Iran national football team

Early years

The Iranian Football Federation was founded in 1920.^[11] In 1926, Tehran XI (selected players from Tehran Club, Toofan, and Armenian Sports Club) traveled across the border to Baku, Soviet Union; 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 three AFC Asian Cups in 1968, 1972, and 1976, the latter being their most recent Asian Cup win. In 1978, Iran made its first appearance in the FIFA World Cup after defeating Australia in Tehran. They lost two of three group stage matches against the Netherlands and Peru,^[12] and only earned one point by drawing^[13] Scotland, in a match that saw Iraj Danaeifard cancel out an own goal scored by Andranik Eskandarian for a score of 1–1.^[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 FIFA World Cup and refused to participate in the qualifiers for the 1986 FIFA 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

On 29 November 1997, Iran qualified for the 1998 FIFA 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 with 3 points.^[18]

Iran finished first in the group stage of the 2000 AFC Asian Cup but lost to South Korea in the quarter-finals. They failed to qualify for 2002 FIFA World Cup, 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 2004 AFC Asian Cup, 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 FIFA World Cup. The match between the two countries 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 2006 FIFA World Cup appearance in Germany 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. Team Melli 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.

2007–2014

The IRIFF appointed Amir Ghalenoei as manager of Iran on 17 July 2006 to succeed Branko Ivanković. After finishing first in the 2007 AFC 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. 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 FIFA 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]

Afshin Ghotbi renewed his contract until the end of 2011 AFC Asian Cup and the team qualified for the tournament with 13 points as 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 the 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 2010 WAFF Championship 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 2014 FIFA 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 topped 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.

Iran started the 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 introduced 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 in the stoppage time, while Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty when Iran was trailing, with Alireza Beiranvand making a decisive save^[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, nearly conceding a goal early 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, being drawn into the second round where they would 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 away win over Hong Kong. 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, being the only team to finish third in the group with three points instead of four.^[93] Many Iranians celebrated the defeat and one Iranian man was killed by security forces in Bandar-e Anzali after honking his car horn in celebration.^[94] Another Iranian fan was also arrested by Qatari police after he was wearing a shirt with the Woman, Life, Freedom slogan.^[95]

During the FIFA World Cup as well as the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, the Iranian government reportedly sent paid members of the Basij and IRGC to cheer for the team in the stands.^[96][97][98] Iran were eventually knocked out in the semi-final of the Asian Cup by hosts Qatar.^[99] After the game, Iranian officials reportedly arrested ten teenagers in the city of Javanrud for celebrating the team's elimination from the tournament.^[100]

Late 2020s

Iran qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on 25 March 2025 following a 2–2 home draw against Uzbekistan in the third round of AFC qualification.^[101] They were placed in pot 2 for the World Cup draw and were subsequently drawn into Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand.^[102][103]

Prior to the draw, a group stage match scheduled to be played in Seattle was designated as a "Pride Match" by the City of Seattle to coincide with the city's annual Pride celebrations and to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion.^[104] Following the draw, the fixture was confirmed to be the match between Iran and Egypt. Both Iran and Egypt are countries where homosexuality is criminalized under domestic law, with Iran in particular having imposed capital punishment in certain cases.^[105] The Iranian Football Federation and the Egyptian Football Association objected to the match's designation; however, FIFA and local organizers confirmed that associated LGBTQ+ events would proceed, and that rainbow flags would be permitted inside the stadium.^[106][107]

In January 2026, multiple Iranian footballers and athletes were killed by the Iranian regime during the 2026 Iran massacres amid the 2025–2026 Iranian protests, including former Tractor Sazi F.C. midfielder Mojtaba Tarshiz, prompting former Iran national team captain Masoud Shojaei to criticise FIFA for its silence over the killing of Iranian athletes during protests, while then-captain Mehdi Taremi expressed solidarity with the Iranian people.^{[108][109][110]} Following the massacres, activists called on FIFA to ban the Iranian national team from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.^[111][112] Ali Karimi, a former footballer for the Iran national team, along with a coalition of prominent Iranians, wrote an open letter to FIFA and all its member associations, calling on FIFA president Gianni Infantino to speak up on the protest deaths.^[113] Following the protests and ensuing crackdown, the Spanish Football Federation reportedly pulled out of a planned friendly match with Iran.^[114]

