| Nickname(s) | Team melli (Persian: تیم ملی) "The National Team" |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Fedrasion-e Futball-e Irān (FFIRI) |
|||
| Confederation | AFC (Asia) | |||
| Head coach | Carlos Queiroz[1][2] | |||
| Asst coach | António Simões Omid Namazi Dan Gaspar |
|||
| Captain | Javad Nekounam | |||
| Most caps | Ali Daei (149) | |||
| Top scorer | Ali Daei (109) | |||
| Home stadium | Azadi Stadium | |||
| FIFA code | IRN | |||
| FIFA ranking | 45 | |||
| Highest FIFA ranking | 15 (July 2005) | |||
| Lowest FIFA ranking | 122 (May 1996) | |||
| Elo ranking | 31 | |||
| Highest Elo ranking | 15 (May 2005) | |||
| Lowest Elo ranking | 73 (January 1964) | |||
|
||||
| First international | ||||
| non-FIFA International Afghanistan 0 – 0 Iran (Kabul, Afghanistan; August 25, 1941 [3]) FIFA International Turkey 6 – 1 Iran (Istanbul, Turkey; May 28, 1950 [4]) |
||||
| Biggest win | ||||
| Iran 19 – 0 Guam (Tabriz, Iran; November 24, 2000 [5]) |
||||
| Biggest defeat | ||||
| Turkey 6 – 1 Iran (Istanbul, Turkey; May 28, 1950) South Korea 5 – 0 Iran (Tokyo, Japan; May 28, 1958 [6]) |
||||
| World Cup | ||||
| Appearances | 3 (First in 1978) | |||
| Best result | Round 1, 1978, 1998, 2006 | |||
| AFC Asian Cup | ||||
| Appearances | 12 (First in 1968) | |||
| Best result | Winners, 1968, 1972, 1976 | |||
The national football team of Iran (Persian: تیم ملی فوتبال ایران) represents Iran in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran. The national football team of Iran, known as the Team Melli, ranks 4th in Asia and 42nd in the world according to the current FIFA World Rankings.[7]
Contents |
The very first match that the Team Melli played was on August 25, 1941 away at Afghanistan and first FIFA international Iran's match was on May 28, 1950 away at Turkey.[4]
Iran has won the Asian Cup three consecutive times (1968, 1972, 1976), a championship record to which the team has not been able to add since, although they have finished third four times.
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.[8] However, they managed to create a surprise[9] by drawing 1–1 against Scotland with a late Iraj Danaeifard goal.[10]
After the 1979 Revolution, football was somewhat neglected and cast aside. During the 1980s, the Iranian national team did not feature in World Cup competitions due to the Iran–Iraq War (1980–88) and domestic football suffered the inevitable effects of conflict. The national team withdrew from the Asian qualifiers for the 1982 World Cup, and refused to participate in the qualifiers for the 1986 World Cup because of having to play on neutral ground. The war and political upheavals left Iran without major club competitions until 1989 when the Qods League was established. A year later, the Qods League was renamed the Azadegan League. Despite failing to qualify for either the 1990 or the 1994 World Cups, it was during this period that a number of quality players burst onto the Iranian football scene, laying the foundation for their second stab at World Cup glory in 1998.[11] Iran could count on new talents such as Ali Daei, Mehdi Mahdavikia, Khodadad Azizi, Karim Bagheri and also its goal keeper, Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh.
| Iran lineup during the 1998 World Cup |
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.[12]
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.[11]
Iran recorded their first World Cup victory in the second game,[10] 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.[13] Following defeat with Iran the United States were eliminated from the World Cup.[14]
Iran played against Germany in the third game. The game was lost 2–0. The goals were scored by Bierhoff and Klinsmann.[15] The one win and two losses meant Iran became third in the final group standing and failed to make it to the next round.[16]
Iran failed to qualify for World Cup 2002 after an aggregate defeat to the Republic of Ireland, losing 2–0 in Dublin and winning 1–0 in Tehran. The elimination saw manager Miroslav Blažević step down from the top spot to be replaced by his assistant Branko Ivanković, who stepped up from assistant coach.
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.
In November 2006, Iran was suspended by FIFA from all participation in international football, on the grounds of governmental interference in the national football association.[17] The ban lasted less than a month,[18] and as a dispensation was given to allow the Iran under-23 team to participate in the football competition of the 2006 Asian Games,[19] fixtures were unaffected.
