Beiranvand 62 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 Ehsan Hajsafi is the current Iran national team captain 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 871989 91 Mohammad Panjali 1978 1991 45 0 27 0 1984 AFC Asian Cup 9 1987 891991 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 78 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 148 108 80 44 2000 AFC Asian Cup 2004 AFC Asian Cup 2006 FIFA World Cup 17 2006 2009 Mehdi Mahdavikia 1996 2009 111 13 17 1 2007 AFC Asian Cup 18 2009 2015 Javad Nekounam 2000 2015 149 38 56 18 2011 AFC Asian Cup2014 FIFA World Cup2015 AFC Asian Cup 19 2015 2016 Andranik Teymourian 2005 2016 101 9 9 1 20 2016 2019 Masoud Shojaei 2004 2019 87 8 11 0 2018 FIFA World Cup2019 AFC Asian Cup 21 2019 Ehsan Hajsafi 2008 135 7 39 3 2022 FIFA World Cup Competition records FIFA World Cup Main article Iran at the 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 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 2 1 1 0 6 2 2030 91 a 93 To be determined 2034 Total First round 6 22 18 3 4 11 13 31 148 93 36 19 322 91 Iran s World Cup record First match 160 Netherlands 3 0 Iran 160 3 June 1978 Mendoza Argentina Biggest win 160 Wales 0 2 Iran 160 25 November 2022 Al Rayyan Qatar Biggest defeat 160 England 6 2 Iran 160 21 November 2022 Al Rayyan Qatar Fastest Goal 36th minute Yahya Golmohammadi vs Mexico 160 11 June 2006 Nuremberg Germany Latest goal 90 13th minute Mehdi Taremi vs England 160 21 November 2022 Al Rayyan Qatar Olympic Games Main article Football at the Summer Olympics Summer Olympics record Qualification record Year Round 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 Main article Iran at the AFC Asian Cup AFC Asian Cup record Qualification record Year Round 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 Qualified as hosts 1972 Champions 1st 5 5 0 0 12 4 Squad Ranjbar Qualified as champions 1976 Champions 1st 4 4 0 0 13 0 Squad Mohajerani Qualified as hosts 1980 Third place 3rd 6 3 2 1 16 6 Squad Habibi Qualified as champions 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 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 2 1 1 0 6 2 Total 3 titles 15 18 68 41 19 8 131 48 72 54 11 7 216 39 Iran s AFC Asian Cup record First match 160 Iran 2 0 Hong Kong 160 10 May 1968 Tehran Iran Biggest win s 160 Iran 8 0 South Yemen 160 8 June 1976 Tehran Iran Biggest defeat s 160 South Korea 3 0 Iran 160 11 December 1988 Doha Qatar 160 Iran 0 3 Japan 160 28 January 2019 Al Ain UAE Best result Champions in 1968 1972 and 1976 Worst result 1992 group stage Asian Games Main article Football at the Asian Games Asian Games record Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Manager s 1951 Runners up 2nd 3 2 0 1 5 3 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 Pourheidari 2002 present See Iran national under 23 team Total 3 titles 10 13 47 30 5 12 89 36 WAFF Championship Main article WAFF Championship WAFF Championship record 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 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 CAFA Nations Cup Main article CAFA Nations Cup CAFA Nations Cup record Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Manager s 2023 Champions 1st 3 3 0 0 12 2 Squad Ghalenoei Total 1 title 1 1 3 3 0 0 12 2 Other official competitions Year Competition Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Manager s 1978 Afro Asian Cup of Nations Not completed1 1 1 0 0 3 0 Squad Mohajerani 1991 Afro Asian Cup of Nations Runners up 2nd 2 1 0 1 2 2 SquadSquad Parvin 2003 AFC OFC Challenge Cup Champions 1st 1 1 0 0 3 0 Squad Ivankovic 1The trophy was not awarded because the second leg was cancelled Head to head record Main article Iran national football team records and statistics Last match updated 160 Uzbekistan on 21 November Team M W D L GF GA GD Win percentage Confederation Best win Worst loss 160 Afghanistan 3 2 1 0 10 1 9 66 67 AFC 6 1 X 160 Albania 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 UEFA X 0 1 160 Algeria 4 2 0 2 5 5 0 50 CAF 2 1 1 2 160 Angola 4 2 2 0 7 2 5 50 CAF 4 0 X 160 Argentina 2 0 1 1 1 2 1 0 CONMEBOL X 0 1 160 Armenia 1 1 0 0 3 1 2 100 UEFA 3 1 X 160 Australia 91 b 93 6 3 2 1 7 6 1 50 AFC OFC 2 0 0 3 160 Austria 1 0 0 1 1 5 4 0 UEFA X 1 5 160 Azerbaijan 3 2 1 0 4 2 2 66 67 UEFA 2 1 X 160 Bahrain 18 8 5 5 32 13 19 44 44 AFC 6 0 2 4 160 Bangladesh 6 6 0 0 28 1 27 100 AFC 6 0 X 160 Belarus 3 0 2 1 3 4 1 0 UEFA X 1 2 160 Bolivia 1 1 0 0 2 1 1 100 CONMEBOL 2 1 X 160 Bosnia and Herzegovina 7 5 1 1 19 10 9 71 43 UEFA 4 0 1 3 160 Botswana 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 CAF X X 160 Brazil 1 0 0 1 0 3 3 0 CONMEBOL X 0 3 160 Bulgaria 2 1 1 0 2 1 1 50 UEFA 1 0 X 160 Cambodia 4 4 0 0 28 1 27 100 AFC 14 0 X 160 Cameroon 2 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 CAF X X 160 Canada 3 2 0 1 2 1 1 66 67 CONCACAF 1 0 0 1 160 Chile 3 1 1 1 4 3 1 33 33 CONMEBOL 2 0 1 2 160 China 23 13 6 4 39 18 21 56 52 AFC 4 0 0 2 160 Chinese Taipei 5 5 0 0 22 0 22 100 AFC 6 0 X 160 Costa Rica 2 1 1 0 3 2 1 50 CONCACAF 3 2 X 160 Croatia 2 0 1 1 2 4 2 0 UEFA X 0 2 160 Cyprus 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 UEFA X X 160 Czech Republic 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 UEFA X 0 1 160 Denmark 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 UEFA X X 160 Ecuador 3 0 2 1 2 3 1 0 CONMEBOL X 0 1 160 Egypt 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 CAF X X 160 England 1 0 0 1 2 6 4 0 UEFA X 2 6 160 France 1 0 0 1 1 2 1 0 UEFA X 1 2 160 Georgia 1 1 0 0 2 1 1 100 UEFA 2 1 X 160 Germany 2 0 0 2 0 4 4 0 UEFA X 0 2 160 Ghana 2 2 0 0 5 0 5 100 CAF 3 0 X 160 Guam 3 3 0 0 31 0 31 100 AFC 19 0 X 160 Guatemala 1 0 1 0 2 2 0 0 CONCACAF X X 160 Guinea 2 0 1 1 2 3 1 0 CAF X 1 2 160 Hong Kong 7 7 0 0 18 1 17 100 AFC 4 0 X 160 Hungary 3 0 0 3 1 6 5 0 UEFA span, 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. |