2025–26 Persian Gulf Pro League
Football league season
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The 2025–26 Persian Gulf Pro League was the 43nd season of Iran's Football League and 25th as Persian Gulf Pro League since its establishment in 2001.
| Season | 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 18 August 2025 – 27 February 2026 |
| Champions | Not Completed |
| Relegated | Mes Rafsanjan |
| Champions League Elite | Esteghlal Tractor |
| Champions League 2 | Gol Gohar |
| Matches | 175 |
| Goals | 311 (1.78 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh (11 goals) |
| Best goalkeeper | Alireza Beiranvand Alireza Jafarpour (11 clean sheets) |
| Biggest home win | Chadormalou 5–1 Gol Gohar (20 February 2026) |
| Biggest away win | Tractor 4-1 Aluminium Arak (3 September 2025) Persepolis 3-0 Esteghlal Khuzestan (7 November 2025) Tractor 4-1 Mes Rafsanjan (22 January 2026) |
| Highest scoring | Shams Azar 4–4 Chadormalou (26 August 2025) |
| Longest winning run | Sepahan (8 matches) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Esteghlal (11 matches) |
| Longest winless run | Aluminium (12 matches) |
| Longest losing run | Aluminium (4 matches) |
| Highest attendance | 50,000 Sepahan 0–1 Persepolis (25 August 2025) |
| Lowest attendance | 0 (without spectators) 59 matches |
| Total attendance | 651,300 |
| Average attendance | 5,473 (excluding matches played behind closed doors) |
← 2024–25 2026–27 →
All statistics correct as of 27 February 2026. | |
The season started on 18 August 2025 and was originally scheduled to end on 15 May 2026,[1] but the league has been suspended due to the 2026 Iran war. The league is expected to resume after the 2026 FIFA World Cup,[2] but was eventually abandoned.
Teams
Promotion and relegation (pre-season)
A total of sixteen teams contest the league, including fourteen sides from the 2024–25 season and two promoted from the 2024–25 Azadegan League. This includes the two top teams from the Azadegan League. Fajr Sepasi and Paykan.[3] They replaced Nassaji and Havadar.
| Promoted from 2024–25 Azadegan League |
Relegated from 2024–25 Persian Gulf Pro League |
|---|---|
| Fajr Sepasi Paykan |
Nassaji Havadar |
Stadiums and locations
Locations of the 2025–26 Persian Gulf Pro League teams
Location of Tehran teams in 2025–26 Persian Gulf Pro League
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminium | Arak | Imam Khomeini | 15,000 |
| Chadormalou | Ardakan | Shahid Nassiri | 15,000 |
| Esteghlal | Tehran | Azadi | 78,116 |
| Esteghlal Khuzestan | Ahvaz | Takhti | 10,000 |
| Fajr Sepasi Shiraz | Shiraz | Pars | 50,000 |
| Foolad | Ahvaz | Foolad Arena | 30,655 |
| Gol Gohar | Sirjan | Shahid Qasem Soleimani | 9,000[4] |
| Kheybar | Khorramabad | Takhti Khorramabad | 8,000[5] |
| Malavan | Bandar-e Anzali | Sirous Ghayeghran | 9,000[6] |
| Mes Rafsanjan | Rafsanjan | Shohadaye Mes | 10,000[7] |
| Paykan | Tehran | Shohadaye Shahr-e Qods Stadium | 8,000 |
| Persepolis | Tehran | Azadi | 78,116 |