Iran was in the same FIFA World Cup qualifying group as Kuwait, Syria and United Arab Emirates. They played home and away against each of the other three teams in 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.[20] Ali Daei got ejected from his position as the Iranian national coach on March 29, 2009.[21] He was replaced by Afshin Ghotbi. Iran failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup after ranking 4th overall in its group.[22]
Iran renewed the contract with Afshin Ghotbi till the end of 2011 AFC Asian Cup and the team qualified to the tournament with 13 points as the group winners.
Several Iranian players started the match wearing green armbands or wristbands, a symbol of protest at the outcome of the Iranian presidential election.[23] Most removed them at half-time. The newspaper Iran reported that Ali Karimi, Mehdi Mahdavikia, Hosein Kaebi, and Vahid Hashemian had received life bans from the Iranian FA for the gesture.[24] However, the Iranian FA denied this claim in a response to FIFA's inquiry saying that "the comments in foreign media are nothing but lies and a mischievous act."[25] The Iran national team head coach Afshin Ghotbi also confirmed that it was a rumour and Iranian FA "has not taken any official stand on this issue."[26]
Afshin Ghotbi was able to qualify for 2011 Asian Cup and finished second in West Asian Football Federation Championship 2010 just few months before the 2011 Asian Cup. Iran was able to gain all the three points in group stage of the 2011 Asian Cup but after the extra time goal from Korea Republic Iran was not able to get to the semifinals and left the competition. Iran appointed Carlos Queiroz as their new head coach in April 2011.
The 3–1 defeat by Bahrain came as a surprise. This in turn brought upon Iran's failure to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. There were allegations that the authorities pressured the players to lose. It was later denied by Safaei. Nevertheless, up to this day, many fans of 'Team Melli' continue to speculate whether the defeat was of legitimate causes or whether some authorities behind the curtain had brought on the defeat on purpose.[27]
During the final game of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against the South Korean national football team held in Seoul on June 17, 2009, seven members of the team, Javad Nekounam, Ali Karimi, Mehdi Mahdavikia, Hosein Kaebi, Masoud Shojaei, Mohammad Nosrati, and Vahid Hashemian, wore green wristbands in support of the opposition candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi in the 2009 Iranian election protests.
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. The government restricts Iranian women from attending football matches such as the ones held in Azadi stadium.
The table below shows the history of kit providers for the national football team of Iran.
| Period | Kit Manufacturer |
|---|---|
| 1993–1998 | Shekari |
| 1998–2000 | Puma |
| 2000–2004 | Shekari |
| 2004–2006 | Daei Sport |
| 2006–2007 | Puma |
| 2007–2009 | Majid |
| 2009–2010 | Daei Sport |
| 2010–2011 | Legea |
| 2011– | Uhlsport |
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 pre and post match analysis with full agundi commentary.
| World Cup Finals | World Cup Qualifications | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hosts/Year | Result | Position | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA | Squad | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA | |
| 1930 to 1970 | Did not enter | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1974 | Did not qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 6 | |
| 1978 | Round 1 | 14th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | Squad | 12 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 3 | |
| 1982 | Withdrew | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1986 | Disqualified | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1990 | Did not qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 5 | |
| 1994 | Did not qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 23 | 13 | |
| 1998 | Round 1 | 20th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | Squad | 17 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 57 | 17 | |
| | 2002 | Did not qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 36 | 9 | |
| 2006 | Round 1 | 25th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | Squad | 12 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 29 | 7 | |
| 2010 | Did not qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 14 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 15 | 9 | |
| 2014 | To be determined | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 3 | |||||||||
| Total | - | 3/19 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 18 | - | 100 | 60 | 26 | 14 | 221 | 72 | |
| AFC Asian Cup Finals | Asian Cup Qualifications | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hosts/Year | Result | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA | |
| 1956 | Did Not Enter | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1960 | Did not qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 10 | |
| 1964 | Withdrew | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1968 | Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | Automatic qualification as hosts | ||||||
| 1972 | Champions | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 4 | Automatic qualification as champions | ||||||
| 1976 | Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | Automatic qualification as hosts | ||||||
| 1980 | Third place | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 6 | Automatic qualification as champions | ||||||
| 1984 | Fourth place | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 2 | |
