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Iran national football team

Iran
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) Team Melli تیم ملی
The National Team [1]
other nicknames.
Association Football Federation of Iran (FFIRI)
Federāsione Futbālle Irān
Sub-confederation CAFA (Central Asia)
Confederation AFC (Asia)
Head coach Carlos Queiroz
Captain Andranik Teymourian
Most caps Javad Nekounam (151)
Top scorer Ali Daei (109)
Home stadium Azadi Stadium
FIFA code IRN
FIFA ranking
Current 39 1 (1 October 2015)
Highest 15 (July 2005)
Lowest 122 (May 1996)
Elo ranking
Current 36 (8 October 2015)
Highest 15 (May 2005)
Lowest 73 (January 1964)
First international
 Afghanistan 0–0 Iran
(Kabul, Afghanistan; 25 August 1941)
Biggest win
Iran 19–0 Guam 
(Tabriz, Iran; 24 November 2000[2])
Biggest defeat

 South Korea 5–0 Iran
(Tokyo, Japan; 28 May 1958[3])

 Turkey 6–1 Iran
(Istanbul, Turkey; 28 May 1950[4])
World Cup
Appearances 4 (First in 1978)
Best result Round 1: 1978, 1998, 2006, 2014
AFC Asian Cup
Appearances 13 (First in 1968)
Best result Champions: 1968, 1972, 1976

Iran national football team (Persian: تیم ملی فوتبال ایران‎‎) represents Iran in international football competitions and is controlled by the Iran Football Federation. The national football team of Iran, known as Team Melli,[5] ranks 1st in Asia and 39th in the world according to the October 2015 FIFA World Rankings.[6]

Iran is one of the most successful national teams in Asia with three Asian Cup championships (1968, 1972, and 1976). Iran have qualified for the World Cup four times (1978, 1998, 2006, and 2014) but have never advanced past the group stage. Their only win in the World Cup was a 2–1 victory against the United States.

Contents

  • History 1
    • Early years 1.1
    • 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina 1.2
    • After the Revolution 1.3
    • 1998 FIFA World Cup in France 1.4
    • 2000 AFC Asian Cup 1.5
    • 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification 1.6
    • 2004 AFC Asian Cup 1.7
    • 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany 1.8
    • Temporary suspension 1.9
    • 2007 AFC Asian Cup 1.10
    • 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 1.11
    • 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil 1.12
      • Qualification 1.12.1
      • Foreign-based call-ups 1.12.2
      • Finals 1.12.3
    • 2015 AFC Asian Cup 1.13
    • 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification 1.14
  • Political protests 2
    • Australia-Iran, 29 November 1997 2.1
    • Bahrain-Iran, 21 October 2001 2.2
    • Presidential election protests, 2009 2.3
    • Fans during the 2014 World Cup 2.4
  • Nicknames 3
  • Rivalries 4
  • Stadiums 5
  • Kit providers 6
    • Sponsorship 6.1
    • Kit history 6.2
      • Home 6.2.1
      • Away 6.2.2
    • Asiatic cheetah 6.3
  • Tournament records 7
    • World Cup record 7.1
    • Asian Cup record 7.2
    • Olympic Games record 7.3
    • Asian Games record 7.4
    • West Asian Football Federation Championship record 7.5
    • RCD Cup/ECO Cup record 7.6
    • West Asian Games 7.7
  • Results and fixtures 8
    • Previous matches 8.1
    • Forthcoming matches 8.2
  • Records versus other nations 9
  • Coaching staff 10
  • Players 11
    • Current squad 11.1
    • Recent call-ups 11.2
    • Previous squads 11.3
      • World Cups 11.3.1
      • Asian Cups 11.3.2
  • Records 12
    • Most capped players 12.1
    • Most capped goalkeepers 12.2
    • Top goalscorers 12.3
  • Iran captains 13
    • Record 13.1
    • Iran World Cup captains 13.2
    • Iran Asian Cup captains 13.3
  • Honours 14
    • Continental 14.1
    • Regional 14.2
    • Intercontinental 14.3
    • Other 14.4
  • See also 15
  • References 16
  • External links 17

History

Early years

The very first Iran selection football team that traveled to Baku in 1926.

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.[4] Iran won the Asian Cup three consecutive times (1968, 1972, 1976), to which the team has not been able to add since.