| Sepahan | Isfahan | Naghsh-e-Jahan | 75,000 |
| Shams Azar | Qazvin | Sardar Azadegan | 15,000 |
| Tractor | Tabriz | Yadegar-e Emam | 66,833 |
| Zob Ahan | Fooladshahr | Fooladshahr | 20,000 |
Personnel and kits
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Main kit sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminium |  Mojtaba Hosseini |
Amir Nouri |
Sinasport | IRALCO |
| Chadormalou | Mohammad Saeid Akhbari |
Ali Taheran |
Darik | CMIC |
| Esteghlal | Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh |
Rouzbeh Cheshmi |
Yousef Jameh | Artaban Motors Group |
| Esteghlal Khuzestan | Amir Khalifeh-Asl |
Hamid Bou Hamdan |
Merooj | Zest (Mattress) |
| Fajr Sepasi | Pirouz Ghorbani |
Saeed Zare |
Merooj | Sham Sham (Meat products) |
| Foolad | Hamid Motahari |
Sasan Ansari |
Yousef Jameh | KSC |
| Gol Gohar | Mehdi Tartar |
Ali Asghar Ashouri |
Yousef Jameh | Gol Gohar mine |
| Kheybar | Mehdi Rahmati |
Mehrdad Ghanbari |
Sinasport | Foulad Amir (Steel) |
| Malavan | Maziar Zare |
Mahyar Zahmatkesh |
Start | Ronix (Industrial tools) |
| Mes Rafsanjan | Mojtaba Jabbari |
Milad Fakhreddini |
Start | NICICO |
| Paykan | Saeed Daghighi |
Mohsen Azarbad |
Alabaft | IKCO |
| Persepolis |  Osmar Loss |
Omid Alishah |
Merooj | Daria (Telecommunications) |
| Sepahan | Moharram Navidkia |
Mohammad Karimi |
Start | Mobarakeh Steel Company |
| Shams Azar | Vahid Rezaei |
Mehdi Mohammadi |
Yousef Jameh | Shams Azar Macaron |
| Tractor |  Dragan Skočić |
Shojae Khalilzadeh |
Start | ATA Airlines |
| Zob Ahan | Ghasem Haddadifar |
Ehsan Pahlevan |
Yousef Jameh | TTP (Commercial Company) |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in the table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zob Ahan | Mohammad Rabiei |
Mutual consent | 17 May 2025 | Pre-season | Ghasem Haddadifar |
17 May 2025 |
| Kheybar | Saeid Daghighi |
23 May 2025 | Mohammad Rabiei |
23 May 2025 | ||
| Paykan | Sirous Dinmohammadi |
29 May 2025 | Saeid Daghighi |
29 May 2025 | ||
| Esteghlal | Mojtaba Jabbari |
Interim | 18 June 2025 |  Ricardo Sá Pinto |
18 June 2025 | |
| Mes Rafsanjan | Sirous Pourmousavi |
Disagreement | 1 June 2025 | Rasoul Khatibi |
21 July 2025 | |
| Sepahan |  Patrice Carteron |
Resigned | 25 June 2025 | Moharram Navidkia |
29 June 2025 | |
| Kheybar | Mohammad Rabiei |
30 June 2025 | Mehdi Rahmati |
8 July 2025 | ||
| Persepolis |  İsmail Kartal |
1 July 2025 | Vahid Hashemian |
4 July 2025 | ||
| Shams Azar | Mehdi Rahmati |
3 July 2025 | Vahid Rezaei |
3 July 2025 | ||
| Persepolis | Vahid Hashemian |
Sacked | 25 October 2025 | 7th | Osmar Loss |
28 October 2025 |
| Mes Rafsanjan | Rasoul Khatibi |
4 December 2025 | 16th | Mojtaba Jabbari |
7 December 2025 | |
| Esteghlal | Ricardo Sá Pinto |
20 February 2026 | Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh |
22 February 2026 |
Foreign players
The number of foreign players is increased to eight per Persian Gulf Pro League team, including a slot for a player from AFC countries.
