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Iran national football team

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Iran
ایران
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Team melli
(Template:Lang-fa)
"The National Team"
Persian Stars
Lion Hearts
AssociationFFIRI
ConfederationAFC
Head coachAfshin Ghotbi
CaptainJavad Nekounam
Most capsAli Daei (149)
Top scorerAli Daei (109)
Home stadiumAzadi Stadium
FIFA codeIRN
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current57
Highest15 (July 2005)
Lowest122 (May 1996)
First international
 Afghanistan 0 - 0 Iran Iran
(Kabul, Afghanistan; August 25, 1941)
Biggest win
Iran Iran 19 - 0 Guam 
(Tabriz, Iran; November 24, 2000[1])
Biggest defeat
 Turkey 6 - 1 Iran Iran
(Istanbul, Turkey; May 28, 1950)
 South Korea 5 - 0 Iran Iran
(Tokyo, Japan; May 28, 1958)
 Hungary 5 - 0 Iran Iran
(Nuremberg, Germany; August 27, 1972)
World Cup
Appearances3 (first in 1978)
Best resultRound 1, 1978, 1998, 2006
AFC Asian Cup
Appearances11 (first in 1968)
Best resultWinners, 1968, 1972, 1976

The national football team of Iran (Template:Lang-fa) 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 57th in the world according to the current FIFA World Rankings.[2]

History

Early years

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.[3]

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.

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.[4] However, they managed to create a surprise[5] by drawing 1-1 against Scotland with a late Iraj Danaeifard goal.[6]

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 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.[7] Iran could count on new talents such as Ali Daei, Mehdi Mahdavikia, Khodadad Azizi, Karim Bagheri and also its goal keeper, Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh.

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.[8]

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,[6] 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]

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 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.

2006 FIFA-World Cup in Germany

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

2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa

Additional information: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - AFC Fourth Round

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.[16] Ali Daei got ejected from his position as the Iranian national coach on March 29, 2009.[17] He was replaced by Afshin Ghotbi. Iran failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup after ranking 4th overall in its group.[18]

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.

2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification

Group E

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Iran 6 4 1 1 11 2 +9 13
 Jordan 6 2 2 2 4 4 0 8
 Thailand 6 1 3 2 3 3 0 6
 Singapore 6 2 0 4 6 15 −9 6


Political Protests

Bahrain-Iran, 21 October 2001

The 3-1 defeat by Bahrain came as a surprise. There were allegations that the authorities pressured the players to lose. It was later denied by Safaei.[19]

Presidential Election Protests, 2009

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.

Home stadium

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. The government restricts Iranian women from attending football matches such as the ones held in Azadi stadium.

Kit

Iran's current jersey is provided by Legea. The table below shows the history of kit providers for the national football team of Iran.

Period Kit Manufacturer
1978 Adidas
1980 Puma
1993 Shekari
1997 Saipa
1998–2000 Puma
2001–2006 Shekari
2006–2007 Puma
2007–2009 Daei Sport
2009–2010 Majid
2010–2015 Legea[20]

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 broadcasted with full commentary.

Tournament records

World Cup record

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 - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
West Germany 1974 Did not qualify - - - - - - - - 8 5 1 2 9 6
Argentina 1978 Round 1 14th 3 0 1 2 2 8 Squad 12 10 2 0 20 3
Spain 1982 Withdrew - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Mexico 1986 Disqualified - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Italy 1990 Did not qualify - - - - - - - - 6 5 0 1 12 5
United States 1994 Did not qualify - - - - - - - - 11 5 3 3 23 13
France 1998 Round 1 20th 3 1 0 2 2 4 Squad 17 8 6 3 57 17
South Korea|Japan 2002 Did not qualify - - - - - - - - 14 9 3 2 36 9
Germany 2006 Round 1 25th 3 0 1 2 2 6 Squad 12 9 1 2 29 7
South Africa 2010 Did not qualify - - - - - - - - 14 5 8 1 15 9
Total - 3/19 9 1 2 6 6 18 - 94 56 24 14 201 69