| 1988 | Third place | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | |
| 1992 | Round 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| 1996 | Third place | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 1 | |
| 2000 | Quarterfinals | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 2 | |
| 2004 | Third place | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 5 | |
| 2007 | Quarterfinals | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 2 | |
| 2011 | Quarterfinals | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2015 | To Be Determined | |||||||||||||
| Total | 3 Titles | 58 | 34 | 17 | 7 | 112 | 41 | 47 | 35 | 7 | 5 | 131 | 25 | |
| Olympic Games Finals | Olympic Games Qualifications | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hosts/Year | Result | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA | Squad | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA | |
| 1900 to 1960 | Did not enter | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1964 | Round 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | Squad | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 3 | |
| 1968 | Did not enter | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1972 | Round 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 9 | Squad | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1976 | Quarter Finals | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | Squad | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | |
| 1980 | Qualified but boycotted the event | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 2 | |
| 1984 | Did not enter due to boycott | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1988 | Did not qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| Total | Best: Quarter Finals | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 20 | - | 22 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 48 | 8 | |
| Host nation(s) / Year | Result | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Delhi 1951 | Runners-Up | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Manila 1954 | Did not enter | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Tokyo 1958 | Round 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| Jakarta 1962 | Did not enter | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Bangkok 1966 | Runners-Up | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 6 |
| Bangkok 1970 | Round 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Tehran 1974 | Champions | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 |
| Bangkok 1978 | Withdrew | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| New Delhi 1982 | Quarterfinals | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Seoul 1986 | Quarterfinals | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 2 |
| Beijing 1990 | Champions | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| Hirosima 1994 | Round 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Bangkok 1998 | Champions | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 7 |
| Total | 3 Titles | 47 | 30 | 5 | 12 | 86 | 34 |
| Year | Round | Pld | W | D | L | GS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Champions | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| 2002 | Third Place | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| 2004 | Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 3 |
| 2007 | Champions | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| 2008 | Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 |
| 2010 | Runner Up | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 5 |
| 2012 | |||||||
| Total | 4 Titles | 25 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 54 | 15 |
| Year | Round |
|---|---|
| 1965 | Champions |
| 1967 | Runners-Up |
| 1969 | Runners-Up |
| 1970 | Champions |
| 1974 | Runners-Up |
| 1993 | Champions |
| Year | Round |
|---|---|
| 1997 | Champions |
| 2002 | Runners-Up |
| 2005 | Third place |
see Iran national football team results
see Iran national football team results – 2010s
Win Draw Loss
All matches in last year:
| Date | Competition | Location | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | |||
| February 2012 [28] | Friendly | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Côte d'Ivoire |
| 29 February 2012 [28] | 2014 WCQ | Tehran, Iran | Qatar |
| Between 20 November 2012 and 23 December 2012 [29] 2012 West Asian Football Federation Championship |
|||
| 2013 | |||
| 2013[30][31] | Friendly | Tehran, Iran | Italy |
*FIFA International match days [32]
| Manager | career | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win % | Honours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalal Talebi | 2000–2001 | 21 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 61.90 | Quarterfinals at 2000 Asian Cup |
| Miroslav Blažević | 2001–2002 | 19 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 52.63 | |
| Branko Ivanković | 2002–2006 | 52 | 33 | 10 | 9 | 63.46 | Third place at 2004 Asian Cup Qualification to 2006 WC |
| Amir Ghalenoei | 2006–2007 | 17 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 58.82 | Quarterfinals at 2007 Asian Cup |
| Ali Daei | 2008–2009 | 24 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 62.50 | |
| Afshin Ghotbi | 2009–2011 | 30 | 16 | 6 | 8 | 53.33 | Quarterfinals at 2011 Asian Cup |
| Carlos Queiroz | 2011– | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 77.78 |
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Carlos Queiroz |
| Assistant Coach | António Simões |
| Assistant Coach | Omid Namazi |
| Goalkeeper Coach | Dan Gaspar |
| Fitness Trainer | Mick McDermott |
| Scout | Markar Aghajanian |
The following 24 players were called up by Carlos Queiroz for the World Cup Qualifiers against Bahrain on 11 November 2011 and Indonesia on 15 November 2011.
