Iran national football team

Iran

Nickname(s)	Team Melli (the national team) other nicknames
Association	Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation	CAFA (Central Asia)
Head coach	Amir Ghalenoei
Captain	Alireza Jahanbakhsh
Most caps	Javad Nekounam (149)[a]
Top scorer	Ali Daei (108)[b]
Home stadium	Azadi Stadium
FIFA code	IRN
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	20 (4 April 2024)[3]
Highest	15 (August 2005[4])
Lowest	122 (May 1996[5])
First international
Afghanistan 0–0 Iran  (Kabul, Afghanistan; 25 August 1941)
Biggest win
Iran 19–0 Guam  (Tabriz, Iran; 24 November 2000)[6]
Biggest defeat
Turkey 6–1 Iran  (Istanbul, Turkey; 28 May 1950)[7]  South Korea 5–0 Iran  (Tokyo, Japan; 28 May 1958)[8]
World Cup
Appearances	6 (first in 1978)
Best result	Group stage (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022)
Asian Cup
Appearances	16 (first in 1968)
Best result	Champions (1968, 1972, 1976)
Olympic Games
Appearances	3 (first in 1964)
Best result	Quarter-finals (1976)
Asian Games
Appearances	10 (first in 1951)
Best result	Champions (1974, 1990, 1998)
WAFF Championship
Appearances	7 (first in 2000)
Best result	Champions (2000, 2004, 2007, 2008)
Medal record Men's football AFC Asian Cup 1968 Iran Team 1972 Thailand Team 1976 Iran Team 1980 Kuwait Team 1988 Qatar Team 1996 UAE Team 2004 China Team Asian Games 1974 Tehran Team 1990 Beijing Team 1998 Bangkok Team 1951 New Delhi Team 1966 Bangkok Team WAFF Championship 2000 Jordan Team 2004 Iran Team 2007 Jordan Team 2008 Iran Team 2010 Jordan Team 2002 Syria Team CAFA Nations Cup 2023 Kyrgyzstan/Uzbekistan Team RCD Cup/ECO Cup 1965 Iran Team 1970 Iran Team 1993 Iran Team 1967 Pakistan Team 1969 Turkey Team Afro-Asian Cup of Nations 1991 Algeria/Iran Team AFC–OFC Challenge Cup 2003 Iran Team

The Iran national football team (Persian: تیم ملی فوتبال مردان ایران, romanized: Team Mellie Futbâle Mardâne Irân), recognised by FIFA as IR Iran,^[10] represents Iran in international senior football and is controlled by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI).^{[citation needed]}

At the continental level, Iran has won three AFC Asian Cup championships in 1968, 1972, and 1976. They have also won three Asian Games in 1974, 1990, and 1998. The nation's best performance at the world level was reaching the quarterfinals at the 1976 Summer Olympics. At the FIFA World Cup, Iran have qualified six times (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018 and 2022) but have never progressed beyond the group stages; they have however, won three matches: against the United States in 1998, Morocco in 2018, and Wales in 2022. At the regional level, Iran has won four WAFF Championships and one CAFA Nations Cup. The team also won intercontinental AFC–OFC Challenge Cup in 2003.

History

Early years

The Iranian Football Federation was founded in 1920.^[11] In 1926, Tehran XI (selected players from Tehran Club, Toofan F.C. and Armenian Sports Club) traveled across the border to Baku, USSR, this was the first away football match for an Iranian team. This Tehran Select team is the predecessor of Iran's national football team.

The first match that Team Melli played was on 23 August 1941, away at Kabul in a 1–0 win against British India while Iran's first FIFA international match was on 25 August 1941, away at Afghanistan.^[7] Iran won the Asian Cup three consecutive times (1968, 1972, 1976) to which the team has not been able to add since.

In 1978, Iran made its first appearance in the World Cup after defeating Australia in Tehran. Iran lost two of three group stage matches against the Netherlands and Peru.^[12] Team Melli managed to surprise some in the footballing community^[13] by securing one point in its first ever World Cup appearance against Scotland which saw Iraj Danaeifard cancel out an own goal scored by Andranik Eskandarian for the 1–1 draw.^[14]

After the Iranian Revolution

After the Iranian Revolution, football was somewhat neglected. During the 1980s, the Iranian national team did not feature in World Cup competitions due to the Iran–Iraq War (1980–88) and domestic football embraced the inevitable effects of conflict. The national team withdrew from the Asian qualifiers for the 1982 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 both the 1990 and 1994 World Cups, it was said that during this period, a number of quality players burst onto the Iranian football scene laying the foundation for third place in the 1996 AFC Asian Cup (victories in that tournament included a 3–0 victory against Saudi Arabia and a 6–2 victory against South Korea) and their second stab at World Cup glory in 1998.^[15]

