Iran national football team

Iran
ایران

Nickname(s)	Team melli (Persian: تیم ملی) "The National Team"
Association	IRIFF
Confederation	AFC
Head coach	Ali Daei
Asst coach	Erich Rutemoller
Captain	Karim Bagheri
Most caps	Ali Daei (149)
Top scorer	Ali Daei (109)
Home stadium	Azadi Stadium
FIFA code	IRN
FIFA ranking	44
Highest FIFA ranking	15 (July 2005)
Lowest FIFA ranking	122 (May 1996)
Elo ranking	21
Highest Elo ranking	15 (May 2005)
Lowest Elo ranking	73 (January 1964)
Home colours Away colours
First international
Afghanistan 0 - 0 Iran (Kabul, Afghanistan; January 1, 1941)
Biggest win
Iran 19 - 0 Guam  (Tabriz, Iran; November 24, 2000[1])
Biggest defeat
Turkey 6 - 1 Iran (Istanbul, Turkey; May 28, 1950)  Korea Republic 5 - 0 Iran (Tokyo, Japan; May 28, 1958)  Hungary 5 - 0 Iran (Munich, Germany; August 27, 1972)
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.

History

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.

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]

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.

1998 FIFA World Cup in France

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.^[5]

Iran recorded their first World Cup victory in the second game^[4], 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.^[7] Following defeat with Iran the United States were eliminated from the World Cup.^[8]

Iran played against Germany in the third game. The game was lost 2-0. The goals were scored by Bierhoff and Klinsmann.^[9] The one win and two losses meant Iran became third in the final group standing and failed to make it to the next round.^[10]

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 Blažević step down from the top spot to be replaced by his assistant Branko Ivanković, who stepped up from assistant coach.

2006 FIFA-World Cup in Germany

Iran score against Angola during a 2006 FIFA World Cup match.

Iran team for the match against Syria on August 16 2006.

Main article: Iran at the 2006 FIFA World Cup

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.

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.^[11] The ban lasted less than a month, ^[12] and as a dispensation was given to allow the Iran under-23 team to participate in the football competition of the 2006 Asian Games, ^[13] fixtures were unaffected.

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^[14] 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 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.^[15]

Group 5

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts  Iran 6 3 3 0 7 2 +5 12  United Arab Emirates 6 2 2 2 7 7 0 8  Syria 6 2 2 2 7 8 −1 8  Kuwait 6 1 1 4 8 12 −4 4

Iran  – 2 – 0 0 – 0 0 – 0 Kuwait  2 – 2 – 4 – 2 2 – 3 Syria  0 – 2 1 – 0 – 1 – 1 United Arab Emirates  0 – 1 2 – 0 1 – 3 –

In the next stage of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification Iran will play in group B. ^[16]

Group B

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts  Korea Republic 3 2 1 0 7 2 +5 7  Iran 3 1 2 0 4 3 +1 5  Korea DPR 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 4  Saudi Arabia 3 1 1 1 3 4 −1 4  United Arab Emirates 4 0 1 3 4 9 −5 1   Iran  – 2 – 1 11 Feb 28 Mar 10 Jun Korea DPR  6 Jun – 1 – 1 11 Feb 28 Mar Korea Republic  17 Jun 1 Apr – 10 Jun 4 – 1 Saudi Arabia  1 – 1 17 Jun 0 – 2 – 1 Apr United Arab Emirates  1 – 1 1 – 2 6 Jun 1 – 2 –

Home stadium

Azadi Stadium

Main article: Azadi 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.

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.

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.

Tournament records

Further information: Iran national football team records

World Cup record

World Cup record Year Round GP W D L GS GA 1930 to 1970 Did not enter - - - - - - 1974 Did not qualify - - - - - - 1978 Round 1 3 0 1 2 2 8 1982 Withdrew - - - - - - 1986 Disqualified for refusal to play at neutral sites - - - - - - 1990 Did not qualify - - - - - - 1994 Did not qualify - - - - - - 1998 Round 1 3 1 0 2 2 4 2002 Did not qualify - - - - - - 2006 Round 1 3 0 1 2 2 6 Total Best: Round 1 9 1 2 6 6 18

World Cup matches (by opponent) Against Wins Draws Losses Total  Peru 0 0 1 1  Germany 0 0 1 1  United States 1 0 0 1  Portugal 0 0 1 1  Mexico 0 0 1 1  Netherlands 0 0 1 1  Yugoslavia 0 0 1 1  Scotland 0 1 0 1  Angola 0 1 0 1 Total 1 2 6 9