Following the 2026 Iran war,negotiations began between Iran who is set to play in the US, to FIFA, about moving their games to Mexico. The talks continue even though Trump has stated that Iran is welcome to play in the US.^[115]

Nicknames

The Iranian national team has received several nicknames by supporters and media. The most common one used is Team Melli (meaning "National Team" in Persian). Although the Iranian supporters have popularized Team Melli,^[116][117] other nicknames for the team include Shiran e Iran, ("Lions of Iran"),^{[118][119][120]} Shir Delan ("Lion Hearts")^[121] and "Princes of Persia"^[122][123] (used since AFC Asian Cup 2011).^[124] Iran's slogan for the 2014 FIFA World Cup was Honour of Persia, selected in an internet poll held by FIFA.^[125][126] A more recently used nickname, due to the presence of the Asiatic cheetah on the 2014 World Cup jersey, is Yuzpalangan which means "The Cheetahs";^[127] the team mascot "Yupa" is also a cheetah,^[128] although this has been seen as a government propaganda ploy to wane people away from the lion nickname due to the pre-revolutionary Lion and Sun.^[129][130]

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.

Sponsorship

On 1 February 2014, Iran announced the addition of the endangered Asiatic cheetah on their 2014 FIFA World Cup kits to bring attention to its conservation efforts.^[127]

Rivalries

Iran and Iraq are neighboring rivals.^[136][137] 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.^{[138][139][140][141][142]} In 2001, for the first time in decades, an Iran-Iraq match was not held at a neutral venue.^[140] The rivalry was escalated after Iraq knocked Iran out of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in controversial circumstances.^[143][144] Iran leads the series with 18 wins, 7 draws and 6 losses.

Iran and Saudi Arabia are ideological rivals.^[145] The game was ranked eighth in Goal.com's 2010 list of "Football's 10 Greatest International Rivalries".^[146] and ninth in Bleacher Report's 2014 list of "International Football's 10 Most Politically-Charged Football Rivalries"^[147] 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.

Stadiums

Since 1972, Iran's national stadium has been Tehran's Azadi Stadium with a nominal capacity of 78,116 spectators.^[148] 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.^[149] Since 1979, the government restricts Iranian women from entering the stadiums.^[150][151] 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.”^[152] 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 FIFA World Cup qualifier.^[153]

From 1942 to 1972, Amjadieh Stadium was Iran's national stadium. Other stadiums that Iran has played international games at 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.

2025

Iran  v  United Arab Emirates

20 March 2026 World Cup qualification	Iran	2–0	United Arab Emirates	Tehran, Iran
19:30 UTC+3:30	Azmoun 45+27' Mohebi 70'	Report		Stadium: Azadi Stadium Attendance: 20,469 Referee: Ko Hyung-jin (South Korea)

Iran  v  Uzbekistan

25 March 2026 World Cup qualification	Iran	2–2	Uzbekistan	Tehran, Iran
19:30 UTC+3:30	Taremi 52', 83'	Report	Erkinov 16' Fayzullaev 53'	Stadium: Azadi Stadium Attendance: 36,702 Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)

Qatar  v  Iran

5 June 2026 World Cup qualification	Qatar	1–0	Iran	Doha, Qatar
21:15 UTC+3	Pedro Miguel 41'	Report		Stadium: Jassim bin Hamad Stadium Attendance: 8,925 Referee: Mohammed Al-Hoaish (Saudi Arabia)