1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina

Additional information: 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC and OFC)
Additional information: 1978 FIFA World Cup

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.[7] however managed to surprise the footballing community[8] 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.[9]

Iran's squad in '78 WC qualification match against South Korea, Tehran, 11 November 1977

After the Revolution

After the 1979 Revolution, football was somewhat neglected and cast aside. During the 1980s, the Iranian national team did not feature in World Cup competitions due to the Iran–Iraq War (1980–88) and domestic football suffered 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 either the 1990 or the 1994 World Cups, it was during this period that a number of quality players burst onto the Iranian football scene, laying the foundation for third place in 1996 AFC Asian Cup (memorable victories in that tournament like winning 3–0 against Saudi Arabia and impressive 6–2 victory against South Korea) and their second stab at World Cup glory in 1998.[10]

1998 FIFA World Cup in France

Iran's starting line-up against United States, World Cup 1998
Additional information: 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC–OFC play-off)
Additional information: 1998 FIFA World Cup – Group F

In November 1997, Iran qualified for the 1998 World Cup after eliminating Australia in a close playoff series. Both games finished undecided, but Iran managed to qualify due to the away goals rule. Iran held Australia to a 1–1 draw at home, and a 2–2 draw in Melbourne; however, since Iran had scored more away goals, they were able to qualify for the Cup.[11]

At their first game of the Group F at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Iran played well against Yugoslavia, losing narrowly 1–0, only to a free kick goal by Mihajlović.[10] Iran recorded their first World Cup victory in the second game,[9] beating the United States 2–1, with Estili and Mahdavikia scoring goals for Iran. The Iran vs USA World Cup match was preheated with much excitement because of each country's political stance after the Iranian revolution. 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.[12] Following defeat against Iran, the United States was eliminated from the World Cup.[13]

Iran played against Germany in the third game. The game was lost 2–0. The goals were scored by Bierhoff and Klinsmann.[14] The one win and two losses meant Iran came third in the final group standing and failed to make it to the next round.[15] (Farhad Majidi and Mehdi Fonounizadeh were important absents in this world cup.)

2000 AFC Asian Cup

Iran finished first in the group stage of the tournament, but lost against South Korea in quarter-final.

2002 FIFA World Cup qualification

Additional information: 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification

Iran failed to qualify for World Cup 2002 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.

2004 AFC Asian Cup

After qualifying to the Asian Cup 2004, Iran was drawn with Thailand, Oman, and Japan in the tournament. Iran finished second in this group. In quarter-final clash against South Korea, Iran won 4–3 in normal time. In semi-final, Iran lost to the host, China. Iran won against Bahrain 4–2 to finish third place in the tournament.

2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany

Iran score against Angola during a 2006 FIFA World Cup match.
Additional information: 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
Additional information: 2006 FIFA World Cup seeding

On 8 June 2005, Iran together with Japan became the first country to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, making it Iran's 3rd appearance on the world stage of football. The qualification round both in 2001 and 2004–05 resulted in mass celebrations, hysteria and rioting, causing internal chaos and unrest between youth and government officials. The Iran versus 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 in tragedy with 5 fans killed and several others injured as they left the Azadi Stadium at the end of the match.[16]

Iran started their 2006 FIFA World Cup appearance with high expectations from fans and media. Their first match was against Mexico in Group D. The game was level 1–1 at the half-time, but Iran lost at the end because of a defensive mistake. The final score, 3–1, was brought about by goals from Omar Bravo and Zinha for Mexico, with Yahya Golmohammadi scoring the only Iran goal.

Iran played against Portugal in the second game. The game was lost 2–0. The goals were scored by Deco and Cristiano Ronaldo (penalty). The two losses meant Iran was eliminated from the competition, before their third and final game against Angola. Iran drew 1–1 with Angola on the 21 June 2006, Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh scoring the Iran goal.

Temporary suspension

Iran's squad in August 2006 against Syria, Manager: Amir Ghalenoei
Standing left to right: Nekounam, Enayati, Nikbakht, Shakouri, Fekri, Sadeghi
Sitting left to right: Taleblou, Madanchi, Khatibi, Teymourian, Mahdavikia

In November 2006, Iran was suspended by FIFA from all participation in international football, on the grounds of governmental interference in the national football association.[17] The ban lasted less than a month,[18] and as a dispensation was given to allow the Iran under-23 team to participate in the football competition of the 2006 Asian Games,[19] fixtures were unaffected.