Olympic Games record

Olympic Games Finals Olympic Games Qualifications
Hosts/Year Result GP W D* L GS GA Squad GP W D* L GS GA
National Team
1900 to 1960 Did not enter - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Japan 1964 Round 1 3 0 1 2 1 6 Squad 6 4 1 1 14 3
Mexico 1968 Did not enter - - - - - - - - - - - - -
West Germany 1972 Round 1 3 1 0 2 1 9 Squad 5 3 2 0 6 0
Canada 1976 Quarter Finals 3 1 0 2 4 5 Squad 4 3 1 0 8 1
Soviet Union 1980 Qualified but boycotted the event - - - - - - - 5 3 2 0 18 2
United States 1984 Did not enter due to boycott - - - - - - - - - - - - -
South Korea 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
  • Young teams were favoured by FIFA and the IOC, and since 1992 male competitors must be under 23 years old, with three over-23 players allowed per squad

Asian Cup record

AFC Asian Cup Finals Asian Cup Qualifications
Hosts/Year Result GP W D* L GS GA GP W D* L GS GA
Hong Kong 1956 Did Not Enter - - - - - - - - - - - -
South Korea 1960 Did not qualify - - - - - - 6 3 1 2 12 10
Israel 1964 Withdrew - - - - - - - - - - - -
Iran 1968 Champions 4 4 0 0 11 2 Automatic qualification as hosts
Thailand 1972 Champions 5 5 0 0 12 4 Automatic qualification as champions
Iran 1976 Champions 4 4 0 0 13 0 Automatic qualification as hosts
Kuwait 1980 Third place 6 3 2 1 16 6 Automatic qualification as champions
Singapore 1984 Fourth place 6 2 4 0 8 3 5 5 0 0 21 2
Qatar 1988 Third place 6 2 2 2 3 4 4 2 2 0 6 1
Japan 1992 Round 1 3 1 1 1 2 1 2 2 0 0 10 0
United Arab Emirates 1996 Third place 6 3 2 1 14 6 6 6 0 0 27 1
Lebanon 2000 Quarterfinals 4 2 1 1 7 3 6 4 1 1 16 2
China 2004 Third place 6 3 3 0 14 8 6 5 0 1 16 5
IndonesiaMalaysiaThailandVietnam 2007 Quarterfinals 4 2 2 0 6 3 6 4 2 0 12 2
Qatar 2011 Qualified - - - - - - 6 4 1 1 11 2
Total 3 Titles 54 31 17 6 106 40 47 35 7 5 131 25
*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
*Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

Asian Games record

Host nation(s) / Year Result GP W D* L GS GA
National Team
India New Delhi 1951 Runners-Up 3 2 0 1 2 1
Philippines Manila 1954 Did not enter - - - - - -
Japan Tokyo 1958 Round 1 2 0 0 2 0 9
Indonesia Jakarta 1962 Did not enter - - - - - -
Thailand Bangkok 1966 Runners-Up 7 4 0 3 9 6
Thailand Bangkok 1970 Round 1 2 0 1 1 2 3
Iran Tehran 1974 Champions 7 7 0 0 20 1
Thailand Bangkok 1978 Withdrew - - - - - -
India New Delhi 1982 Quarterfinals 4 2 0 2 3 2
South Korea Seoul 1986 Quarterfinals 5 3 1 1 13 2
China Beijing 1990 Champions 5 4 1 0 7 1
JapanHirosima 1994 Round 1 4 1 2 1 5 2
Thailand Bangkok 1998 Champions 8 7 0 1 25 7
Total 3 Titles 47 30 5 12 86 34

West Asian Football Federation Championship record

Year Round Pld W D L GS GA
Jordan 2000 Champions 5 4 1 0 7 1
Syria 2002 Third Place 4 1 2 1 4 3
Iran 2004 Champions 4 4 0 0 17 3
Jordan 2007 Champions 4 3 1 0 5 1
Iran 2008 Champions 4 4 0 0 13 2
Jordan 2010 Runner Up 4 2 1 1 8 5
Total 4 Titles 25 18 5 2 54 15