1998–2006

In November 1997, Iran qualified for the 1998 World Cup after eliminating Australia in a close playoff series. After being tied 3–3 on aggregate, Iran advanced due to the away goals rule; Iran held Australia to a 1–1 draw at home, and a 2–2 draw in Melbourne.^[16]

At their first game at the 1998 FIFA World Cup against Yugoslavia, Iran lost 1–0 to a free kick by Siniša Mihajlović.^[15] Iran recorded their first World Cup victory in the second game^[14] beating and eliminating the United States 2–1 with Hamid Estili and Mehdi Mahdavikia scoring goals for Iran. The Iran-US World Cup match was preheated with certain excitement because of each country's political stance after the Iranian revolution and the Iran hostage crisis. However, in an act of defiance against all forms of hatred or politics in sports, both sides presented one another with gifts and flowers and took ceremonial pictures before the match kickoff.^[17]

Iran played against Germany in the third game, losing 2–0 courtesy of goals from Oliver Bierhoff and Jürgen Klinsmann, finishing third in the group.^[18]

Iran finished first in the group stage of the 2000 Asia Cup but lost to South Korea in the quarter-finals. They failed to qualify for World Cup 2002, held in Asia for the first time, after an aggregate defeat to the Republic of Ireland, losing 2–0 in Dublin and winning 1–0 in Tehran. The elimination saw manager Miroslav Blažević step down from the top spot to be replaced by his assistant Branko Ivanković who stepped up from assistant coach.

After qualifying to the Asian Cup 2004, Iran was drawn with Thailand, Oman and Japan in the tournament. Iran finished second in the group. In the quarter-final clash against South Korea, Iran won 4–3. They then lost to host China on penalty kicks, and won against Bahrain 4–2 to finish third place in the tournament.

On 8 June 2005, Iran and Japan became the first countries other than hosts Germany to qualify for the 2006 World Cup.

The Iran-Japan leg of the 2006 World Cup qualifiers in Tehran, played on 24 March 2005, was the highest attended qualifying match among all confederations. The match ended with five fans dead and several others injured as they left the Azadi Stadium at the end of the match.^[19]

Iran started their Germany 2006 appearance with a match against North America's Mexico in Group D. Being 1–1 at half-time, defensive mistakes led to a Mexican 3–1 win, with goals from Omar Bravo and Sinha. Yahya Golmohammadi scored the only Iranian goal.

Iran played against Portugal in the second game, losing 2–0. The goals were scored by Deco and a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo. Iran were eliminated from the competition before their third and final game against Angola, a 1–1 draw.

Temporary suspension

In November 2006, Iran was suspended by FIFA from all participation in international football on the grounds of governmental interference in the national football association.^[20] The ban lasted less than a month^[21] and as a dispensation was given to allow the Iran under-23 team to participate in the football competition of the 2006 Asian Games,^[22] fixtures were unaffected.

2007–14

The IRIFF appointed Amir Ghalenoei as manager of Iran on 17 July 2006 to succeed Branko Ivanković. After finishing first in the 2007 Asian Cup qualifying round two points ahead of South Korea, Iran placed first in the group stage of the final tournament in Malaysia, eventually losing to their qualifying opponents in a penalty shoot-out in the quarterfinals. After a period of discussion in the Iranian football federation, his contract was not renewed and Team Melli was left with a caretaker manager for several months.

Then-leading international goalscorer Ali Daei was chosen to become the new manager after Spanish coach Javier Clemente had been closer to signing on as Iran's national team manager, when talks collapsed when he refused to live full-time in the country.^[23] Iran was placed with Kuwait, Syria and United Arab Emirates in the third round of 2010 World Cup qualifying. Ali Daei resigned from his position as the Iranian national coach on 29 March 2009,^[24] replaced by Afshin Ghotbi. Iran failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup after finishing fourth overall in its group.^[25]

During the final game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against South Korea in Seoul on 17 June 2009, seven members of the team wore green wristbands in support of the Iranian Green Movement during the 2009 Iranian election protests. Initial rumors and false reports were that all seven players were banned for life by the Iranian Football Federation, however, state-run media claimed that all seven had "retired".^[26][27] On 24 June 2009, FIFA wrote to Iran's Football Federation asking for clarification on the situation. The Iranian Football Federation replied that no disciplinary action has been taken against any player.^[28]

Iran renewed the contract with Afshin Ghotbi until the end of 2011 AFC Asian Cup and the team qualified to the tournament with 13 points as the group winners.