2007 AFC Asian Cup

IRIFF appointed Ghalenoei as head coach of the Iran national football team on 17 July 2006 to succeed Branko Ivanković. After finishing first in the qualifying round 2 points ahead of South Korea and then finishing first in the group stage of the final tournament in Malaysia, Iran lost to South Korea in the penalty shoot-outs of the Quarters Final match and was eliminated from the 2007 Asian Cup. Ghalenoei was heavily criticized by the press. 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.

2010 FIFA World Cup qualification

Additional information: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)

Ali Daei was chosen to become the new coach after Spanish coach Javier Clemente had been close to signing on as Iran's national team manager but talks collapsed when he refused to live full-time in the country.[20] Iran was in the same FIFA World Cup qualifying group as Kuwait, Syria and United Arab Emirates in the third round. They played home and away against each of the other three teams in group 5. In the middle of fourth round, Ali Daei got ejected from his position as the Iranian national coach on 29 March 2009.[21] He was replaced by Afshin Ghotbi. Iran failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup after ranking 4th overall in its group.[22]

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.[23] 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.[24] 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."[25] The Iran national team head coach Afshin Ghotbi also confirmed that it was a rumour and Iranian FA "has not taken any official stand on this issue."[26]

Afshin Ghotbi was able to qualify for 2011 Asian Cup and finished second in West Asian Football Federation Championship 2010 just few months before the 2011 Asian Cup. Iran was able to gain all the three points in group stage of the 2011 Asian Cup but after the extra time goal from Korea Republic, Iran was not able to get to the semifinals and left the competition.

2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil

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

Qualification

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.[27] 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 was drawn with 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 European-based Ghoochannejhad, resulting in their qualification to the 2014 FIFA World Cup 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.[28]

Foreign-based call-ups

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-Iranian Omid Nazari, and Iranian-American Steven Beitashour among others.[29][30]

Finals

Iran qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup as group winners and competed in Group F alongside Argentina, Nigeria, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The sold out Argentina match tickets were among the eight most purchased for this edition of the tournament.[31] On 1 June 2014, Queiroz announced his 23-man squad.[32] Prior to the tournament, they founded the Central Asian Football Association.[33]

In the opening match of the tournament on June 16, Iran drew Nigeria 0–0, making it their first clean sheet of the FIFA World Cup.[34] 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.[35] 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.[36] After the tournament, Queiroz extended his contract until the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[37]

2015 AFC Asian Cup

Iran qualified for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup as group winners, where Team Melli were the highest ranked seed.[38] Iran faced Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE in Group C. Queiroz announced his squad on 30 December 2014.[39]

With the second highest number of fans in the tournament after hosts Australia, the Iranians defeated Bahrain 2–0 with limited preparations.[40][41] A defensive minded Iran then defeated Persian Gulf Cup champions Qatar 1–0 thanks to a Sardar Azmoun goal before defeating the UAE by the same scoreline to reach the top of their group.[42][43]

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 in sudden death.[44][45]

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification

Iran began their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign with friendly matches against Chile and Sweden in March 2015.[46][47][48] Queiroz resigned from his managerial post thereafter due to disagreements with the Iranian Football Federation.[49] On 14 April 2015, Iran were drawn with Oman, India, Turkmenistan, and Guam in the second round of qualifiers.[50] On 26 April, Queiroz announced that he will continue as the manager of Iran for their 2018 World Cup campaign.[51]

Political protests

Australia-Iran, 29 November 1997

After qualifying for the 1998 FIFA World Cup by defeating Australia on aggregate, Iranian fans celebrating in the streets quickly turned them into protests against the Revolutionary Guards.[52]

Bahrain-Iran, 21 October 2001

The 3–1 defeat by Bahrain came as a surprise. This in turn brought upon Iran's failure to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. There were allegations that the authorities pressured the players to lose. It was later denied by Safaei. Nevertheless, up to this day, many fans of 'Team Melli' continue to speculate whether the defeat was of legitimate causes or whether some authorities behind the curtain had brought on the defeat on purpose in order to prevent celebrations in the streets.[53]

Presidential election protests, 2009

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, Javad Nekounam, Ali Karimi, Hossein Kaebi, Masoud Shojaei, Mohammad Nosrati, Vahid Hashemian, and captain Mehdi Mahdavikia wore green wristbands in support of the Iranian Green Movement during the 2009 Iranian election protests. Initial 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".[54] 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.[55] As of 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification, several of the above players have played again for the national team, notably Javad Nekounam, Masoud Shojaei, Mehdi Mahdavikia, and Ali Karimi.