RCD Cup/ECO Cup record

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

West Asian Games

Year Round
Iran 1997 Champions
Kuwait 2002 Runners-Up
Qatar 2005 Third place
Iran 2010 Qualified

Results and fixtures

see Iran national football team results

Previous matches

Last five matches:

Date Venue Opponent Competition Result Iranian scorers
24 September 2010 Jordan Amman  Bahrain WAFF 2010 3-0 W 36',38' Aghili ,47' Oladi
28 September 2010 Jordan Amman  Oman WAFF 2010 2-2 D 17' Meydavoudi ,53' Teymourian
1 October 2010 Jordan Amman  Iraq WAFF 2010 2-1 W 59' Hosseini ,84' Gholami
3 October 2010 Jordan Amman  Kuwait WAFF 2010 1-2 L 95' Meydavoudi
7 October 2010 United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi  Brazil Friendly 3-0 L

Forthcoming matches

Date Competition Location Opponent
28 December 2010 Friendly United Arab Emirates Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi  Qatar
11 January 2011 2011 Asian Cup Qatar Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Qatar  Iraq
15 January 2011 2011 Asian Cup Qatar Qatar SC Stadium, Qatar  North Korea
19 January 2011 2011 Asian Cup Qatar Qatar SC Stadium, Qatar  United Arab Emirates
9 February 2011 Friendly United Arab Emirates Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi  Russia [21]