World Cup history Year Round Score Result 1978 Round 1 Iran 0 – 3 Netherlands Lose Round 1 Iran 1 – 1  Scotland Draw Round 1 Iran 1 – 4  Peru Lose 1998 Round 1  Iran 0 – 1  Yugoslavia Lose Round 1  Iran 2 – 1  United States Win Round 1  Iran 0 – 2  Germany Lose 2006 Round 1  Iran 1 – 3  Mexico Lose Round 1  Iran 0 – 2  Portugal Lose Round 1  Iran 1 – 1  Angola Draw

Olympic Games record

Olympic Games record Year Round GP W D L GS GA 1900 to 1960 Did not enter - - - - - - 1964 Round 1 3 0 1 2 1 6 1968 Did not enter - - - - - - 1972 Round 1 3 0 1 2 1 9 1976 Quarter Finals 3 1 0 2 4 5 1980 Qualified but boycotted the event - - - - - - 1984 Did not enter due to boycott - - - - - - 1988 Did not qualify - - - - - - Total Best: Quarter Finals 9 2 1 6 6 20

Olympic Games matches (by opponent) Against Wins Draws Losses Total  East Germany 0 0 1 1  Mexico 0 1 0 1  Romania 0 0 1 1  Hungary 0 0 1 1  Denmark 0 0 1 1  Brazil 1 0 0 1  Cuba 1 0 0 1  Poland 0 0 1 1  USSR 0 0 1 1 Total 2 1 6 9

Olympic Games history Year Round Score Result 1964 Round 1 Iran 0 – 4  East Germany Lose Round 1 Iran 1 – 1  Mexico Draw Round 1 Iran 0 – 1  Romania Lose 1972 Round 1 Iran 0 – 5  Hungary Lose Round 1 Iran 0 – 4  Denmark Lose Round 1 Iran 1 – 0  Brazil Win 1976 Round 1 Iran 1 – 0  Cuba Win Round 1 Iran 2 – 3  Poland Lose Quarter Finals Iran 1 – 2  USSR Lose

• As of 1992 Olympic Games campaign onwards U23 Team played in qualification.

Asian Cup record

AFC Asian Cup Record
Year	Round	Pld	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1956	Did Not Enter	-	-	-	-	-	-
1960	Did not qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1964	Did Not Enter	-	-	-	-	-	-
1968	Champions	4	4	0	0	11	2
1972	Champions	5	5	0	0	12	4
1976	Champions	4	4	0	0	13	0
1980	Third place	6	3	2	1	16	6
1984	Fourth place	6	2	4	0	8	3
1988	Third place	6	2	2	2	3	4
1992	Round 1	3	1	1	1	2	1
1996	Third place	6	3	2	1	14	6
2000	Quarterfinals	4	2	1	1	7	3
2004	Third place	6	3	3	0	14	8
2007	Quarterfinals	4	2	2	0	6	3
Total	3 Titles	54	31	17	6	106	40

*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
*Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

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.

West Asian Football Federation Championship record

Year	Round
2000	Champions
2002	Third Place
2004	Champions
2007	Champions
2008	Champions