Fans during the 2014 World Cup

During the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Iranian fans bridged gaps with American and Israeli fans.[56][57] Many of them waved pre-revolutionary Lion and Sun flags.[52][58][59][60][61] Iranian women also held one of the highest percentages for social media posts.[62][63][64]

Nicknames

The Iranian national team has received several nicknames by supporters and media. The most common one used to refer the team is "Team Melli", which literally means "The National Team". Iranians call any national team from any country or sport a "Team Melli" and because of this it has become common for the national team to be referred to as the "Team Melli Iran" or, more specifically in the case of the national football team, the "Team Melli e Football e Iran". Although the Iranian supporters have popularized "Team Melli", other nicknames for the team include "Persian Stars"[65][66][67] (entitled since the World Cup 2006) "Shiran e Iran",[68][69] meaning "The Iranian Lions" or "The Lions of Persia",[70] "Shirdelan", "Lion Hearts" and "Princes of Persia"[71][72] (used since AFC Asian Cup 2011)[73][74] have been used in media as well.[75] Iran's slogan for the 2014 FIFA World Cup was Honour of Persia, selected in an internet poll held by FIFA.[76][77] A recently used nickname, due to the presence of the Asiatic cheetah on the 2014 World Cup jersey, is 'The Cheetahs'.[78]

Rivalries

Iran and South Korea are sporting rivals[79][80] and have played against each other officially since 1958, totalling 28 matches as of January 2015, including seven World Cup qualifiers. These two teams were among the strongest Asian national football teams during the 1960s and 1970s. Since then, the teams have developed one of Asia's greatest rivalries.[81] Although the teams only had one chance to play against each other in the final match of the AFC Asian Cup, in 1972, they have faced each other five consecutive times at the quarterfinals stage since 1996.[82][83] Iran leads the series with 12 wins, 7 draws and 9 losses.

Iran and Saudi Arabia are rivals.[84] The game has been ranked 9th in Bleacher Report's "International Football's 10 Most Politically-Charged Football Rivalries"[85] and 8th in Goal.com's "Football's 10 Greatest International Rivalries".[86]

Iran and Saudi Arabia have had 15 matches so far. All of their matches have been competitive and they have never played a friendly match. 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.

Stadiums

Since 1972, Iran's national stadium is Tehran's Azadi Stadium with a nominal capacity of 100,000 spectators. Azadi Stadium is the fifth biggest association football stadium in the world, third 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.[87] The government restricts Iranian women from entering the stadiums.[88]

From 1942 to 1972, Amjadieh Stadium was Iran's national stadium. The other stadiums that Iran has been played international games are Hafezieh Stadium (Shiraz), Yadegar Emam Stadium (Tabriz), Takhti Stadium (Tehran) and Enghelab Stadium (Karaj).

Camp of Iran national football teams is home to Iran's trainings.

Kit providers

The table below shows the history of kit providers for the Iranian national football team.[89]

Period Kit provider
1977–1978 Adidas
1993–1998 Shekari
1998–2000 Puma
2000–2004 Shekari
2004–2006 Daei Sport
2006–2007 Puma
2007–2008 Merooj
2008–2009 Daei Sport
2009–2011 Legea
2011–2012 Puma
2012– Uhlsport

Sponsorship

Primary sponsors include Uhlsport, Bank Pasargad, Hamrah-e-Avval, Golrang, Oila, Tatilat Royaee and Kaspid.[90]

Kit history

Home

Away

Asiatic cheetah

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.[78]

Tournament records

World Cup record

World Cup finals World Cup qualifications
Hosts/Year Result Position GP W D* L GS GA Squad GP W D* L GS GA
1930 to 1970 Did not enter - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1974 Did not qualify - - - - - - - - 8 5 1 2 9 6
1978 Round 1 14th 3 0 1 2 2 8 Squad 12 10 2 0 20 3
1982 Withdrew - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1986 Disqualified - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1990 Did not qualify - - - - - - - - 6 5 0 1 12 5
1994 Did not qualify - - - - - - - - 11 5 3 3 23 13
1998 Round 1 20th 3 1 0 2 2 4 Squad 17 8 6 3 57 17
2002 Did not qualify - - - - - - - - 14 9 3 2 36 9
2006 Round 1 25th 3 0 1 2 2 6 Squad 12 9 1 2 29 7
2010 Did not qualify - - - - - - - - 14 5 8 1 15 9
2014 Round 1 28th 3 0 1 2 1 4 Squad 16 10 4 2 30 7
2018 To be determined - - - - - -
2022 To be determined - - - - - -
Total Round 1 4/20 12 1 3 8 7 22 - 110 66 28 16 231 76