Caps and goals updated as of 15 November 2011.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The following players have also been called up to the Iran squad within the last twelve months:
| Name | Date of Birth (Age) | Club | Caps (Goals) | Debut | Most Recent Callup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||
| Misagh Memarzadeh | 9 January 1983 | Persepolis | 0 (0) | v. | v. South Korea, 22 January 2011 |
| Ebrahim Mirzapour | 9 April 1978 | Shahrdari Tabriz | 75 (0) | v. Bosnia and Herzegovina, July 2001 | v. South Korea, 22 January 2011 |
| Defenders | |||||
| Khosro Heydari | 14 September 1983 | Esteghlal | 33 (0) | v. Palestine, 2007 | v. Bahrain, 11 October 2011 |
| Mohsen Bengar | 11 June 1979 | Sepahan | 12 (0) | v. Belarus, 20 August 2003 | v. South Korea, 22 January 2011 |
| Farshid Talebi | 8 December 1981 | Zob Ahan | 2 (0) | v. Uzbekistan, 5 September 2009 | v. South Korea, 22 January 2011 |
| Hashem Beikzadeh | 22 January 1984 | Sepahan | 12 (1) | v. United Arab Emirates, August 2006 | v. Brazil, 7 October 2010 |
| Abouzar Rahimi | 17 September 1981 | Damash Gilan | 0 (0) | v. | v. Angola, 2 January 2011 |
| Midfielders | |||||
| Mehrzad Madanchi | 10 January 1985 | Al-Shaab | 42 (8) | v. Belarus, 20 August 2003 | v. Thailand, 3 March 2010 |
| Farzad Ashoubi | 6 April 1980 | Tractor Sazi | 9 (0) | v. Iraq, June 2007 | v. Brazil, 7 October 2010 |
| Masoud Shojaei | 9 June 1984 | Osasuna | 37 (4) | v. Laos, 17 November 2004 | v. United Arab Emirates, 19 January 2010 |
| Pejman Nouri | 13 July 1980 | Emirates | 39 (3) | v. Iraq, 12 August 2003 | v. Palestine, 5 October 2011 |
| Forwards | |||||
| Mohammad Gholami | 13 February 1983 | Damash Gilan | 13 (2) | v. China PR, 3 September 2010 | v. South Korea, 22 January 2011 |
| Ashkan Dejagah | 5 July 1986 | VfL Wolfsburg | 0 (0) | v. | v. |
| Reza Ghoochannejhad | 20 September 1987 | Sint-Truiden | 0 (0) | v. | v. |
As of 15 November 2011[update], the players with the most caps for Iran are:
| # | Name | Career | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ali Daei | 1993–2006 | 149 | 109 |
| 2 | Javad Nekounam* | 2000–Present | 124 | 30 |
| 3 | Ali Karimi* | 1998–Present | 118 | 37 |
| 4 | Mehdi Mahdavikia | 1996–2009 | 111 | 12 |
| 5 | Hossein Kaebi* | 2002–Present | 89 | 2 |
| 6 | Karim Bagheri | 1993–2010 | 87 | 50 |
| 7 | Hamid Reza Estili | 1990–2000 | 82 | 12 |
| 8 | Javad Zarincheh | 1987–2000 | 80 | 1 |
| 9 | Mohammad Nosrati* | 2002–present | 80 | 5 |
| 10 | Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh | 1987–1998 | 79 | 0 |
The records are collected based on data from FIFA and RSSSF.
* denotes a player still playing or available for selection.
As of 15 November 2011[update], the players with the most goals for Iran are:
| # | Name | Career | Goals | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ali Daei | 1993–2006 | 109 | 149 |
| 2 | Karim Bagheri | 1993–2010 | 50 | 87 |
| 3 | Ali Karimi* | 1998–Present | 37 | 118 |
| 4 | Javad Nekounam* | 2000–Present | 30 | 124 |
| 5 | Gholam Hossein Mazloomi | 1969–1977 | 19 | 40 |
| = | Farshad Pious | 1984–1994 | 19 | 34 |
| 7 | Ali Asghar Modir Roosta | 1990–1998 | 18 | 32 |
| 8 | Vahid Hashemian | 1998–2009 | 15 | 50 |
| 9 | Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht* | 2000–2008 | 14 | 77 |
| 10 | Mehdi Mahdavikia | 1996–2009 | 13 | 111 |
| = | Ali Parvin | 1970–1980 | 13 | 76 |
| = | Hassan Rowshan | 1974–1980 | 13 | 39 |
| 13 | Parviz Ghelichkhani | 1964–1977 | 12 | 64 |
| = | Hamid Reza Estili | 1990–2000 | 12 | 82 |
| 15 | Gholamreza Rezaei | 2008–Present | 11 | 44 |
| 16 | Hadi Aghily | 2006–Present | 10 | 62 |
| = | Karim Bavi | 1986–1989 | 10 | 23 |
| = | Farhad Majidi | 1996–2011 | 10 | 45 |
The records are collected based on data from FIFA and RSSSF.