Iran  v  North Korea

10 June 2026 World Cup qualification	Iran	3–0	North Korea	Tehran, Iran
19:30 UTC+3:30	Mohebi 74' Taremi 77' Hosseinzadeh 90+3'	Report		Stadium: Azadi Stadium Attendance: 16,803 Referee: Nazmi Nasaruddin (Malaysia)

Iran  v  Afghanistan

29 August 2025 CAFA Nations Cup	Iran	3–1	Afghanistan	Hisor, Tajikistan
15:30	Aliyari 26', 64' Hosseinzadeh 37'		Musawi 21'	Stadium: Hisor Central Stadium Referee: Sanzhar Zhakypbekov (Kyrgyzstan)

India  v  Iran

1 September 2025 CAFA Nations Cup	India	0–3	Iran	Hisor, Tajikistan
15:30			Hosseinzadeh 59' Alipour 89' Taremi 90+6'	Stadium: Hisor Central Stadium Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)

Tajikistan  v  Iran

4 September 2025 CAFA Nations Cup	Tajikistan	2–2	Iran	Hisor, Tajikistan
19:00	Samiev 54' Dzhuraboyev 76'		Mohammad Mehdi Mohebi 38' Mohammad Mohebi 47'	Stadium: Hisor Central Stadium Referee: Axrol Riskullayev (Uzbekistan)

Uzbekistan  v  Iran

8 September 2025 CAFA Nations Cup	Uzbekistan	1–0 (a.e.t.)	Iran	Tashkent, Uzbekistan
19:30 UTC+5	Alijonov 120'	Report		Stadium: Olympic City Stadium Attendance: 11,482 Referee: Nurzatbek Abdıkadırov (Kyrgyzstan)

Russia  v  Iran

10 October Friendly	Russia	2–1	Iran	Volgograd, Russia
20:00 UTC+3	Vorobyov 22' Batrakov 70'	Report	Hosseinzadeh 48'	Stadium: Volgograd Arena Attendance: 42,387 Referee: Nikola Dabanović (Montenegro)

Iran  v  Tanzania

14 October Friendly	Iran	2–0	Tanzania	Dubai, United Arab Emirates
20:00 UTC+4	Hosseinzadeh 17' (pen.) Mohebi 26'	Report		Stadium: Rashid Stadium Referee: Adel Al Naqbi (United Arab Emirates)

Iran  v  Cape Verde

13 November 2025 Al Ain International Cup semi-final	Iran	0–0 (5–4 p)	Cape Verde	Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
20:00 UTC+4		Report		Stadium: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium Attendance: 634 Referee: Mohamed Al-Harmoodi (United Arab Emirates)
	Penalties
	Noorafkan Alipour Mohebi Ezatolahi Taremi		Rodrigues Diney Moreira Duarte Arcanjo

Iran  v  Uzbekistan

18 November 2025 Al Ain International Cup final	Iran	0–0 (3–4 p)	Uzbekistan	Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
20:00 UTC+4		Report		Stadium: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium Attendance: 4,700 Referee: Ali Saeed Al-Naqbi (United Arab Emirates)
	Penalties
	Noorafkan Ghorbani Mohebi Hosseini Mohammadi		Shomurodov Iskanderov Abdullaev Ashurmatov Mozgovoy

2026

Iran  v  Nigeria

27 March Friendly	Iran	v	Nigeria	Antalya, Türkiye[c]
		Report

Iran  v  Costa Rica

31 March Friendly	Iran	v	Costa Rica	Antalya, Türkiye[c]
		Report

Iran  v  New Zealand

15 June 2026 FIFA World Cup Group G	Iran	v	New Zealand	Inglewood, United States
18:00 UTC−7		Report		Stadium: SoFi Stadium

Belgium  v  Iran

21 June 2026 FIFA World Cup Group G	Belgium	v	Iran	Inglewood, United States
12:00 UTC−7		Report		Stadium: SoFi Stadium

Egypt  v  Iran

26 June 2026 FIFA World Cup Group G	Egypt	v	Iran	Seattle, United States
20:00 UTC−7		Report		Stadium: Lumen Field

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2025 Al Ain International Cup against Cape Verde and Uzbekistan on 13 and 18 November 2025, respectively.^[156][157]
Caps and goals updated as of 18 November 2025, after the match against Uzbekistan.^[158]

More information No., Pos. ...