Asian Cup record

AFC Asian Cup finals Asian Cup qualifications
Hosts/Year Result Position GP W D* L GS GA GP W D* L GS GA
1956 Withdrew - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1960 Did not qualify - - - - - - - 6 3 1 2 12 10
1964 Withdrew - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1968 Champions 1st 4 4 0 0 11 2 Automatic qualification as hosts
1972 Champions 1st 5 5 0 0 12 4 Automatic qualification as champions
1976 Champions 1st 4 4 0 0 13 0 Automatic qualification as hosts and as champions
1980 Third place 3rd 6 3 2 1 16 6 Automatic qualification as champions
1984 Fourth place 4th 6 2 4 0 8 3 5 5 0 0 21 2
1988 Third place 3rd 6 2 2 2 3 4 4 2 2 0 6 1
1992 Round 1 5th 3 1 1 1 2 1 2 2 0 0 10 0
1996 Third place 3rd 6 3 2 1 14 6 6 6 0 0 27 1
2000 Quarterfinals 5th 4 2 1 1 7 3 6 4 1 1 16 2
2004 Third place 3rd 6 3 3 0 14 8 6 5 0 1 16 5
2007 Quarterfinals 5th 4 2 2 0 6 3 6 4 2 0 12 2
2011 Quarterfinals 5th 4 3 0 1 6 2 6 4 1 1 11 2
2015 Quarterfinals 6th 4 3 1 0 7 3 6 5 1 0 18 3
2019 To be determined - - - - - -
Total 3 titles 13/16 62 37 18 7 119 45 53 40 8 5 143 30
*Denotes draws which include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
*Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

Olympic Games record

Olympic Games finals Olympic Games qualifications
Hosts/Year Result GP W D* L GS GA Squad GP W D* L GS GA
1900 to 1960 Did not enter - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1964 Round 1 3 0 1 2 1 6 Squad 6 4 1 1 14 3
1968 Did not enter - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1972 Round 1 3 1 0 2 1 9 Squad 5 3 2 0 6 0
1976 Quarter-finals 3 1 0 2 4 5 Squad 4 3 1 0 8 1
1980 Qualified but boycotted the event - - - - - - - 5 3 2 0 18 2
1984 Did not enter due to boycott - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1988 Did not qualify - - - - - - - 2 1 0 1 2 2
Total Quarter-finals 9 2 1 6 6 20 - 22 14 6 2 48 8
  • Young teams were favoured by FIFA and the IOC, and since 1992, male competitors must be under 23 years old, with three over-23 players allowed per squad. See Iran U-23 team.

Asian Games record

Host nation(s) / year Result GP W D* L GS GA
New Delhi 1951 Runners-up 3 2 0 1 2 1
Manila 1954 Did not enter - - - - - -
Tokyo 1958 Round 1 2 0 0 2 0 9
Jakarta 1962 Did not enter - - - - - -
Bangkok 1966 Runners-up 7 4 0 3 9 6
Bangkok 1970 Round 1 2 0 1 1 2 3
Tehran 1974 Champions 7 7 0 0 20 1
Bangkok 1978 Withdrew - - - - - -
New Delhi 1982 Quarterfinals 4 2 0 2 3 2
Seoul 1986 Quarterfinals 5 3 1 1 13 2
Beijing 1990 Champions 5 4 1 0 7 1
Hirosima 1994 Round 1 4 1 2 1 5 2
Bangkok 1998 Champions 8 7 0 1 25 7
  • Young teams were favoured by AFC and the IOC, and since 2002 male competitors must be under 23 years old, with three over-23 players allowed per squad.

West Asian Football Federation Championship record

Year Round Pld W D L GS GA
2000 Champions 5 4 1 0 7 1
2002 Third place 4 1 2 1 4 3
2004 Champions 4 4 0 0 17 3
2007 Champions 4 3 1 0 5 1
2008 Champions 4 4 0 0 13 2
2010 Runners-up 4 2 1 1 8 5
2012 Group Stage 3 1 2 0 2 1
Total 4 titles 28 19 7 2 56 16

RCD Cup/ECO Cup record

Year Round
1965 Champions
1967 Runners-up
1969 Runners-up
1970 Champions
1974 Runners-up
1993 Champions