*denotes a player still playing or available for selection.
As of 15 November 2011
| # | Reign | Player | Caps (Goals) | Years Active | Matches As Captain(Goals) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1996–1998 | Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh | 79 (0) | 1988–1998 | ?(0) |
| 2 | 1998–1999 | Nader Mohammadkhani | 64 (4) | 1988–1999 | ?(?) |
| 3 | 1999–2000 | Hamid Reza Estili | 82 (12) | 1990–2000 | ?(?) |
| 4 | 2000–2006 | Ali Daei | 149 (109) | 1993–2006 | 74(44) |
| 5 | 2006–2009 | Mehdi Mahdavikia | 111 (13) | 1996–2009 | 20(1) |
| 6 | 2009–Present | Javad Nekounam | 124 (30) | 2000–Present | 25(9) |
| # | Matches As Captain | Player | World Cup Played As A Captain(Goals) | Years Active | Caps(Goals) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3(0) | Ali Parvin | Argentina 1978 | 1970–1980 | 76(13) |
| 2 | 2(0) | Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh | France 1998 | 1987–1998 | 79(0) |
| 3 | 2(0) | Ali Daei | Germany 2006 | 1993–2006 | 149(109) |
| # | Matches As Captain | Player | Asian Cup Played As A Captain | Years Active | Caps(Goals) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 (0)[33] | Hassan Habibi | Iran 1968 | 1958–1970 | 31 (0) |
| 2 | 4 (0)[34] | Mostafa Arab | Thailand 1972 | 1959–1972 | 48 (2) |
| 3 | 3 (0)[35] | Parviz Ghelichkhani | Iran 1976 | 1964–1977 | 64 (12) |
| 4 | 5 (0)[36] | Nasser Hejazi | Kuwait 1980 | 1968–1980 | 62 (0) |
| 5 | 6 (0)[37] | Mohammad Panjali | Singapore 1984 | 1978–1991 | 45 (0) |
| 6 | 6 (0)[38] | Sirous Ghayeghran | Qatar 1988 | 1986–1992 | 40 (6) |
| 7 | 3 (0)[39] | Sirous Ghayeghran | Japan 1992 | 1986–1992 | 40 (6) |
| 8 | 1 (0)[40] | Mojtaba Moharrami | UAE 1996 | 1988–1996 | 37 (5) |
| 9 | 4 (2)[41] | Hamid Reza Estili | Lebanon 2000 | 1990–2000 | 82 (12) |
| 10 | 6 (3) | Ali Daei | China 2004 | 1993–2006 | 149 (109) |
| 11 | 4 (0) | Mehdi Mahdavikia | Asian Cup 2007 | 1996–2009 | 111 (13) |
| 12 | 3 (0) | Javad Nekounam | Qatar 2011 | 2000– | 123 (29) |
†Young teams were favoured by AFC and the IOC, and since 2002 male competitors must be under 23 years old, with three over-23 players allowed per squad.
* as B Team
| Preceded by 1964 Israel |
Asian Champions 1968 (First title) 1972 (Second title) 1976 (Third title) |
Succeeded by 1980 Kuwait |
| Preceded by Myanmar South Korea |
Asian Games Champions 1974 (First title) |
Succeeded by North Korea South Korea |
| Preceded by South Korea |
Asian Games Champions 1990 (Second title) |
Succeeded by Uzbekistan |
| Preceded by Uzbekistan |
Asian Games Champions 1998 (Third title) 2002 (Fourth title) |
Succeeded by Qatar |
| Preceded by Inaugural Champions |
WAFF Champions 2000(First title) |
Succeeded by 2002 Iraq |
| Preceded by 2002 Iraq |
WAFF Champions 2004 (Second title) 2007 (Third title) 2008 (Fourth title) |
Succeeded by 2010 Kuwait |
| 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 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||