Iran national football team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For current information on this topic, see Iran national football team season 2008 |
| Iran | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname(s) | Team Melli ("The National Team") |
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| Association | I.R.I.F.F. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Confederation | AFC (Asia) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach |  Ali Daei |
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| Asst coach |  Engin Firat |
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| Captain | Mehdi Mahdavikia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Most caps | Ali Daei (149) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top scorer | Ali Daei (109) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home stadium | Azadi Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIFA code | IRN | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIFA ranking | 48 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest FIFA ranking | 15 (July 2005) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lowest FIFA ranking | 122 (May 1996) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elo ranking | 35 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest Elo ranking | 15 (May 2005) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lowest Elo ranking | 73 (January 1964) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| First international | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Afghanistan 0 - 0 Iran  (Kabul, Afghanistan; January 1, 1941) |
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| Biggest win | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Iran 19 - 0 Guam  (Tabriz, Iran; November 24, 2000[1]) |
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| Biggest defeat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turkey 6 - 1 Iran (Istanbul, Turkey; May 28, 1950)  South Korea 5 - 0 Iran (Tokyo, Japan; May 28, 1958)  Hungary 5 - 0 Iran  (Munich, Germany; August 27, 1972) |
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| World Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 3 (First in 1978) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result | Round 1, 1978, 1998, 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AFC Asian Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 11 (First in 1968) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result | Winners, 1968, 1972, 1976 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Iran national football team (Persian: تیم ملی فوتبال ایران) represents Iran in international football competitions and is controlled by the Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation. The Iranian national football team is known as Team Melli, and is one of the strongest teams in Asia according to the FIFA World Rankings.
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[edit] History
[edit] Early years
The very first match that the Team Melli played was on January 1, 1941 away at Afghanistan.
Before the 1979 revolution, Iran have won the Asian Cup three consecutive times (1968, 1972, 1976), a championship record to which the team could not add ever since, although they finished third four times.
[edit] 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina
In 1978, Iran made its first appearance in the World Cup after defeating Australia in Tehran to qualify. Iran lost two of their three group stage games against the Netherlands and Peru.[2] However, they managed to create a surprise[3] by drawing 1-1 against Scotland with a late Iraj Danaeifard goal.[4]
[edit] After 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 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 their second stab at World Cup glory in 1998. [5] Iran could count on new talents such as Ali Daei, Mehdi Mahdavikia, Khodadad Azizi and Karim Bagheri.
[edit] 1998 FIFA World Cup in France
| Iran lineup during the 1998 World Cup |
- Additional information: 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (play-off AFC-OFC)
- 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.[6]
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.[7]
Iran recorded their first World Cup victory in the second game[8], 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.[9] Following defeat with Iran the United States were eliminated from the World Cup.[10]
Iran played against Germany in the third game. The game was lost 2-0. The goals were scored by Bierhoff and Klinsmann.[11] The one win and two losses meant Iran became third in the final group standing and failed to make it to the next round.[12]
[edit] 2002 FIFA World Cup
- 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 wining 1-0 in Tehran. The elimination saw manager Miroslav Blazević step down from the top spot to be replaced by his assistant Branko Ivanković, who stepped up from assistant coach.
[edit] 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany
- Additional information: 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
- Additional information: 2006 FIFA World Cup seeding
On June 8, 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 was the highest attended qualifying match among all confederations.
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 21st of June 2006, Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh scoring the Iran goal.
[edit] 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.[13] The ban lasted less than a month, [14] and as a dispensation was given to allow the Iran under-23 team to participate in the football competition of the 2006 Asian Games, [15] fixtures were unaffected.
[edit] 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa
- Additional information: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - AFC Third Round
Iran under the guidance of legendary player Ali Daei[16] are in the same FIFA World Cup qualifying group as Kuwait, Syria and United Arab Emirates. They will play home and away against each of the other three teams in the group 5. Ali Daei was chosen to become the new manager 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.[17]
[edit] Group 5
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[edit] Home stadium
Iran play their home games at Azadi (Freedom) Stadium which was built in the mid 1970s with a capacity of over 100,000. A record was set in Azadi for the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign in Iran's home match against Japan, in which the whole stadium was filled.