West Asian Games

Year Round
1997 Champions
2002 Runners-up
2005 Third place

Results and fixtures

Previous matches

      Win       Draw       Loss

Date Venue Opponent Competition Result Iranian scorers Captain
2015
4 January 2015 WIN Stadium, Wollongong  Iraq[102] Unofficial Friendly 1–0 W 57' Azmoun Ansarifard
11 January 2015 Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne  Bahrain 2015 AFC Asian Cup 2–0 W 45+2' Hajsafi, 71' Shojaei Nekounam
15 January 2015 Stadium Australia, Sydney  Qatar 2015 AFC Asian Cup 1–0 W 52' Azmoun Nekounam
19 January 2015 Lang Park, Brisbane  United Arab Emirates 2015 AFC Asian Cup 1–0 W 90+1' Ghoochannejhad Nekounam
23 January 2015 Canberra Stadium, Canberra  Iraq 2015 AFC Asian Cup 3–3 D 24' Azmoun, 103' Pouraliganji, 119' Ghoochannejhad Nekounam
26 March 2015 NV Arena, St Pölten  Chile[103] Friendly 2–0 W 21' Nekounam, 50' Amiri Nekounam
31 March 2015 Friends Arena, Stockholm  Sweden[104] Friendly 1–3 L 24' Nekounam Nekounam
11 June 2015 Bunyodkor Stadium, Tashkent  Uzbekistan Friendly 1–0 W 90+3' Torabi Teymourian
16 June 2015 Sport Toplumy Stadium, Daşoguz  Turkmenistan 2018 FIFA World Cup (AFC) and 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification 1–1 D 4' Azmoun Teymourian
3 September 2015 Azadi Stadium, Tehran  Guam 2018 FIFA World Cup (AFC) and 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification 6–0 W 10' Dejagah, 31' 65' Taremi, 34' 41' Azmoun, 89' Torabi Teymourian
8 September 2015 Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore  India 2018 FIFA World Cup (AFC) and 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification 3–0 W 28' Azmoun, 46' Teymourian, 49' Taremi Teymourian
8 October 2015 Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat  Oman 2018 FIFA World Cup (AFC) and 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification 1–1 D 69' Hosseini Teymourian
13 October 2015 Azadi Stadium, Tehran  Japan Friendly 1–1 D 45+1' Torabi Hosseini

Forthcoming matches

Date Competition Location Opponent
2015
12 November 2015 2018 WCQ
2019 ACQ 		Azadi Stadium, Tehran  Turkmenistan
17 November 2015 2018 WCQ
2019 ACQ 		Guam FA National Training Center, Dededo  Guam
2016
24 March 2016 2018 WCQ
2019 ACQ 		Azadi Stadium, Tehran  India
29 March 2016 2018 WCQ
2019 ACQ 		Azadi Stadium, Tehran  Oman
30 May 2016 Friendly TBD, TBD
7 June 2016 Friendly TBD, TBD
1 September 2016 2018 WCQ TBD, TBD
6 September 2016 2018 WCQ TBD, TBD
*FIFA International match days 2014-2018[105]
#AFC Calendar of Competitions 2015[106]
§AFC Calendar of Competitions 2016-2018[107]

Records versus other nations

Coaching staff

Carlos Queiroz, the current manager of Iran
Manager Carlos Queiroz
Assistant managers Oceano da Cruz
Goalkeeping coach Dan Gaspar
Fitness coach Diego Giacchino
Analysts Markar Aghajanian
Mehrdad Khanban
Team doctor Parhan Khanlari
Physiotherapist Alireza Shahab
Media officer Mohsen Motamedkia
Executive director[108] Afshin Peyrovani

Players

Current squad

  • Match Date: 8 October 2015 and 13 October 2015
  • Opposition:  Oman &  Japan
  • Caps and goals correct as of: 13 October 2015

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team in the last 12 months.
Iran national team group picture on 30 May 2014 in a friendly match against Angola in Hartberg, Austria. Manager: Carlos Queiroz
Standing left to right: Mahini, Davari, Ansarifard, Alenemeh, Khanzadeh, Nekounam
Sitting left to right: Hajsafi, Beitashour, Haddadifar, Azmoun, Dejagah
Notes
  • Inj Player withdrawn from the squad due to an injury.
  • Pre Preliminary squad.
  • RC Player suspended for receiving a red card in the last game.
  • Ret Player retired from the national team.
  • Sus Player suspended by federation due to conscription problems.[109]

Previous squads

World Cups

Asian Cups

See also Category:Iran international footballers

Records

Most capped players

Javad Nekounam is the most capped player in the history of Iran with 151 caps.