In bold: Players that have been capped for their national team.
| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Player 4 | Player 5 | Player 6 | Player 7 | AFC player | Former players |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminium | |||||||||
| Chadormalou | Edson Mardden |
Vitão |
 Renny Simisterra |
Segundo Portocarrero |
 Mario Otazú |
Diego Torres |
Mauro Caballero |
||
| Esteghlal |  Jasir Asani |
 Duckens Nazon |
 Moussa Djenepo |
 Munir El Haddadi |
 Antonio Adan |
 Jaloliddin Masharipov |
Rustam Ashurmatov |
 Didier Ndong | |
| Esteghlal Khuzestan | |||||||||
| Fajr Sepasi | |||||||||
| Foolad |  Gustavo Blanco |
Matheus Costa |
Utkir Yusupov | ||||||
| Gol Gohar | Marcos Miranda |
Eric Bocoum |
Jeremie Obounet |
 Nemanja Tomašević |
 Amadoni Kamolov |
||||
| Kheybar | |||||||||
| Malavan | |||||||||
| Mes Rafsanjan |  Mirzad Mehanović |
 Stefan Ashkovski |
 Lee Ki-je |
Matheus Costa Numan Kurdić | |||||
| Paykan | |||||||||
| Persepolis |  Thievy Bifouma |
 Dániel Gera |
 Marko Bakić |
Igor Sergeev |
Oston Urunov |
 Serge Aurier | |||
| Sepahan | Enzo Crivelli |
 Giorgi Gvelesiani |
Ricardo Alves |
Iván Sánchez |
Vahdat Hanonov |
||||
| Shams Azar | |||||||||
| Tractor | Regi Lushkja |
Domagoj Drožđek |
Igor Postonjski |
Tibor Halilović |
Tomislav Štrkalj |
Aleksandar Sedlar |
 Marko Johansson |
Odiljon Hamrobekov |
|
| Zob Ahan | Dženan Zajmović |
League table
The league has been suspended due to the 2026 Iran war. As the league can only continue after the cut-off date for the 2026–27 AFC Club Competitions at June 30, the standings at the time of suspension will determine the clubs qualified for the Champions League Elite and Champions League Two.[8]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Esteghlal | 22 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 29 | 16 | +13 | 41 | Qualification for the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite league stage |
| 2 | Tractor | 22 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 30 | 12 | +18 | 39 | |
| 3 | Sepahan | 22 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 24 | 13 | +11 | 39 | |
| 4 | Gol Gohar | 23 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 26 | 19 | +7 | 39 | Qualification for the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Two group stage[a] |
| 5 | Persepolis | 22 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 23 | 19 | +4 | 34 | |
| 6 | Chadormalou | 22 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 22 | 21 | +1 | 32 | |
| 7 | Foolad | 22 | 7 | 10 | 5 | 21 | 16 | +5 | 31 | |
| 8 | Fajr Sepasi | 23 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 25 | 27 | −2 | 30 | |
| 9 | Kheybar | 23 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 22 | 24 | −2 | 29 | |
| 10 | Malavan | 22 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 13 | 21 | −8 | 29 | |
| 11 | Esteghlal Khuzestan | 22 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 23 | −7 | 25 | |
| 12 | Paykan | 23 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 15 | 21 | −6 | 24 | |
| 13 | Shams Azar | 23 | 3 | 13 | 7 | 15 | 19 | −4 | 22 | |
| 14 | Aluminium Arak | 22 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 21 | −7 | 22 | |
| 15 | Zob Ahan | 21 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 19 | −7 | 19 | |
| 16 | Mes Rafsanjan (R) | 22 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 13 | 29 | −16 | 15 | Qualification for the Promotion/relegation play-off |
Updated to match(es) played on 22 February 2026. Source: Iran Football League Organization - League Full Table
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Total goal difference; 5) Total goals scored; 6) Fair-play points.
(Note: Head-to-head record is used only after all the matches between the teams in question have been played).[9][10]
(R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Total goal difference; 5) Total goals scored; 6) Fair-play points.