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Alireza Beiranvand	(1992-09-21) 21 September 1992 (age 33)	83	0	Tractor
12	1GK	Payam Niazmand	(1995-04-06) 6 April 1995 (age 30)	14	0	Persepolis
22	1GK	Hossein Hosseini	(1992-06-30) 30 June 1992 (age 33)	12	0	Sepahan
30	1GK	Mohammad Reza Akhbari	(1993-02-15) 15 February 1993 (age 33)	1	0	Sepahan
3	2DF	Ali Nemati	(1996-02-07) 7 February 1996 (age 30)	14	0	Foolad
2	2DF	Saleh Hardani	(1998-12-26) 26 December 1998 (age 27)	16	1	Esteghlal
4	2DF	Shojae Khalilzadeh	(1989-05-14) 14 May 1989 (age 36)	54	2	Tractor
5	2DF	Milad Mohammadi	(1993-09-29) 29 September 1993 (age 32)	73	1	Persepolis
13	2DF	Hossein Kanaanizadegan	(1994-03-23) 23 March 1994 (age 31)	62	6	Persepolis
19	2DF	Majid Hosseini	(1996-06-20) 20 June 1996 (age 29)	30	0	Kayserispor
23	2DF	Aria Yousefi	(2002-04-22) 22 April 2002 (age 23)	11	0	Sepahan
26	2DF	Danial Esmaeilifar	(1993-03-18) 18 March 1993 (age 33)	5	0	Tractor
6	3MF	Saeid Ezatolahi	(1996-10-01) 1 October 1996 (age 29)	81	1	Shabab Al Ahli
14	3MF	Saman Ghoddos	(1993-09-06) 6 September 1993 (age 32)	65	3	Ittihad Kalba
16	3MF	Mohammad Ghorbani	(2001-05-21) 21 May 2001 (age 24)	13	0	Al Wahda
17	3MF	Mehdi Hashemnejad	(2001-10-27) 27 October 2001 (age 24)	7	0	Tractor
18	3MF	Mehdi Tikdari	(1996-07-12) 12 July 1996 (age 29)	1	0	Gol Gohar
21	3MF	Omid Noorafkan	(1997-04-09) 9 April 1997 (age 28)	37	1	Sepahan
25	3MF	Alireza Koushki	(2000-02-16) 16 February 2000 (age 26)	2	0	Esteghlal
27	3MF	Hadi Habibinejad	(1995-10-17) 17 October 1995 (age 30)	0	0	Chadormalou
28	3MF	Mohammad Mehdi Mohebi	(2000-02-10) 10 February 2000 (age 26)	4	2	Ittihad Kalba
9	4FW	Mehdi Taremi (captain)	(1992-07-18) 18 July 1992 (age 33)	101	56	Olympiacos
10	4FW	Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh	(2000-10-30) 30 October 2000 (age 25)	14	5	Tractor
11	4FW	Ali Alipour	(1995-11-11) 11 November 1995 (age 30)	11	1	Persepolis
24	4FW	Mohammad Omri	(2000-03-11) 11 March 2000 (age 26)	0	0	Persepolis
	4FW	Mehdi Ghayedi	(1998-12-05) 5 December 1998 (age 27)	27	9	Al-Nasr

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Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up to the team in the last 12 months.

More information Pos., Player ...