RCD Cup/ECO Cup record

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

Results and fixtures

see Iran national football team results

Previous matches

Date	Opponent	Result	Score	Venue	Stadium	Referee	Competition	Scorers
5 January 2008	Hansa Rostock	Lost	2-0	Tehran, Iran	Azadi	Mozaffarri	Friendly	35' Tobias Rathgeb, 64' Đorđije Ćetković
10 January 2008	Qatar	Drawn	0-0	Doha, Qatar	Al Sadd	Alavi	Friendly	-
30 January 2008	Costa Rica	Drawn	0-0	Tehran, Iran	Azadi	Marzouki	Friendly	-
6 February 2008	Syria	Drawn	0-0	Tehran, Iran	Azadi	Abdul Malik Bashir	2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification	-
21 March 2008	Bahrain	Lost	1-0	Manama, Bahrain			Friendly	64' M.Bahzad
26 March 2008	Kuwait	Drawn	2-2	Kuwait City, Kuwait	Al Kuwait	Matthew Breeze	2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification	For  Iran: 2' Nikbakht, 5' Jalal Hosseini For  Kuwait: 38' Ahmad Ajab, 81' Fahad Al-Rashidi
25 May 2008	Zambia	Won	3-2	Tehran, Iran	Azadi		Friendly	For  Iran: 12′ (P.K.) Javad Nekounam ,35′ Gholamreza Rezaei, 87′ (P.K.)Hadi Aghili For  Zambia: 60′ Clifford Mulenga , 62′ Roger Kola
2 June 2008	United Arab Emirates	Drawn	0-0	Tehran, Iran	Azadi	Lee Gi Young	2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification	-
7 June 2008	United Arab Emirates	Won	1-0	Dubai, United Arab Emirates	Sheikh Khalifa	Yuichi Nishimura	2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification	8' Ferydoon Zandi
14 June 2008	Syria	Won	2-0	Damascus, Syria	Abbasiyyin	Satop Tongkhan	2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification	64' Gholamreza Rezaei, 90+5' Mohsen Khalili
22 June 2008	Kuwait	Won	2-0	Tehran, Iran	Azadi	Sun Baojie	2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification	17' Javad Nekounam, 90+2' Gholamreza Rezaei
24 July 2008	FC Bohemians Praha	Drawn	1-1	Prague, Czech Republic			Training Camp in Prague(Friendly)	For  Iran: 52' Gholamreza Rezaei For FC Bohemians Praha: 32' ??
27 July 2008	Slavia Prague	Lost	1-0	Prague, Czech Republic			Training Camp in Prague(Friendly)	43' Jaroslav Černý
7 August 2008	Palestine	Won	3-0	Tehran, Iran	Takhti	Ahmad Delo	2008 WAFF Championship	29'(P) Kianoush Rahmati, 40' Gholamreza Rezaei, 86' Jalal Rafkhaei
11 August 2008	Qatar	Won	6-1	Tehran, Iran	Takhti	Yousef Shahin	2008 WAFF Championship	For  Iran: 10' & 90' Milad Meydavoudi, 33' Ahmad Alenemeh, 49'(P) Hadi Aghili, 61' Ehsan Hajsafi, 80' Jalal Rafkhaei For  Qatar: 52' Meshal Abdullah
13 August 2008	Syria	Won	2-1	Tehran, Iran	Takhti	Mohammad Abdollah	2008 WAFF Championship	6'(P) Kianoush Rahmati, 52' Gholamreza Rezaei
15 August 2008	Jordan	Won	2-1	Tehran, Iran	Azadi	Mohammad Zarooni	2008 WAFF Championship	For  Iran: 21'(P) Hadi Aghili, 85' Kianoush Rahmati For  Jordan: 82' Amer Deeb
30 August 2008	Azerbaijan	Won	1-0	Tehran, Iran	Azadi		Friendly	81' Mohammad Noori
September 06 2008	Saudi Arabia	Drawn	1-1	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	King Fahd	Shield	2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification	For  Iran: 81' Javad Nekounam For  Saudi Arabia: 29' Al-Harthi
October 11 2008	Paykan	Drawn	2-2	Karaj, Iran	National team training camp		Friendly	For  Iran: 40' Javad Nekounam, 43' Seyed Salehi For Paykan: 70' Iman Heydari, 76' Amir Bozorgi
October 15 2008	Korea DPR	Won	2-1	Tehran, Iran	Azadi	Abdullah Al Hilali	2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification	For  Iran: 9' Mehdi Mahdavikia, 64' Javad Nekounam For  Korea DPR: 71' Jong Tae Se
November 09 2008	Qatar	Won	1-0	Doha, Qatar	Jassim Bin Hamad	Abdullah Al-Harasi	Friendly	78' Gholamreza Rezaei
November 19 2008	United Arab Emirates	Drawn	1-1	Dubai, UAE	Al-Maktoum Stadium	Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh	2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification	For  Iran: 81' Karim Bagheri For  United Arab Emirates: 19' Juma'a