Records versus other nations

Managers

# Name Nat Period Matches Wins Draws Losses Win % Honours
1 Sadaghiani Iran Aug 1941– Sep 1948 2 0 1 1 0%
2 Gibel England Sep 1948– Sep 1949 1 0 1 0 0%
3 Sadaghiani Iran Sep 1949– Dec 1950 4 2 1 1 50%
4 Mostafa Salimi Iran Jan 1951– Mar 1956 5 2 2 1 40% Silver Medal at 1951 Asian Games
5 Masayufskei Austria Mar 1956– Aug 1957 0 0 0 0 0%
6 Mészáros Hungary Aug 1957– Dec 1959 8 3 1 4 37%
7 Hossein Fekri Iran Dec 1961– Mar 1966 19 9 5 5 47% Qualification to 1964 Summer Olympics
8 György Szűcs Hungary Mar 1966– Dec 1966 7 4 0 3 57% Silver Medal at 1966 Asian Games
9 Hossein Fekri Iran Jan 1967– Feb 1968 2 1 0 1 50%
10 Mahmoud Bayati Iran Mar 1968– Jun 1968 4 4 0 0 100% Winner of 1968 Asian Cup
11 Zdravko Rajkov Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Jul 1968– May 1970 2 1 0 1 50%
12 Bayati Iran Jun 1970– Sep 1970 2 1 1 0 50%
13 Igor Netto Soviet Union Oct 1970– Dec 1970 2 0 1 1 0%
14 Parviz Dehdari Iran Jan 1971– Apr 1972 4 3 0 1 75% Winner of 1971 Cyrus International Tournament
15 Ranjbar Iran May 1972- Jun 1972 12 6 3 3 50% Winner of 1972 Asian Cup
16 Mahmoud Bayati Iran Jul 1972– Mar 1974 14 7 2 5 50%
17 Frank O'Farrell Republic of Ireland Apr 1974– Apr 1976 15 10 2 3 75% Gold Medal at 1974 Asian Games, Winner of 1974 Iran International Tournament, Qualification to 1976 Summer Olympics
18 Mohajerani Iran 5 May 1976– Dec 1978 35 17 10 8 48% Winner of 1976 Asian Cup, Quarter Finals of 1976 Summer Olympics, Qualification to 1978 WC
19 Habibi Iran Nov 1979– Oct 1980 14 9 4 1 64% Qualification to 1980 Summer Olympics,Third place at 1980 Asian Cup
20 Asghar Sharafi Iran Nov 1980- Aug 1981 0 0 0 0 0%
21 Parviz Aboutaleb Iran Sep 1981- Mar 1982 6 5 1 0 83%
22 Naser Ebrahimi Iran Apr 1982- Sep 1982 0 0 0 0 0%
23 Cheraghpour Iran Oct 1982- May 1983 4 2 0 2 50%
24 Ahmad Tousi Iran Jun 1983- Mar 1984 0 0 0 0 0%
25 Mahmoud Yavari Iran Apr 1984- Oct 1984 7 6 0 1 85%
26 Nasser Ebrahimi Iran Oct 1984– Feb 1985 10 4 4 2 40% Fourth place at 1984 Asian Cup
27 Asgharzadeh Iran Feb 1985– Mar 1986 2 2 0 0 100%
28 Parviz Dehdari Iran Apr 1986– Oct 1987 9 5 1 3 55%
29 Mahmoud Yavari Iran Nov 1987 0 0 0 0 0%
30 Parviz Dehdari Iran Nov 1987- Feb 1989 13 6 5 2 46% Third place at 1988 Asian Cup
31 Reza Vatankhah Iran Mar 1989- Apr 1989 1 1 0 0 100%
32 Mehdi Monajati Iran May 1989- Sep 1989 3 2 0 1 67%
33 Ali Parvin Iran Oct 1989– Nov 1993 40 19 11 10 47% Gold Medal at 1990 Asian Games, Winner of ECO Cup 1993
34 Poklepović Croatia Apr 1994– Oct 1994 4 1 2 1 25%
35 Hassan Habibi Iran Mar 1994- Oct 1995 0 0 0 0 0%
36 Mayeli Kohan Iran Mar 1995– Nov 1997 40 24 10 6 60% Third place at 1996 Asian Cup
37 Viera ( Temp) Brazil Nov 1997- Dec 1997 3 0 2 1 0% Qualification to 1998 FIFA World Cup
38 Tomislav Ivić Croatia Jan 1998- May 1998 5 1 2 2 20%
39 Jalal Talebi Iran May 1998- Aug 1998 4 1 0 3 25% Iran's historical first win at the FIFA World Cup
40 Pourheidari Iran Sep 1998- Feb 2000 19 10 6 3 53% Gold Medal at 1998 Asian Games
41 Jalal Talebi Iran Mar 2000- Oct 2000 21 13 5 3 62% Quarterfinals at 2000 Asian Cup, Winner of 2000 WAFF
42 Braga (Temp) Brazil Nov 2000- Feb 2001 3 3 0 0 100%
43 Blažević Croatia Bosnia and Herzegovina Mar 2001- Nov 2001 19 10 4 5 53%
44 Branko Ivanković Croatia Feb 2002- Sep 2002 14 4 8 2 28%
45 Shahrokhi Iran Feb 2003- Sep 2003 8 3 1 4 37%
46 Branko Ivanković Croatia Oct 2003- Jul 2006 41 28 6 7 68% Winner of 2004 WAFF,
Third place at 2004 Asian Cup, Qualification to 2006 WC
47 Amir Ghalenoei Iran 16 Jul 2006- Sep 2007 17 10 6 1 59% Quarterfinals at 2007 Asian Cup
48 Mazloomi (B Team) Iran 16 June 2007- 24 June 2007 4 3 1 0 75% Winner of 2007 WAFF Championship,
50 Ebrahimzadeh (Temp) Iran Jan 2008- 7 Mar 2008 3 0 3 0 0%
51 Ali Daei Iran 3 Mar 2008- 8 Mar 2009 25 16 6 3 64% Winner of 2008 WAFF Championship
52 Rutemöller (Temp) Germany 29 Mar 2009- 5 Apr 2009 1 0 1 0 0%
53 Mayeli Kohan Iran 5 April 2009- 22 April 2009 0 0 0 0 0%
54 Afshin Ghotbi IranUnited States 22 Apr 2009 - 24 12 5 7 55%
Total August 1941-Present 502 270 124 108 54%