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Mohammad Khalife	(2004-08-19) 19 August 2004 (age 21)	0	0	Aluminium Arak	v.  Tanzania, 14 October 2025
GK	Ahmad Gohari	(1996-01-12) 12 January 1996 (age 30)	0	0	Paykan	2025 CAFA Nations Cup
GK	Nima Mirzazad	(1997-02-27) 27 February 1997 (age 29)	0	0	Mes Rafsanjan	2025 CAFA Nations Cup
GK	Parsa Jafari	(1999-07-09) 9 July 1999 (age 26)	0	0	Zob Ahan	v.  Qatar, 5 June 2025 PRE
DF	Amin Hazbavi	(2003-05-06) 6 May 2003 (age 22)	7	0	Sepahan	2025 Al Ain International Cup PRE / INJ
DF	Ramin Rezaeian	(1990-03-21) 21 March 1990 (age 35)	70	6	Esteghlal	v.  Tanzania, 14 October 2025
DF	Hossein Abarghouei	(1997-09-17) 17 September 1997 (age 28)	1	0	Persepolis	v.  Tanzania, 14 October 2025
DF	Mohammad Mehdi Zare	(2003-01-25) 25 January 2003 (age 23)	0	0	Akhmat Grozny	v.  Tanzania, 14 October 2025
DF	Abolfazl Jalali	(1998-06-26) 26 June 1998 (age 27)	8	0	Esteghlal	2025 CAFA Nations Cup
DF	Aref Aghasi	(1997-01-02) 2 January 1997 (age 29)	6	0	Esteghlal	2025 CAFA Nations Cup
DF	Mohammad Naderi	(1996-10-05) 5 October 1996 (age 29)	3	0	Tractor	2025 CAFA Nations Cup
DF	Morteza Pouraliganji	(1992-04-19) 19 April 1992 (age 33)	54	3	Persepolis	v.  North Korea, 10 June 2025
DF	Sadegh Moharrami	(1996-04-01) 1 April 1996 (age 29)	30	1	Tractor	v.  North Korea, 10 June 2025
DF	Yaghoub Barage	(2006-01-26) 26 January 2006 (age 20)	0	0	Persepolis	v.  Qatar, 5 June 2025 PRE
DF	Danial Eiri	(2003-10-26) 26 October 2003 (age 22)	0	0	Malavan	v.  United Arab Emirates, 20 March 2025
MF	Mohammad Mohebi	(1998-12-20) 20 December 1998 (age 27)	33	13	Rostov	2025 Al Ain International Cup INJ
MF	Alireza Jahanbakhsh	(1993-08-11) 11 August 1993 (age 32)	96	17	Dender	v.  Tanzania, 14 October 2025
MF	Mohammad Javad Hosseinnejad	(2003-06-26) 26 June 2003 (age 22)	5	0	Dynamo Makhachkala	v.  Tanzania, 14 October 2025
MF	Mohammad Khodabandelou	(1999-09-07) 7 September 1999 (age 26)	1	0	Persepolis	v.  Tanzania, 14 October 2025
MF	Rouzbeh Cheshmi	(1993-07-24) 24 July 1993 (age 32)	40	3	Esteghlal	v.  Russia, 10 October 2025 PRE / INJ
MF	Mehran Ahmadi	(1997-12-26) 26 December 1997 (age 28)	2	0	Esteghlal	2025 CAFA Nations Cup
MF	Mahdi Torabi WD	(1994-09-10) 10 September 1994 (age 31)	51	7	Tractor	2025 CAFA Nations Cup PRE
MF	Amirmohammad Razzaghinia	(2006-04-11) 11 April 2006 (age 19)	1	0	Esteghlal	v.  North Korea, 10 June 2025
MF	Mohammad Karimi	(1996-06-20) 20 June 1996 (age 29)	10	0	Sepahan	v.  Qatar, 5 June 2025
MF	Mohammad Askari	(2006-02-07) 7 February 2006 (age 20)	0	0	Sepahan	v.  Qatar, 5 June 2025 PRE
MF	Aref Haji Eydi	(1999-04-06) 6 April 1999 (age 26)	0	0	Sepahan	v.  Qatar, 5 June 2025 PRE
MF	Mohammad Hossein Sadeghi	(2004-03-28) 28 March 2004 (age 21)	0	0	Persepolis	v.  Qatar, 5 June 2025 PRE
MF	Ali Gholizadeh	(1996-03-10) 10 March 1996 (age 30)	42	6	Lech Poznań	v.  Uzbekistan, 25 March 2025
FW	Allahyar Sayyadmanesh	(2001-06-29) 29 June 2001 (age 24)	9	1	Westerlo	v.  Tanzania, 14 October 2025
FW	Kasra Taheri	(2006-08-06) 6 August 2006 (age 19)	2	0	Paykan	v.  Tanzania, 14 October 2025
FW	Majid Aliyari	(1996-03-02) 2 March 1996 (age 30)	2	2	Sepahan	2025 CAFA Nations Cup
FW	Shahriyar Moghanlou	(1994-12-21) 21 December 1994 (age 31)	18	2	Ittihad Kalba	2025 CAFA Nations Cup
FW	Sardar Azmoun	(1995-01-01) 1 January 1995 (age 31)	91	57	Shabab Al Ahli	v.  Uzbekistan, 25 March 2025
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.