As of 13 October 2015, the 10 players with the most caps for Iran are:

# Name Career Caps Goals
1 Javad Nekounam 2000–2015 151 39
2 Ali Daei 1993–2006 149 109
3 Ali Karimi 1998–2012 127 38
4 Mehdi Mahdavikia 1996–2009 110 13
5 Jalal Hosseini 2007– 99 7
6 Andranik Teymourian 2005– 96 9
7 Karim Bagheri 1993–2010 87 50
8 Hossein Kaebi 2002–2010 84 1
9 Hamid Reza Estili 1990–2000 82 12
10 Mohammad Nosrati 2002–2013 81 5

The records are collected based on data from FIFA and RSSSF.
Bold names denote a player still playing or available for selection.

Most capped goalkeepers

As of 27 December 2014, the 5 goalkeepers with the most caps for Iran are:

# Name Career Caps
1 Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh 1987–1998 79
2 Mehdi Rahmati 2004–2012 76
3 Ebrahim Mirzapour 2001–2011 71
4 Nasser Hejazi 1968–1980 59
5 Behzad Gholampour 1990–1999 28

The records are collected based on data from FIFA and RSSSF.
Bold names denote a player still playing or available for selection.

Top goalscorers

Ali Daei is the world's all-time leading goalscorer in international matches, having scored 109 goals in 149 matches

As of 31 March 2015, the players with the most goals for Iran are:

# Name Career Goals Caps Avg/game
1 Ali Daei 1993–2006 109 149 0.73
2 Karim Bagheri 1993–2010 50 87 0.57
3 Javad Nekounam 2000–2015 39 151 0.26
4 Ali Karimi 1998–2012 38 127 0.30
5 Gholam Hossein Mazloumi 1969–1977 19 41 0.46
Farshad Pious 1984–1994 19 35 0.54
7 Ali Asghar Modir Roosta 1990–1998 18 32 0.56
Nasser Mohammadkhani 1982–1990 18 25 0.72
9 Vahid Hashemian 1998–2009 15 50 0.30
10 Hamid Alidoosti 1977–1986 14 28 0.5

The records are collected based on data from FIFA and RSSSF.
Bold names denote a player still playing or available for selection.

Iran captains

Andranik Teymourian is the current captain of Iran

As of 13 October 2015

# Reign Player Caps (goals) Years active Matches as captain (goals)
1 1965–1967 Mohammad Ranjbar 23 (0) 1959–1967 9 (0)
2 1967–1970 Hassan Habibi 31 (0) 1958–1970 10 (0)
3 1970–1972 Mostafa Arab 48 (2) 1959–1972 13 (0)
4 1972–1977 Parviz Ghelichkhani 64 (12) 1964-1977 26 (7)
5 1977–1980 Ali Parvin 76 (13) 1970–1980 31 (2)
6 1980 Nasser Hejazi 59 (0) 1968–1980 7 (0)
7 1980–1984 Mehdi Dinvarzadeh 26 (0) 1977–1984 9 (0)
8 1984–87
1989–91 		Mohammad Panjali 45 (0) 1978–1991 27 (0)
9 1987–89
1991–93 		Sirous Ghayeghran 43 (6) 1986–1993 22 (3)
10 1993 Hamid Derakhshan 41 (9) 1980–1993 12 (3)
11 1993–1994 Farshad Pious 35 (19) 1984–1994 4 (1)
12 1996 Mojtaba Moharrami 37 (5) 1988–1996 2 (0)
13 1996–1998 Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh 79 (0) 1988–1998 38 (0)
14 1998–1999 Nader Mohammadkhani 64 (4) 1988–1999 9 (1)
15 1999–2000 Javad Zarincheh 80 (1) 1987–2000 8 (0)
16 2000–2006 Ali Daei 149 (109) 1993–2006 80 (44)
17 2006–2009 Mehdi Mahdavikia 110 (13) 1996–2009 17 (1)
18 2009–2015 Javad Nekounam 151 (39) 2000–2015 56 (18)
19 2015–present Andranik Teymourian 96 (9) 2005–present 5 (1)