[edit] Kit
Iran's current jersey is provided by Daei SWE, replacing the Iranian provider Majid in 2008. The table below shows the history of kit providers for Iran national football team.
| Period | Kit Manufacturer |
|---|---|
| 1994-1997 | Shekari |
| 1998-2000 | Puma |
| 2001-2005 | Daei SWE |
| 2006-2008 | Puma |
| 2008 | Majid |
| 2008-Current | Daei SWE |
[edit] Tournament records
- Further information: Iran national football team records
[edit] World Cup record
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.svg/22px-Flag_of_Argentina_(alternative).svg.png){kind=small}
[edit] Olympic Games record
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- As of 1992 Olympic Games campaign onwards U23 Team played in qualification.
[edit] Asian Cup record
| Year | Round |
|---|---|
 1956 |
Did not enter |
| 1960 |
Did not qualify |
 1964 |
Did not enter |
| 1968 |
Champions |
 1972 |
Champions |
| 1976 |
Champions |
 1980 |
Third place |
 1984 |
Fourth place |
 1988 |
Third place |
 1992 |
Round 1 |
 1996 |
Third place |
 2000 |
Quarterfinals |
 2004 |
Third place |
   2007 |
Quarterfinals |
- **Gold background color indicates that the tournament was won.
Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.
[edit] Asian Games record
| Year | Round |
|---|---|
 New Delhi 1951 |
Runners-Up |
 Manila 1954 |
Did not enter |
| Tokyo 1958 |
Round 1 |
| Jakarta 1962 |
Did not enter |
| Bangkok 1966 |
Runners-Up |
| Bangkok 1970 |
Round 1 |
| Tehran 1974 |
Champions |
| Bangkok 1978 |
Did not enter |
| New Delhi 1982 |
Quarterfinals |
| Seoul 1986 |
Quarterfinals |
| Beijing 1990 |
Champions |
| Hirosima 1994 |
Round 1 |
| Bangkok 1998 |
Champions |
- As of 2002 Asian Games Campaign onwards U23 Team participated in the Tournament.
[edit] West Asian Football Federation Championship record
| Year | Round |
|---|---|
 2000 |
Champions |
 2002 |
Third Place |
| 2004 |
Champions |
| 2007 |
Champions |
[edit] RCD Cup/ECO Cup record
| Year | Round |
|---|---|
| 1965 |
Champions |
 1967 |
Runners-Up |
| 1969 |
Runners-Up |
| 1970 |
Champions |
| 1974 |
Runners-Up |
| 1993 |
Champions |
[edit] Results and fixtures
see Iran national football team results
[edit] Last matches
- Qatar 0 - 0 Iran , Friendly, Doha, Qatar, 10 January 2008
- Iran 0 - 0 Costa Rica
, Friendly, Tehran, Iran, 30 January 2008 - Iran 0 - 0 Syria , FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC), Tehran, Iran, 6 February 2008
Bahrain 1 - 0 Iran , Friendly, Manama, Bahrain, 21 March 2008- Kuwait 2 - 2 Iran , FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC), Kuwait City, Kuwait, 26 March 2008
- Iran 3 - 2 Zambia
, Friendly, Tehran, Iran, 25 May 2008 - Iran 0 - 0 United Arab Emirates , FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC), Tehran, Iran, 2 June 2008
- United Arab Emirates 0 - 1 Iran , FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC), Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 7 June 2008
[edit] Next matches
- Syria - Iran , FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC), Damascus, Syria, 14 June 2008
- Iran - Kuwait , FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC), Tehran, Iran, 22 June 2008
[edit] Managers
| Name | Nat | Period | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Honours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hossein Sadaghiani | |
1941-1950 | Silver Medal at 1951 Asian Games | ||||
| Mostafa Salimi | |
1950-1952 | |||||
| Edmund Masayufskei |  |
1955-1957 | |||||
| József Mészaros | .png/22px-Flag_of_Hungary_(1957-1989).png){kind=small} |
1957-1959 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| Hossein Fekri |  |
1962-1966 | Qualification to 1964 Summer Olympics | ||||
| György Szűcs | |