Next matches

Date	Opponent	Referee	Time	Venue	Stadium	Competition	TV Channel(s)	Status
December 14 2008	Ecuador	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	Oman tournament	TBD	Confirmed
December 23 2008	Basque Country	TBD	TBD	Bilbao, Basque Country	San Mames	Friendly	TBD	Confirmed
TBD	Andalusia	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	Friendly	TBD	Confirmed
January 9 2009	China PR	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	Friendly(Away)	Channel 3	Confirmed
January 14 2009	Singapore	TBD	TBD	Tehran, Iran	Azadi	2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification	Channel 3	Confirmed, Fix
January 28 2009	Thailand	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification	Channel 3	Confirmed, Fix
February 11 2009	Korea Republic	TBD	TBD	Tehran, Iran	Azadi	2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification	Channel 3	Confirmed, Fix
March 28 2009	Saudi Arabia	TBD	TBD	Tehran, Iran	Azadi	2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification	Channel 3	Confirmed, Fix
June 1 or June 2 2009	China PR	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	Friendly(Home)	Channel 3	Confirmed
June 6 2009	Korea DPR	TBD	TBD	Pyongyang, North Korea	Kim Il-Sung	2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification	Channel 3	Confirmed, Fix
June 10 2009	United Arab Emirates	TBD	TBD	Tehran, Iran	Azadi	2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification	Channel 3	Confirmed, Fix
June 17 2009	Korea Republic	TBD	TBD	Seoul, South Korea	Seoul Wordcup	2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification	Channel 3	Confirmed, Fix
November 14 2009	Jordan	TBD	TBD	Tehran, Iran	Azadi	2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification	Channel 3	Confirmed, Fix
November 18 2009	Jordan	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification	Channel 3	Confirmed, Fix
January 6 2010	Singapore	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification	Channel 3	Confirmed, Fix
March 3 2010	Thailand	TBD	TBD	Tehran, Iran	Azadi	2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification	Channel 3	Confirmed, Fix

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		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	15	10	2	3	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, Gold Medal at 2000 WAFF Championship
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-	16	11	4	1	Gold Medal at 2008 WAFF Championship

Technical Staff

Name	Nat.	Job
Ali Daei		Head Coach
Erich Rutemoller		Assitant Coach
Human Afazeli		Coach
Behzad Gholampour		Goalkeeping Coach
Parhan Khanlori		Doctor

Players

Current squad

Iran's 26 players for the World Cup Qualifier against North Korea on October 15th.

#	Name	DOB	Club	Caps (goals)
Goalkeepers
1	Mehdi Rahmati	2 Feb 1983 (age 25)	Mes Kerman F.C.	0180 (0)
30	Vahid Talebloo	6 May 1982 (age 26)	Esteghlal F.C.	0090 (0)
23	Rahman Ahmadi	30 July 1980 (age 28)	Sepahan F.C.	0010 (0)
Defenders
-	Pejman Montazeri	6 Sep 1983 (age 25)	Esteghlal F.C.	0000 (0)
-	Pirouz Ghorbani	15 May 1981 (age 27)	Esteghlal F.C.	0010 (0)
4	Jalal Hosseini	3 Feb 1982 (age 26)	Saipa F.C.	0190 (2)
5	Hadi Aghili	15 Jan 1981 (age 27)	Sepahan	017 0 (4)
13	Hossein Kaebi	23 Dec 1985 (age 22)	Saipa	066 0 (2)
8	Sattar Zare	27 Jan 1982 (age 26)	Bargh	027 0 (0)
-	Majid Gholamnejad	18 June 1983 (age 25)	Pas Hamedan	0060 (0)
Midfielders
-	Pejman Nouri	13 July 1980 (age 28)	Persepolis F.C.	0060 (1)
9	Mojtaba Jabari	16 June 1983 (age 25)	Esteghlal	0140 (0)
18	Ehsan Hajsafi	25 Feb 1990 (age 18)	Sepahan	0050 (1)
-	Maziar Zare	22 Dec 1984 (age 23)	Persepolis F.C.	0070 (0)
-	Mehdi Karimian	? ??? ???? (age ??)	Bargh	000 0 (0)
24	Javad Nekounam	7 Sep 1980 (age 27)	Osasuna	0970 (29)
6	Karim Bagheri	24 Feb 1974 (age 35)	Persepolis F.C.	0810 (47)
14	Andranik Teymourian	6 Mar 1983 (age 25)	Fulham	0310 (2)
-	Masoud Shojaei	9 June 1984 (age 24)	Osasuna	0160 (0)
7	Ferydoon Zandi	26 Apr 1979 (age 29)	Alki Larnaca	0240 (3)
-	Mohammad Noori	9 Jan 1983 (age 25)	Saba Battery F.C.	0030 (1)
2	Mehdi Mahdavikia	24 July 1977 (age 31)	Eintracht Frankfurt	1040 (13)
Strikers
-	Mohammad Reza Khalatbari	14 Sep 1983 (age 24)	Zob Ahan F.C.	0030 (0)
15	Gholamreza Rezaei	6 Mar 1984 (age 24)	Saba Battery F.C.	00130 (6)
10	Rasoul Khatibi	22 Sep 1978 (age 29)	Al Dhafra	0290 (5)
-	Mehdi Seyed Salehi	27 Jul 1981 (age 27)	Paykan F.C.	0010 (0)

Recent call ups

The following players have been called up for the team in 2008.