Managers with more than one spell

# Name Nat Period Matches Wins Draws Losses Win % Honours
1 Sadaghiani Iran Aug 1941–Sep 1948,Sep 1949–Dec 1950 6 2 2 2 33%
2 Fekri Iran Dec 1961– Mar 1966,Jan 1967–Feb 1968 21 10 5 6 48% Qualification to 1964 Summer Olympics
3 Mahmoud Bayati Iran Mar 1968–Jun 1968,Jul 1972– Mar 1974 18 11 2 5 61% Winner of 1968 Asian Cup
4 Dehdari Iran Jan 1971– Apr 1972,Apr 1986– Oct 1987,Nov 1987-Feb 1989 26 14 6 6 54% Winner of 1971 Cyrus International Tournament,Third place at 1988 Asian Cup
5 Habibi Iran Nov 1979– Oct 1980,Mar 1994- Oct 1995 14 9 4 1 64% Qualification to 1980 Summer Olympics,Third place at 1980 Asian Cup
6 Ebrahimi Iran Apr 1982- Sep 1982,Oct 1984– Feb 1985 10 4 4 2 40% Fourth place at 1984 Asian Cup
7 Yavari Iran Apr 1984- Oct 1984,Nov 1987 7 6 0 1 85%
8 Mayeli Kohan Iran Mar 1995– Nov 1997,5 April 2009– 22 April 2009 40 24 10 6 60% Third place at 1996 Asian Cup
9 Jalal Talebi Iran May 1998 - Aug 1998,Mar 2000 - Oct 2000 25 14 5 6 56% Iran's historical first win at the FIFA World Cup,Quarterfinals at 2000 Asian Cup, Winner of 2000 WAFF
10 Ivanković Croatia Feb 2002 - Sep 2002,Oct 2003 - Jul 2006 55 32 14 9 58% Winner of 2004 WAFF,
Third place at 2004 Asian Cup, Qualification to 2006 WC
Total 222 126 52 44 57%

Coaching Staff

File:Ghotbi.jpg
Afshin Ghotbi is Head Coach of Iran national football team since 2009
Head Coach IranUnited States Afshin Ghotbi
Assistant Coach Netherlands Piet Buter
Assistant Coach Iran Alireza Mansourian
Goalkeeping Coach Iran Mansour Rashidi
Adviser Iran Morteza Mohasses and Iran Karim Bagheri
Physiotherapists Netherlands Jan Langalon and Iran Siamak Azadi
Team Doctors Iran Dr. Parham Khanlari and Iran Dr. Shahab
Team Manager Iran Asghar Hajiloo