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Most appearances

Top goalscorers

Notes

Most capped goalkeepers

Captains

FIFA World Cup

More information FIFA World Cup record, Qualification record ...

FIFA World Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		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		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		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		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		16	10	4	2	30	7
2018	Group stage	18th	3	1	1	1	2	2	Squad		18	12	6	0	36	5
2022	Group stage	26th	3	1	0	2	4	7	Squad		18	14	1	3	49	8
2026	Qualified										16	11	4	1	35	12
Total	First round	6/19	18	3	4	11	13	31	—		162	103	39	20	351	101

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More information First match, Biggest win ...

Iran's World Cup record
First match	Netherlands 3–0 Iran  (3 June 1978; Mendoza, Argentina)
Biggest win	Wales 0–2 Iran  (25 November 2022; Al Rayyan, Qatar)
Biggest defeat	England 6–2 Iran  (21 November 2022; Al Rayyan, Qatar)
Fastest Goal	36th minute, Yahya Golmohammadi, vs Mexico  (11 June 2006; Nuremberg, Germany)
Latest goal	90+13th minute, Mehdi Taremi, vs England  (21 November 2022; Al Rayyan, Qatar)

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AFC Asian Cup

More information AFC Asian Cup record, Qualification record ...

AFC Asian Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		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		Qualified as hosts
1972	Champions	1st	5	5	0	0	12	4	Squad		Qualified as holders
1976	Champions	1st	4	4	0	0	13	0	Squad		Qualified as hosts
1980	Third place	3rd	6	3	2	1	16	6	Squad		Qualified as holders
1984	Fourth place	4th	6	2	4	0	8	3	Squad		6	6	0	0	22	2
1988	Third place	3rd	6	2	2	2	3	4	Squad		4	2	2	0	6	1
1992	Group stage	5th	3	1	1	1	2	1	Squad		2	2	0	0	10	0
1996	Third place	3rd	6	3	2	1	14	6	Squad		6	6	0	0	27	1
2000	Quarter-finals	5th	4	2	1	1	7	3	Squad		6	4	1	1	16	2
2004	Third place	3rd	6	3	3	0	14	8	Squad		6	5	0	1	16	5
2007	Quarter-finals	5th	4	2	2	0	6	3	Squad		6	4	2	0	12	2
2011	Quarter-finals	5th	4	3	0	1	6	2	Squad		6	4	1	1	11	2
2015	Quarter-finals	6th	4	3	1	0	7	3	Squad		6	5	1	0	18	5
2019	Semi-finals	3rd	6	4	1	1	12	3	Squad		8	6	2	0	26	3
2023	Semi-finals	3rd	6	4	1	1	12	7	Squad		8	6	0	2	34	4
2027	Qualified										6	4	2	0	16	4
Total	3 titles	16/19	74	45	20	9	143	55	—		76	57	12	7	226	41

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More information First match, Biggest win(s) ...