POS	Name	DOB	Club	Caps (goals)	Most Recent Call up
Players
GK	Ebrahim Mirzapour	16 Sep 1978 (age 29)	Saipa F.C.	70 (0)	v Qatar, 11 August 2008
DF	Sheys Rezaei	21 Mar 1984 (age 24)	Saba Battery F.C.	6 (1)	v Qatar, 10 Jan 2008
DF	Mohammad Nosrati	11 Jan 1982 (age 26)	Al-Nasr	56 (4)	v Saudi Arabia, 6 Sep 2008
DF	Mohsen Bengar	6 July 1979 (age 29)	Sepahan	7 (0)	v Saudi Arabia, 6 Sep 2008
DF	Mojtaba Shiri	29 Oct 1979 (age 28)	Persepolis	2 (0)	v Saudi Arabia, 6 Sep 2008
DF	Ahmad Alenemeh	???	Foolad	2 (1)	v Saudi Arabia, 6 Sep 2008
MF	Maziar Zare	22 Dec 1984 (age 23)	Persepolis F.C.	6 (0)	v Costa Rica, 30 Jan 2008
MF	Ebrahim Sadeghi	4 Feb 1979 (age 29)	Saipa	13 (1)	v Saudi Arabia, 6 Sep 2008
MF	Kianoush Rahmati	18 June 1978 (age 30)	Saipa	9 (3)	v Saudi Arabia, 6 Sep 2008
MF	Eman Mobali	3 Nov 1982 (age 25)	Al Wasl FC	45 (1)	v Syria, 6 Feb 2008
MF	Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht	30 June 1980 (age 28)	Persepolis F.C.	74 (14)	v Syria, 14 June 2008
FW	Ali Samereh	23 Nov 1977 (age 30)	Ajman Club	25 (2)	v Syria, 6 Feb 2008
FW	Mohammad Parvin	14 June 1988 (age 20)	Saipa F.C.	2 (0)	v Palestine, 7 Aug 2008
FW	Amir Shapourzadeh	19 Sep 1982 (age 25)	FSV Frankfurt	4 (0)	v Zambia, 25 May 2008
FW	Karim Bagheri	24 Feb 1974 (age 34)	Persepolis	81 (47)	v [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic of Ireland], WCQ 2002
FW	Vahid Hashemian	21 July 1976 (age 32)	VfL Bochum	42 (13)	v Saudi Arabia, 6 Sep 2008
FW	Javad Kazemian	23 Apr 1981 (age 26)	Ajman Club	36 (1)	v Syria, 6 Feb 2008
FW	Reza Enayati	23 Sep 1976 (age 31)	Al-Nasr	31 (9)	v UAE, 2 June 2008
FW	Mohsen Khalili	14 Feb 1981 (age 27)	Persepolis F.C.	8 (1)	v Syria, 14 June 2008
FW	Mehrzad Madanchi	10 Jan 1985 (age 23)	Al-Nasr	26 (5)	v Saudi Arabia, 6 Sep 2008
FW	Milad Meydavoudi	10 Jan 1985 (age 23)	Esteghlal Ahvaz	10 (4)	v Saudi Arabia, 6 Sep 2008
FW	Jalal Rafkhaei	24 Apr 1984 (age 24)	Malavan	6 (2)	v Saudi Arabia, 6 Sep 2008
FW	Mehdi Rajabzadeh	21 June 1978 (age 30)	Al-Dhafra	17 (4)	v Syria, 6 Feb 2008

Previous squads

World Cups

• World Cup 2006 squad
• World Cup 1998 squad
• World Cup 1978 squad

Asian Cups

• Asian Cup 2007 squad
• Asian Cup 2004 squad
• Asian Cup 2000 squad
• Asian Cup 1996 squad
• Asian Cup 1992 squad

Notable past players

See also Category:Iran international footballers

Iran World Cup captains

See also

• Football in Iran
• 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

References

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) 2008 (Fourth 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