Players

26 Players for Nigeria friendly on 17 November 2010.

Current squad

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
22 1GK Alireza Haghighi (1988-05-02) 2 May 1988 (age 36) 0 0 Iran Persepolis
1GK Hassan Roudbarian (1978-07-06) 6 July 1978 (age 46) 18 0 Iran Rah Ahan
1GK Hassan Houri (1985-02-11) 11 February 1985 (age 39) 0 0 Iran Sanat Naft
2 2DF Khosro Heydari (1983-09-14) 14 September 1983 (age 41) 22 0 Iran Sepahan
5 2DF Hadi Aghili (1981-01-15) 15 January 1981 (age 43) 48 8 Iran Sepahan
15 2DF Hanif Omranzadeh (1985-04-30) 30 April 1985 (age 39) 5 0 Iran Esteghlal
20 2DF Mohammad Nosrati (1982-01-10) 10 January 1982 (age 42) 74 5 Iran Tractor Sazi
2DF Pejman Montazeri (1983-09-06) 6 September 1983 (age 41) 1 0 Iran Esteghlal
2DF Alireza Noormohammadi (1981-07-03) 3 July 1981 (age 43) 0 0 Iran Persepolis
2DF Mohsen Bengar (1979-07-06) 6 July 1979 (age 45) 12 0 Iran Sepahan
2DF Abouzar Rahimi (1981-09-17) 17 September 1981 (age 43) 0 0 Iran Rah Ahan
2DF Kazem Borjlou (1980-11-22) 22 November 1980 (age 43) 0 0 Iran Steel Azin
7 3MF Milad Zanidpour (1986-03-21) 21 March 1986 (age 38) 13 1 Iran Steel Azin
8 3MF Masoud Shojaei (1984-06-09) 9 June 1984 (age 40) 32 4 Spain Osasuna
14 3MF Andranik Teymourian (1983-03-06) 6 March 1983 (age 41) 52 6 Iran Tractor Sazi
16 3MF Javad Nekounam (1980-09-07) 7 September 1980 (age 44) 113 25 Spain Osasuna
18 3MF Pejman Nouri (1980-07-13) 13 July 1980 (age 44) 29 2 Iran Malavan
23 3MF Iman Mobali (1982-11-03) 3 November 1982 (age 42) 55 1 Iran Esteghlal
25 3MF Mohammad Nouri (1983-01-09) 9 January 1983 (age 41) 14 3 Iran Persepolis
3MF Mehdi Kiani (1987-01-10) 10 January 1987 (age 37) 0 0 Iran Tractor Sazi
3MF Bahador Abdi (1984-05-01) 1 May 1984 (age 40) 0 0 Iran Rah Ahan
19 4FW Milad Meydavoudi (1985-01-01) 1 January 1985 (age 39) 24 5 Iran Esteghlal
30 4FW Mehrdad Oladi (1985-05-25) 25 May 1985 (age 39) 6 1 Iran Malavan
31 4FW Mohammad Gholami (1983-02-13) 13 February 1983 (age 41) 5 2 Iran Steel Azin
4FW Reza Norouzi (1982-09-21) 21 September 1982 (age 42) 0 0 Iran Foolad