Iran's AFC Asian Cup record
First match	Iran 2–0 Hong Kong  (10 May 1968; Tehran, Iran)
Biggest win(s)	Iran 8–0 South Yemen  (8 June 1976; Tehran, Iran)
Biggest defeat(s)	South Korea 3–0 Iran  (11 December 1988; Doha, Qatar)  Iran 0–3 Japan  (28 January 2019; Al Ain, UAE)
Best result	Champions in 1968, 1972 and 1976
Worst result	1992 (group stage)

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Olympic Games

More information Summer Olympics record, Qualification record ...

Summer Olympics record											Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		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		6	4	1	1	14	3
1968	Withdrew										Withdrew
1972	First round	12th	3	1	0	2	1	9	Squad		5	3	2	0	6	0
1976	Quarter-finals	7th	3	1	0	2	4	5	Squad		4	3	1	0	8	1
1980	Qualified but later withdrew										6	4	2	0	22	2
1984	Did not enter										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

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Asian Games

More information Asian Games record, Year ...

Asian Games record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
1951	Runners-up	2nd	3	2	0	1	2	1	Squad
1954	Did not enter
1958	Preliminary round	14th	2	0	0	2	0	9	Squad
1962	Did not enter
1966	Runners-up	2nd	7	4	0	3	9	6	Squad
1970	Preliminary round	8th	2	0	1	1	2	3	Squad
1974	Champions	1st	7	7	0	0	20	1	Squad
1978	Did not enter
1982	Quarter-finals	8th	4	2	0	2	3	2	Squad
1986	Quarter-finals	6th	5	3	1	1	13	2	Squad
1990	Champions	1st	5	4	1	0	7	1	Squad
1994	Preliminary round	9th	4	1	2	1	5	2	Squad
1998	Champions	1st	8	7	0	1	25	7	Squad
2002–present	See Iran national under-23 team
Total	3 titles	10/13	47	30	5	12	86	34	—

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WAFF Championship

More information WAFF Championship record, Year ...

WAFF Championship record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
2000	Champions	1st	5	4	1	0	7	1	Squad
2002	Third place	3rd	4	1	2	1	4	3	Squad
2004	Champions	1st	4	4	0	0	17	3	Squad
2007	Champions	1st	4[a]	3	1	0	5	1	Squad
2008	Champions	1st	4	4	0	0	13	2	Squad
2010	Runners-up	2nd	4	2	1	1	8	5	Squad
2012	Group stage	6th	3	1	2	0	2	1	Squad
2014	Did not enter
2019–onwards	Not a WAFF member
Total	4 titles	7/8	28	19	7	2	56	16	—

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CAFA Nations Cup

More information CAFA Nations Cup record, Year ...

CAFA Nations Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
2023	Champions	1st	3	3	0	0	12	2	Squad
2025	Runners-up	2nd	4	2	1	1	8	4	Squad
Total	1 title	2/2	7	5	1	1	20	6	—

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RCD Cup/ECO Cup

More information RCD Cup/ECO Cup record (Defunct), Year ...

RCD Cup/ECO Cup record (Defunct)[a]
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
1965	Champions	1st	2	1	1	0	4	1	Squad
1967	Runners-up	2nd	2	1	0	1	2	1	Squad
1969	Runners-up	2nd	2	1	0	1	4	6	Squad
1970	Champions	1st	2[b]	1	1	0	8	1	Squad
1974	Runners-up	2nd	2[c]	1	0	1	2	2	Squad
1993	Champions	1st	4	4	0	0	10	2	Squad
Total	3 titles	6/6	14	9	2	3	30	13	—
Only "A" matches	3 titles	6/6	11	8	1	2	27	10	—

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