Olympics Squads Navigation Boxes

Iran squad – 1964 Summer Olympics 1 Asli • 2 Amir Asefi • 3 Mirzai • 4 Arab • 5 Habibi • 6 Latifi • 7 Saedi • 8 Jamali • 9 Talebi • 10 Nourian • 11 Khodaparast • 12 Nirlou • 13 Fanai • 14 Esmaili • 15 Mostafavi • 16 Ghelichkhani • 17 Biati Eslam • Coach: Fekri Iran squad – 1972 Summer Olympics 1 Ghoflsaz • 2 Ashtiani • 3 Kashani • 4 Halvaei • 5 Kagarjam • 6 Ghelichkhani • 7 Parvin • 8 Jabari • 9 Sadeghi • 10 Iranpak • 11 Shafari • 12 Vafakhah • 13 Ghorab • 14 Khordbin • 15 Lavasani • 16 Azizi • 17 Allahverdi • 18 Monajati • 19 Rashidi • Coach: Ranjbar Iran squad – 1976 Summer Olympics 1 Rashidi • 2 Nazari • 3 Eskandarian • 4 Zolfagharnassab • 5 Ghelichkhani • 6 Ghasempour • 7 Parvin • 8 Abdollahi • 9 Nouraei • 10 Rowshan • 11 Khorshidi • 12 Nayebagha • 13 Mazloomi • 14 Mirfakhraei • 15 Jahani • 16 Azizi • 17 Hejazi • Coach: Mohajerani

FIFA World Cup Squads Navigation Boxes

Iran squad – 1978 FIFA World Cup 1 Hejazi • 2 Danaeifard • 3 Fariba • 4 Bishkar • 5 Allahverdi • 6 Nayebagha • 7 Parvin • 8 Ghasempour • 9 Sadeghi • 10 Roshan • 11 Ghesghayan • 12 Mavaddat • 13 Tajmuri • 14 Nazari • 15 Eskandarian • 16 Nouraei • 17 Jahani • 18 Faraki • 19 Shojaei • 20 Abdollahi • 21 Kazerani • 22 Korbekandi • Coach: Mohajerani Iran squad – 1998 FIFA World Cup 1 Abedzadeh • 2 Mahdavikia • 3 Sadavi • 4 Khakpour • 5 Peyrovani • 6 Bagheri • 7 Mansourian • 8 Dinmohammadi • 9 Estili • 10 Daei • 11 Azizi • 12 Nakisa • 13 Latifi • 14 Mohammadkhani • 15 Ostad‑Asadi • 16 Shahroudi • 17 Zarincheh • 18 Hamedani • 19 Seraj • 20 Pashazadeh • 21 Minavand • 22 Broumand • Coach: Talebi Iran squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup 1 Mirzapour • 2 Mahdavikia • 3 Bakhtiarizadeh • 4 Golmohammadi • 5 Rezaei • 6 Nekounam • 7 Zandi • 8 Karimi • 9 Hashemian • 10 Daei • 11 Khatibi • 12 Roudbarian • 13 Kaebi • 14 Teymourian • 15 Borhani • 16 Enayati • 17 Kazemian • 18 Navidkia • 19 Sadeghi • 20 Nosrati • 21 Madanchi • 22 Talebloo • 23 Shojaei • Coach: Ivanković