1966-1967 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | Silver Medal at 1966 Asian Games |
| Zdravko Rajkov |  |
1968-1970 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | Winner of 1968 Asian Cup |
| Igor Netto |  |
1970-1971 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Parviz Dehdari | |
1971-1972 | |||||
| Mohammad Ranjbar | |
1972 | Winner of 1972 Asian Cup | ||||
| Mahmoud Bayati | |
1972-1973 | |||||
| Danny McLennan |  |
1973-1974 | 4 | ||||
| Frank O'Farrell |  |
1974-1976 | 13 | 10 | 1 | 2 | Gold Medal at 1974 Asian Games, Qualification to 1976 Summer Olympics |
| Heshmat Mohajerani | |
1976-1978 | Winner of 1976 Asian Cup, Qualification to 1978 FIFA World Cup | ||||
| Hassan Habibi | |
1979-1982 | |||||
| Parviz Aboutaleb | |
1982 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Jalal Cheraghpour | |
1982 | |||||
| Mahmoud Yavari | |
1984 | |||||
| Nasser Ebrahimi | |
1984-1985 | |||||
| Fereydoun Asgharzadeh | |
1985-1986 | |||||
| Parviz Dehdari | |
1986-1989 | Third place at 1988 Asian Cup | ||||
| Reza Vatankhah | |
Feb 1989-May 1989 | |||||
| Mehdi Monajati | |
Jul 1989-Sep 1989 | |||||
| Ali Parvin | |
1989-1993 | Gold Medal at 1990 Asian Games | ||||
| Stanko Poklepović |  |
1993-1994 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |
| Mohammad Mayeli Kohan | |
1995-1997 | Third place at 1996 Asian Cup | ||||
| Valdeir Vieira |  |
Nov 1997-Dec 1997 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | Qualification to 1998 FIFA World Cup |
| Tomislav Ivić | |
Jan 1998-May 1998 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| Jalal Talebi | |
May 1998-Jul 1998 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| Mansour Pourheidari | |
Oct 1998-Feb 2000 | Gold Medal at 1998 Asian Games | ||||
| Jalal Talebi | |
Mar 2000-Oct 2000 | Quarterfinals at 2000 Asian Cup | ||||
| Ademar Braga | |
Nov 2000-Feb 2001 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Miroslav Blažević | |
Mar 2001-Nov 2001 | 19 | 10 | 4 | 5 | |
| Branko Ivanković | |
Feb 2002-Sep 2002 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | |
| Homayoun Shahrokhi | |
Feb 2003-Sep 2003 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Branko Ivanković | |
Oct 2003-Jul 2006 | 41 | 28 | 6 | 7 | Gold Medal at 2004 WAFF Championship, Third place at 2004 Asian Cup, Qualification to 2006 FIFA World Cup |
| Amir Ghalenoei | |
Aug 2006-July 2007 | 21 | 13 | 7 | 1 | Quarterfinals at 2007 Asian Cup |
| Mansour Ebrahimzadeh (caretaker) | |
Jan 2008-Feb 2008 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Ali Daei | |
Mar 2008- | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
[edit] Technical Staff
| Name | Nat. | Job |
|---|---|---|
| Ali Daei | |
Head Coach |
| Engin Firat | |
Assistant Manager |
| Behzad Gholampour | |
Goalkeeping Coach |
| Parham Khanlari | |
Doctor |
[edit] Players
[edit] Current squad
| Most Recent Squad | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date announced | , June, 2nd 2008 | |
| Games | United Arab Emirates -, 2008 |
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| Venues | Azadi Stadium, Tehran |
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| Competition | FIFA World Cup qualification |
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| Dropped | Rahman Rezaei, Javad Kazemian, Rasoul Khatibi, Eman Mobali, Mehrzad Madanchi |
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| Injured | Mehdi Mahdavikia, Mehdi Vaezi | |
| Suspended | ||
| Called Up | Amir Shapourzadeh, Ibrahim Mirzapour, Ferydoon Zandi |
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The following players were called for 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification against Kuwait on 2008.