Recent Callups

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
Vahid Talebloo (1982-05-26) 26 May 1982 (age 42) Iran Esteghlal 13 (0) v Chinese Taipei 26 February 2006 v Singapore, 6 January 2010
Sosha Makani (1986-11-18) 18 November 1986 (age 37) Iran Steel Azin 0 (0) v - v Thailand, 3 March 2010
Mehdi Rahmati (1983-02-02) 2 February 1983 (age 41) Iran Sepahan 51 (0) v 2004 v Brazil, 7 October 2010
Ebrahim Mirzapour (1978-09-16) 16 September 1978 (age 46) Iran Paykan 75 (0) v 2001 v Brazil, 7 October 2010
Defenders
Hossein Kaebi (1985-09-23) 23 September 1985 (age 39) Iran Steel Azin 89 (2) v, 2002 v Singapore, 6 January 2010
Amir Hossein Sadeghi (1981-09-06) 6 September 1981 (age 43) Iran Esteghlal 9 (0) v , 2005 v Singapore, 6 January 2010
Sepehr Heidari (1980-06-19) 19 June 1980 (age 44) Iran Persepolis 3 (0) v Iraq, June 2007 v Singapore, 6 January 2010
Farshid Talebi (1981-08-24) 24 August 1981 (age 43) Iran Zob Ahan 1 (0) v Uzbekitan, 6 September 2009 v Thailand, 3 March 2010
Alireza Mohammad (1981-07-14) 14 July 1981 (age 43) Iran Persepolis 3 (0) v China, 1 June 2009 v Thailand, 3 March 2010
Seyed Mohammad Hosseini (1979-06-22) 22 June 1979 (age 45) Iran Zob Ahan 1 (0) v Armenia, 11 August 2010 v Armenia, 11 August 2010
Hassan Ashjari (1979-02-18) 18 February 1979 (age 45) Iran Steel Azin 13 (0) v Ecuador, December 2008 v Korea Republic, 7 September 2010
Jalal Hosseini (1982-02-03) 3 February 1982 (age 42) Iran Sepahan 52 (3) v Belarus, February 2007 v Brazil, 7 October 2010
Hashem Beikzadeh (1984-01-22) 22 January 1984 (age 40) Iran Sepahan 12 (1) v UAE, August 2006 v Brazil, 7 October 2010
Midfielders
Majid Gholamnejad (1983-06-18) 18 June 1983 (age 41) Iran Saipa 17 (1) v Bahrain,March 2008 v Singapore, 6 January 2010
Fereydoon Zandi (1979-04-26) 26 April 1979 (age 45) Iran Steel Azin 29 (5) v Bahrain, February 2005 v Singapore, 6 January 2010
Ali Karimi (1978-11-08) 8 November 1978 (age 46) Iran Steel Azin 112 (36) v Kuwait, October 1998 v Thailand, 3 March 2010
Mehrzad Madanchi (1985-01-10) 10 January 1985 (age 39) Iran Steel Azin 42 (8) v Belarus, August 2003 v Thailand, 3 March 2010
Amir Hossein Feshangchi (1987-01-07) 7 January 1987 (age 37) Iran Persepolis 2 (0) v Iceland, 10 November 2009 v Armenia, 11 August 2010
Hamidreza Aliasgari (1990-05-25) 25 May 1990 (age 34) Iran Persepolis 1 (0) v Armenia, 11 August 2010 v Armenia, 11 August 2010
Ghasem Hadadifar (1983-07-12) 12 July 1983 (age 41) Iran Zob Ahan 1 (0) v Armenia, 11 August 2010 v preliminary squad for 2010 WAFF
Karim Bagheri (1974-02-20) 20 February 1974 (age 50) Iran Persepolis 87 (50) v Pakistan, 6 June 1993 v Brazil, 7 October 2010
Farzad Ashoubi (1980-04-06) 6 April 1980 (age 44) Iran Esteghlal 9 (0) v Iraq, June 2007 v Brazil, 7 October 2010
Ehsan Hajsafi (1990-02-25) 25 February 1990 (age 34) Iran Sepahan 28 (2) v Zambia, 25 May 2008 v Brazil, 7 October 2010
Strikers
Mojtaba Zarei (1984-01-01) 1 January 1984 (age 40) Iran Persepolis 2 (0) v Bahrain, August 31, 2009 v Jordan, November 22, 2009
Mohsen Khalili (1981-02-14) 14 February 1981 (age 43) Iran Steel Azin 12 (1) v Cota Rica ,January 2008 v Singapore, 6 January 2010
Mohammad Reza Khalatbari (1983-09-14) 14 September 1983 (age 41) Iran Zob Ahan 29 (0) v Ecuador , December 2008 v preliminary squad for 2010 WAFF
Gholamreza Rezaei (1984-05-06) 6 May 1984 (age 40) Iran Persepolis 31 (8) v Zambia , May 2008 v preliminary squad for 2010 WAFF
Hadi Norouzi (1985-07-19) 19 July 1985 (age 39) Iran Persepolis 5 (0) v Bosnia and Herzegovina , August 2009 v preliminary squad for 2010 WAFF
Karim Ansarifard (1990-04-03) 3 April 1990 (age 34) Iran Saipa 13 (2) v Iceland ,10 November 2009 v Brazil, 7 October 2010

Previous squads

World Cups

Asian Cups

See also Category:Iran international footballers

Most capped players

As of 7 October 2010, 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 113 25
3 Ali Karimi* 1998–Present 112 35
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 Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh 1987–1998 79 0
10 Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht* 2000–2008 77 14

The records are collected based on data from FIFA and RSSSF.
* denotes a player still playing or available for selection.

Top goalscorers

As of 7 October 2010, 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 36 112
4 Javad Nekounam* 2000–Present 25 113
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

The records are collected based on data from FIFA and RSSSF.
*denotes a player still playing or available for selection.