Asian Games Squads Navigation Boxes

Iran squad – 1951 Asian Games 1 Aghahassani • 2 Naderi • 3 Araghi • 4 Gholizadeh • 5 Nasiroghli • 6 Afshar Naderi • 7 Afshar Alavi • 8 Fekri • 9 Hajian • 10 Bayati • 11 Azad • 12 Kouzehkanani • 13 Markarian • 14 Masoud-Ansari • 15 Boroumand  • 16 Soroudi • 17 Shakibi • Coach: Sadaghiani Iran squad – 1966 Asian Games 1 Asli • 2 Zelli • 3 Ghelichkhani • 4 H. Habibi • 5 Jasemian • 6 G. Habibi • 7 Ranjbar • 8 Talebi • 9 Arab • 10 Farzami • 11 Jabbari • 12 Aminikhah • 13 Eftekhari • 14 Saedi • 15 Esmaeili • 16 Shirzadeghan • 17 Behzadi • 18 Mirzahassan • Coach: Szűcs Iran squad – 1974 Asian Games 1 Hejazi • 2 Mavaddat • 3 Rashidi  • 4 Kashani  • 5 Ashtiani • 6 Houshangi • 7 Janmaleki  • 8 Kargar Jam • 9 Masihnia  • 10 Etemadi  • 11 Ghelichkhani  • 12 Jabbari • 13 Sadeghi  • 14 Dastjerdi  • 15 Rowshan  • 16 Jahani  • 17 Adelkhani  • 18 Mazloumi • Coach: O'Farrell Iran squad – 1990 Asian Games 1 Abedzadeh • 2 Gholampour • 3 Zarrincheh • 4 Panjali  • 5 Ghayeghran  • 6 Namjoo-Motlagh  • 7 Kermani Moghaddam • 8 Moharrami • 9 Eftekhari  • 10 Naser Mohammadkhani • 11 Pious  • 12 Shahrokh Bayani • 13 Marfavi • 14 Hassanzadeh • 15 Nader Mohammadkhani • 16 Abtahi • 17 Shahin Bayani  • 18 Ansarifard  • 19 Fonounizadeh • Coach: Parvin Iran squad – 1998 Asian Games 1 Nakisa • 2 Gholampour • 3 Babaei  • 4 Mohammadkhani  • 5 Zarrincheh  • 6 Khakpour  • 7 Navazi  • 8 Janmaleki  • 9 Hamedani  • 10 Karimi • 11 Yazdani  • 12 Fekri • 13 Mansourian  • 14 Mousavi • 15 Hashemian • 16 Mahdavikia • 17 Daei  • 18 Bagheri  • 19 Khatibi  • 20 Estili • Coach: Pourheidari Iran squad – 2002 Asian Games 1 Mirzapour • 2 Rahmati • 3 Yousefi • 4 Azizzadeh • 5 Kaebi • 6 Nikbakht • 7 Nekounam • 8 Lotfi • 9 Amirabadi • 10 Akbarpour • 11 Bayatinia • 12 Kazemian • 13 Badavi • 14 Navidkia • 15 Nosrati • 16 Mobali • 17 Hajizadeh • 18 Kameli Mofrad • 19 Golmohammadi • 20 Daei • Coach: Ivanković Iran squad – 2006 Asian Games 1 Roudbarian • 2 Haghighi  • 3 Borhani  • 4 Oladi  • 5 Kolahkaj  • 6 Mohammad Nouri  • 7 Heidari • 8 Yavarzadeh • 9 Zare • 10 Akbari  • 11 Hosseini • 12 Milad Nouri  • 13 Montazeri • 14 Gholamin  • 15 Mahani  • 16 Khorsandi • 17 Chahjouei  • 18 Arzani • 19 Pouladi • Coach: Simões

AFC Asian Cup Squads Navigation Boxes

Iran squad - 1976 AFC Asian Cup Winners (2nd Title) GK Rashidi • GK Asgarkhani • DF Nazari • DF Zolfagharnasab • DF Abdollahi • DF Eskandarian • DF Nayebagha • DF Mirfakhrae • MF Parvin • MF Ghelichkhani • MF Ghasempour • MF Sadeghi • MF Azizi • MF Shahbandari • FW Khorshidi • FW Nouraei • FW Mazloomi • FW Rowshan • Coach: Mohajerani Iran squad - 1992 AFC Asian Cup GK Abedzadeh • DF Zarincheh • DF Moharrami • DF Hassanzadeh • DF Mohammadkhani • MF Fonoonizadeh • MF Ghayeghran • MF Abtahi • FW Shahmohammadi • FW Kermani-Moghaddam • FW Pious • FW Marfavi • FW Ashoori • MF Bayani • FW Modir Roosta • MF Estili • DF Khakpour • GK Gholampour • GK Ghelich • Coach: Parvin Iran squad - 1996 AFC Asian Cup Third Place GK Abedzadeh • DF Saadavi • DF Ostad-Asadi • MF Bagheri • DF Peyrovani • MF Dinmohammadi • MF Mansourian • DF Moharrami  • MF Estili • FW Daei • FW Azizi • MF Mahdavikia • DF Khakpour • DF Falahatzadeh • FW Yousefi • MF Yazdani • MF Mousavi • GK Nakisa • MF Mirzaostovari • MF Minavand • Coach: Mayelikohan Iran squad - 2000 AFC Asian Cup MF Mahdavikia • DF Hasheminasab • DF Bakhtiarizadeh • MF Bagheri • MF Kavianpour • MF Hamedani • MF Estili • FW Daei • FW Azizi • GK Broumand • MF Seyed Abbasi • DF Navazi • FW Halali • FW Hashemian • MF Emamifar • MF Yazdani • FW Karimi • DF Rahbarifar • GK Fanaei • GK Vaezi • MF Minavand • DF Mahdavi • Coach: Talebi Iran squad - 2004 AFC Asian Cup Third Place GK Mirzapour • FW Mahdavikia • MF Amirabadi • DF Golmohammadi • DF Rezaei • MF Nekounam • MF Kavianpour • MF Karimi • FW Daei • GK Roudbarian • DF Kaebi • FW Borhani • DF Taghipour • FW Enayati • MF Mobali • DF Badavi • DF Kameli • DF Nosrati • GK Rahmati • MF Alavi • DF Zare • MF Majidi • Coach: Ivanković Iran squad - 2007 AFC Asian Cup 1 Roudbarian • 2 Mahdavikia • 3 Sadeghi • 4 Teymourian • 5 Rezaei • 6 Nekounam • 7 Zandi • 8 Karimi • 9 Hashemian • 10 Khatibi • 11 Madanchi • 12 Hosseini • 13 Kaebi • 14 Mobali • 15 Aghili • 16 Enayati • 17 Kazemian • 18 Rajabzadeh • 19 Sadeghi • 20 Nosrati • 22 Talebloo • 24 Shojaei • 30 Rahmati • Coach: Ghalenoei