Record

As of 31 March 2015

#[110][111] Player Caps Years active Matches as captain
1 Ali Daei 149 1993–2006 80
2 Javad Nekounam 151 2000–2015 56
3 Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh 79 1988–1998 38
4 Ali Parvin 76 1970–1980 31
5 Mohammad Panjali 45 1978–1991 27
6 Parviz Ghelichkhani 64 1964–1977 26
7 Sirous Ghayeghran 43 1986–1993 22
8 Mehdi Mahdavikia 110 1996–2009 17
9 Mostafa Arab 48 1959–1972 13
10 Hamid Derakhshan 41 1980–1993 12

Iran World Cup captains

# Matches as captain Player World Cup played as captain (goals) Years active Caps (goals)
1 3 (0) Ali Parvin Argentina 1978 1970–1980 76 (13)
2 1 (0) Nader Mohammadkhani France 1998 1988–1999 64 (4)
3 2 (0) Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh 1987–1998 79 (0)
4 2 (0) Ali Daei Germany 2006 1993–2006 149 (109)
5 1 (0) Yahya Golmohammadi 1993–2006 74 (5)
6 3 (0) Javad Nekounam Brazil 2014 2000–2015 151 (39)

Iran Asian Cup captains

# Matches as captain Player Asian Cup played as captain Years active Caps (goals)
1 4 (0)[112] Hassan Habibi Iran 1968 1958–1970 31 (0)
2 4 (0)[113] Mostafa Arab Thailand 1972 1959–1972 48 (2)
3 3 (0)[114] Parviz Ghelichkhani Iran 1976 1964–1977 64 (12)
4 5 (0)[115] Nasser Hejazi Kuwait 1980 1968–1980 59 (0)
5 6 (0)[116] Mohammad Panjali Singapore 1984 1978–1991 45 (0)
6 6 (0)[117] Sirous Ghayeghran Qatar 1988 1986–1992 40 (6)
7 3 (0)[118] Japan 1992
8 2 (0)[119] Mojtaba Moharrami UAE 1996 1988–1996 37 (5)
9 4 (3) Ali Daei Lebanon 2000 1993–2006 149 (109)
10 6 (3) China 2004
11 4 (0) Mehdi Mahdavikia Asian Cup 2007 1996–2009 110 (13)
12 3 (0) Javad Nekounam Qatar 2011 2000–2015 151 (39)
13 4 (0) Australia 2015

Honours

Continental

Champions (3): 1968, 1972, 1976
Third place (4): 1980, 1988, 1996, 2004
Gold Medal (4): 1974, 1990, 1998, 2002
Silver Medal (2): 1951, 1966

†Young teams were favoured by AFC and the IOC, and since 2002 male competitors must be under 23 years old, with three over-23 players allowed per squad.

Regional

Champions (4): 2000, 2004, 2007*, 2008
Runners-up (1): 2010
Champions (3): 1965, 1970, 1993
Runners-up (2): 1967, 1969

* as B Team

Intercontinental

Champions (1): 2003
Runners-up (1): 1991

Other

Champions (3): 2001, 2002‡, 2002†

See also

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External links

  • Official Website of IR Iran Football Federation
  • Iran Football News,Iran Football League
  • Iran Soccer News
  • Iran Football News since 1997
  • Extensive archive of Team's results, squads, campaigns and players
  • RSSSF archive of results 1941–
  • RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers
  • Iran's archive of results and elo rating points
  • Iran’s National Football Team: The Smaller Iranian Society
Preceded by
1964 Israel  		Asian Champions
1968 (first title)
1972 (second title)
1976 (third title) 		Succeeded by
1980 Kuwait 
Preceded by

Myanmar

South Korea 		Asian Games Champions
1974 (first title) 		Succeeded by

North Korea

South Korea
Preceded by
South Korea  		Asian Games Champions
1990 (second title) 		Succeeded by

Uzbekistan
Preceded by
Uzbekistan  		Asian Games Champions
1998 (third title)
2002 (fourth title) 		Succeeded by

Qatar
Preceded by
Inaugural champions 		WAFF Champions
2000(first title) 		Succeeded by
2002  Iraq
Preceded by
2002  Iraq 		WAFF Champions
2004 (second title)
2007 (third title)
2008 (fourth title) 		Succeeded by
2010  Kuwait
Iran national football team
General
Venues
Statistics
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World Cup Finals
AFC Asian Cup Finals
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Culture
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and the Caribbean
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See also
Non-FIFA
National football teams of Asia (AFC)
Southeast Asia (AFF)
Central Asia (CAFA)
East Asia (EAFF)
South Asia (SAFF)
West Asia (WAFF)
Defunct
Former
1 Provisional Associate Member - Not a member of FIFA
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