Iran captains

As of 7 October 2010

# 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 113 (25) 2000–Present 14(4)

Iran World Cup captains

# 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)

Iran Asian Cup captains

# Matches As Captain Player Asian Cup Played As A Captain Years Active Caps(Goals)
1 4 (0)[22] Hassan Habibi Iran 1968 1958–1970 31 (0)
2 4 (0)[23] Mostafa Arab Thailand 1972 1959–1972 48 (2)
3 3 (0)[24] Parviz Ghelichkhani Iran 1976 1964–1977 64 (12)
4 5 (0)[25] Nasser Hejazi Kuwait 1980 1968–1980 62 (0)
5 6 (0)[26] Mohammad Panjali Singapore 1984 1978–1991 45 (0)
6 6 (0)[27] Sirous Ghayeghran Qatar 1988 1986–1992 40 (6)
7 3 (0)[28] Sirous Ghayeghran Japan 1992 1986–1992 40 (6)
8 1 (0)[29] Mojtaba Moharrami UAE 1996 1988–1996 37 (5)
9 4 (2)[30] 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)

Honours

See also

References

  1. ^ Iran World Cup 2006 team Profile from Football.co.uk
  2. ^ "Iran: FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA.com. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  3. ^ "Iran: Fixtures and Results". FIFA.com.
  4. ^ Iran in World Cup 1978
  5. ^ "Iranian football facts". BBC News. 2001-11-01. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
  6. ^ a b FIFA World Cup 2006 Iran Team Overview
  7. ^ a b The History of Soccer [Football] in Iran - Team Melli :: Iran Visitor
  8. ^ A third half for Iranian football, by Christian Bromberger
  9. ^ France 1998 World Cup: 1st Round - Day 12 Match Reports
  10. ^ World Cup: U.S. eliminated from Cup after 2-1 loss to Iran
  11. ^ FIFA.com - 1998 FIFA World Cup France
  12. ^ France 1998 World Cup: 1st Round - Day 16 Match Reports
  13. ^ "FIFA suspends Iran Football Federation". FIFA. Archived from the original on 2007-01-02. Retrieved 2006-11-27.
  14. ^ "FIFA to lift Iran ban: Blatter". the-AFC.com. Retrieved 2006-12-17. [dead link]
  15. ^ "FIFA President announces temporary lifting of Iran ban". the-AFC.com. Retrieved 2006-11-27. [dead link]
  16. ^ News - Ali Daei named new Iran coach - Soccerway
  17. ^ Tait, Robert (2009-03-30). "Iran football coach Ali Daei loses job following team's defeat". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
  18. ^ "FIFA.com". FIFA.com. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  19. ^ Kayhan, p14, No.881, 7 November 2001
  20. ^ "لگا، اسپانسر جديد تيم ملي ايران". Goal.com. September 2009.
  21. ^ ایران- روسیه؛ 20 بهمن در دوبی
  22. ^ "de beste bron van informatie over ورزشی. Deze website is te koop!". parssport.ir. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  23. ^ "de beste bron van informatie over ورزشی. Deze website is te koop!". parssport.ir. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  24. ^ "de beste bron van informatie over ورزشی. Deze website is te koop!". parssport.ir. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  25. ^ "de beste bron van informatie over ورزشی. Deze website is te koop!". parssport.ir. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  26. ^ "de beste bron van informatie over ورزشی. Deze website is te koop!". parssport.ir. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  27. ^ "de beste bron van informatie over ورزشی. Deze website is te koop!". parssport.ir. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  28. ^ "de beste bron van informatie over ورزشی. Deze website is te koop!". parssport.ir. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  29. ^ "de beste bron van informatie over ورزشی. Deze website is te koop!". parssport.ir. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  30. ^ "de beste bron van informatie over ورزشی. Deze website is te koop!". parssport.ir. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
Preceded by Asian Champions
1968 (First title)
1972 (Second title)
1976 (Third title)
Succeeded by
Preceded by Asian Games Champions
1974 (First title)
Succeeded by
Preceded by Asian Games Champions
1990 (Second title)
Succeeded by
Preceded by Asian Games Champions
1998 (Third title)
2002 (Fourth title)
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Inaugural Champions
WAFF Champions
2000(First title)
Succeeded by
Preceded by WAFF Champions
2004 (Second title)
2007 (Third title)
2008 (Fourth title)
Succeeded by
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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