Football in Iran Iran Football Federation     League Comp. Persian Gulf Cup Azadegan League (2 groups) 2nd Division (2 groups) 3rd Division (8 groups) Team Melli (M, W) Omid U-23 Javanan U-20 Nojavanan U-17 League system Champions Foreign Players List of clubs List of venues Top Scorers (All-time, Seasons) Cup Competitions Hazfi Cup Super Cup

National football teams of Iran
Senior: Men's (Team Melli) (2006, 2007, 2008) | Women's (Zanân) (2008)  Youth: Men's U23 (Omid) | Men's U20 (Javânân) | Men's U17 (Nojavânân)
International football
FIFA · World Cup · Confederations Cup · U-20 World Cup · U-17 World Cup Olympics · Asian Games · All-Africa Games · Pan American Games · Island Games · Minor Tournaments World Rankings · Player of the Year · Teams · Competitions · Organizations · Codes
Asia AFC - Asian Cup Africa CAF - Africa Cup of Nations North America CONCACAF - Gold Cup South America CONMEBOL - Copa América Oceania OFC - Nations Cup Europe UEFA - European Championship Non-FIFA NF-Board - Viva World Cup
National football teams of Asia (AFC)
Afghanistan | Australia | Bahrain | Bangladesh | Bhutan | Brunei | Cambodia | China PR | Chinese Taipei | Guam | Hong Kong* | India | Indonesia | Iran | Iraq | Japan | Jordan | Korea DPR | Korea Republic | Kuwait | Kyrgyzstan | Laos | Lebanon | Macau* | Malaysia | Maldives | Mongolia | Myanmar | Nepal | Oman | Pakistan | Palestine | Philippines | Qatar | Saudi Arabia | Singapore | Sri Lanka | Syria | Tajikistan | Thailand | Timor-Leste | Turkmenistan | United Arab Emirates | Uzbekistan | Vietnam | Yemen * FIFA and AFC use Hong Kong and Macau; the EAFF uses Hong Kong, China and Macau, China.
1978 FIFA World Cup finalists
Champions: Argentina Runners-up: Netherlands Third place: Brazil  Fourth place: Italy  Eliminated in second round: Austria • Peru • Poland • West Germany Eliminated in group stage: France • Hungary • Iran • Mexico • Scotland • Spain • Sweden • Tunisia
1998 FIFA World Cup finalists
Champions: France Runners-up: Brazil Third place: Croatia Fourth place: Netherlands Eliminated in quarter-finals: Argentina • Denmark • Germany • Italy Eliminated in round of 16: Chile • England • Mexico • Nigeria • Norway • Paraguay • Romania • Yugoslavia Eliminated in group stage: Austria • Belgium • Bulgaria • Cameroon • Colombia • Iran • Jamaica • Japan • Korea Republic • Morocco • Scotland • Saudi Arabia • South Africa • Spain • Tunisia • USA
2006 FIFA World Cup finalists
Champions: Italy Runners-up: France Third place: Germany  Fourth place: Portugal  Eliminated in quarter-finals: Argentina • Brazil • England • Ukraine Eliminated in round of 16: Australia • Ecuador • Ghana • Mexico • Netherlands • Spain • Sweden • Switzerland Eliminated in group stage: Angola • Costa Rica • Côte d'Ivoire • Croatia • Czech Republic • Iran • Japan • Korea Republic • Paraguay • Poland • Saudi Arabia • Serbia & Montenegro • Togo • Trinidad and Tobago • Tunisia • United States