[edit] Previous squads
[edit] World Cups
[edit] Asian Cups
- Asian Cup 2007 squad
- Asian Cup 2004 squad
- Asian Cup 2000 squad
- Asian Cup 1996 squad
- Asian Cup 1992 squad
[edit] Notable past players
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[edit] Most capped playersAs of January 31, 2008, the players with the most caps for Iran are:
The records are collected based on data from FIFA and RSSSF. |
[edit] Top goalscorersAs of January 31, 2008, the players with the most goals for Iran are:
The records are collected based on data from FIFA and RSSSF. |
[edit] Iran World Cup captains
| # | Player | World Cup Played As A Captain | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ali Parvin | Argentina 1978 | 76 |
| 2 | Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh | France 1998 | 79 |
| 3 | Ali Daei | Germany 2006 | 149 |
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.football.co.uk/worldcup/iran.shtml
- ^ http://www.teammelli.com/articles/iran_in_world_cup_1978.htm
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/low/football/world_cup_2002/1632238.stm
- ^ http://www.the-world-cup-2006.com/teams-iran.htm
- ^ http://www.iranvisitor.com/index.php?cID=416&pID=1176
- ^ http://mondediplo.com/1998/04/04iran
- ^ http://www.iranvisitor.com/index.php?cID=416&pID=1176
- ^ http://www.the-world-cup-2006.com/teams-iran.htm
- ^ http://1800-worldcup.com/world_cup_finals/france1998/matches/jun21.htm
- ^ http://www.soccertimes.com/worldcup/1998/games/jun21.htm
- ^ http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=1013/results/matches/match=8767/report.html
- ^ http://1800-worldcup.com/world_cup_finals/france1998/matches/jun25.htm
- ^ FIFA suspends Iran Football Federation. FIFA. Retrieved on 2006-11-27.
- ^ FIFA to lift Iran ban: Blatter. the-AFC.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-17.
- ^ FIFA President announces temporary lifting of Iran ban. the-AFC.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-27.
- ^ http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=702387.html
- ^ http://www.soccerway.com/news/2008/March/02/ali-daei-named-new-iran-coach
[edit] See also
- Iran national futsal team
- Iran national under-23 football team
- Iran national under-20 football team
- Iran national under-17 football team
- Iran women's national football team
[edit] Media coverage
Iran home matches (both qualifiers and friendlies) are shown live on Channel 3 and satellite television network Jame Jam 2. All matches are broadcast with full commentary.
[edit] External links
- Official Website of IR Iran Football Federation
- RSSSF archive of results 1941-
- RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers
- Iran's archive of results and elo rating points
| Preceded by 1964 Israel |
Asian Champions 1968 (First title) 1972 (Second title) 1976 (Third title) |
Succeeded by 1980 Kuwait |
| Preceded by Korea Republic  Taiwan |
Asian Games Champions 1974 (First title) |
Succeeded by Korea DPR  Korea Republic |
| Preceded by Korea Republic |
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) |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by Inaugural Champions |
ECO Cup Champions 1965 (First title) |
Succeeded by 1967 Turkey |
| Preceded by 1969 Turkey |
ECO Cup Champions 1970 (Second title) |
Succeeded by 1974 Turkey |
| Preceded by 1974 Turkey |
ECO Cup Champions 1993 (Third title) |
Succeeded by Last edition |
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AFC Asian Cup Winners
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National sports teams of Iran
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National football teams of Iran
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International football
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1978 FIFA World Cup finalists
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1998 FIFA World Cup finalists
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2006 FIFA World Cup finalists
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