(Note: Head-to-head record is used only after all the matches between the teams in question have been played).[9][10]
(R) Relegated
Notes:
- 2025–26 Persian Gulf Pro League was abandoned due to the Iran-Israel war, and the AFC Champions League Two slot was determined through a play-off between the third to sixth-placed teams. The third-placed team (Sepahan Isfahan) failed to obtain club license required to enter the competition and was excluded from the play-offs. Consequently, a play-off was contested between the fourth to sixth-placed teams, with Chadormalu Ardakan emerging as the winner. However AFC had already received fourth-placed team Gol Gohar as the official replacement submitted by the Iran Football Federation before the play-offs.
Results
Asia play-offs
Bracket
| Semi-final | Final | |||||
| June 29 – Tehran | ||||||
| Gol Gohar | 0 (6) | |||||
| June 26 – Tehran | ||||||
| Chadormalou (p) | 0 (7) | |||||
| Chadormalou (a.e.t.) | 2 | |||||
| Persepolis | 1 | |||||
Semi-final
| Chadormalou | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Persepolis |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Final
Promotion/relegation play-off
Referee: Vahid Kazemi
Positions by round
The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. In order to preserve chronological evolvements, any postponed matches are not included to the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards.
| Leader : AFC Champions League Elite | |
| AFC Champions League Elite | |
| AFC Champions League Two | |
| Relegation to 2025–26 Azadegan League |
Updated to match(es) played on 3 February 2026. Source: Iran League,
Iplstats
Season statistics
- As of 27 February 2026
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh |
Tractor | 11 |
| 2 | Ehsan Mahroughi |
Foolad | 9 |
| 3 | Jasir Asani |
Esteghlal | 7 |
| Renny Simisterra |
Chadormalou | ||
| Hooman Rabizadeh |
Shams Azar | ||
| 6 | Domagoj Drožđek |
Tractor | 6 |
| Ali Alipour |
Persepolis | ||
| Hadi Habibinejad |
Chadormalou | ||
| Mehdi Sharifi |
Mes Rafsanjan / Fajr Sepasi | ||
| 10 | Mehrdad Ghanbari |
Kheybar | 5 |
| Amirhossein Jalalivand |
Esteghlal Khuzestan | ||
| Mehdi Tikdari |
Gol Gohar |
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domagoj Drožđek |
Tractor | Aluminium | 4–1 (H) | 12 September 2025 |
| Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh |
Tractor | Gol Gohar | 5–0 (A) | 25 October 2025 |
Top assists
| Rank | Player | Club | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ali Alipour |
Persepolis | 6 |
| Reza Mahmoudabadi |
Chadormalou | ||
| 3 | Ramin Rezaeian |
Esteghlal / Foolad | 4 |
| Abolfazl Razzaghpour |
Foolad | ||
| Alireza Koushki |
Esteghlal | ||
| Mehdi Torabi |
Tractor | ||
| Mehdi Hashemnejad |
Tractor | ||
| Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh |
Tractor | ||
| 9 | Milad Mohammadi |
Persepolis | 3 |
| Ehsan Hajsafi |
Sepahan | ||
| Danial Esmaeilifar |
Tractor | ||
| Farshid Esmaeili |
Fajr Sepasi | ||
| Hadi Habibinejad |
Chadormalou | ||
| Amirhossein Jeddi |
Zob Ahan | ||
| Sina Asadbeigi |
Foolad | ||
| Mehrdad Ghanbari |
Kheybar | ||
| Majid Eydi |
Gol Gohar | ||
| Munir El Haddadi |
Esteghlal |
Clean sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alireza Beiranvand |
Tractor | 11 |
| Alireza Jafarpour |
Shams Azar | ||
| Farzad Tayebipour |
Malavan | ||
| 4 | Payam Niazmand |
Persepolis | 10 |
| Farzin Garousian |
Gol Gohar | ||
| Edson Mardden |
Chadormalou | ||
| 7 | Hossein Hosseini |
Sepahan | 8 |
| Mohammad Khalifeh |
Aluminium | ||
| Hamed Lak |
Foolad | ||
| 10 | Mohammad Javad Kia |
Esteghlal Khuzestan | 7 |