During the final qualification match against South Korea, several Iranian players started the match wearing green armbands or wristbands, a symbol of protest at the outcome of the Iranian presidential election.^[29] Most removed them at half-time. The newspaper Iran reported that Ali Karimi, Mehdi Mahdavikia, Hosein Kaebi and Vahid Hashemian had received life bans from the Iranian FA for the gesture.^[30] However, the Iranian FA denied this claim in a response to FIFA's inquiry saying that "the comments in foreign media are nothing but lies and a mischievous act."^[31] Head coach Afshin Ghotbi also confirmed that it was a rumour and Iranian FA "has not taken any official stand on this issue."^[32]

Afshin Ghotbi qualified Iran for the 2011 Asian Cup and finished second in the West Asian Football Federation Championship 2010 just a few months before the Asian Cup. Iran were able to gain all nine possible points in the group stage of the Asian Cup but after an extra time goal from South Korea, Iran were yet again eliminated from the quarter-finals.

On 4 April 2011, former Real Madrid manager Carlos Queiroz agreed to a two-and-a-half-year deal to coach the Iranian national team until the end of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.^[33] Under Queiroz, Iran began their World Cup qualification campaign successfully, defeating the Maldives 4–0 in the first leg of their second round of qualifiers. After winning 5–0 on aggregate, Iran advanced to the third round of qualifiers where they were drawn with Indonesia, Qatar and Bahrain.

Iran highlighted their position at the top of their group by defeating Bahrain 6–0 at home in the Azadi Stadium as well as inviting former German youth international Ashkan Dejagah who scored twice on his debut against Qatar. After a 4–1 win at Indonesia, Iran qualified for the final round of direct qualifiers, the fourth round. In the fourth round, Iran played South Korea, Qatar, Uzbekistan and Lebanon in their group. Queiroz made new foreign-based additions to his squad, adding players such as Reza Ghoochannejhad to his team.

Iran started their fourth round of Asian qualifiers with a 1–0 win in Uzbekistan. Team Melli then drew Qatar and lost in Lebanon before defeating South Korea at the Azadi on 16 October with a goal from captain Javad Nekounam. After a 1–0 loss in Tehran against Uzbekistan, Iran defeated Qatar 1–0 in Doha and Lebanon 4–0 at home. In their last qualification match, Iran defeated South Korea 1–0 in Ulsan Munsu with a goal from Ghoochannejhad, clinching their ticket to Brazil as group winners with 16 points. Thus, Iran became the third team that Queiroz has managed to qualify for the World Cup, having reached the 2002 edition with South Africa and the 2010 edition with Portugal, leading the latter to a knockout stage finish. Iran continued their winning streak, securing qualification to the 2015 Asian Cup months later as well.^[34]

Since Queiroz's role as manager of the Iranian national team, he has been renowned for introducing players from the Iranian diaspora to the national squad. These players include German-Iranians Daniel Davari and Ashkan Dejagah, Dutch-Iranian Reza Ghoochannejhad, Swedish-Iranians Omid Nazari and Saman Ghoddos, and Iranian-American Steven Beitashour among others.^[35][36]

Iran competed in Group F alongside Argentina, Nigeria and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Prior to the tournament, they founded the Central Asian Football Association.^[37]

In the opening match of the tournament on 16 June, Iran drew Nigeria 0–0 making it their first clean sheet in the World Cup.^[38] In their next match, Iran was defeated by Argentina 1–0 with a late goal from Lionel Messi and received praise after holding Argentina for 90 minutes while creating some attacking opportunities of their own.^[39] Iran was eliminated from the tournament in their next game, a 3–1 defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Iran's lone goal was scored by Reza Ghoochannejhad.^[40] After the tournament, Queiroz declared he would resign as manager of Iran but later switched and extended his contract until the 2018 FIFA World Cup.^[41]

Late 2010s

Iran qualified for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup as group winners where Team Melli were the highest ranked seed.^[42] Iran faced Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE in Group C. With the second highest number of fans in the tournament after hosts Australia, the Iranians defeated Bahrain 2–0 with limited preparations.^[43][44] A defensive-minded Iran then defeated Qatar 1–0 thanks to a Sardar Azmoun goal before defeating UAE by the same scoreline to reach the top of their group.^[45][46] In the quarter-finals Iran faced Iraq who they had beaten weeks prior in a friendly match. Having received a controversial red card in the first half, Iran competed with ten men, managing to score goals late in extra time to draw the match 3–3. In the ensuing penalty shootout, Iran lost 7–6.^[47][48]

Iran began their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign with friendly matches against Chile and Sweden in March 2015.^[49][50][51] Queiroz resigned from his managerial post thereafter due to disagreements with the Iranian Football Federation.^[52] On 14 April 2015, Iran were drawn with Oman, India, Turkmenistan and Guam in the second round of qualifiers.^[53] On 26 April, Queiroz announced that he would continue as the manager of Iran for their 2018 World Cup campaign. Iran became the second team to qualify for the 2018 World Cup^[54] after a 2–0 win at home over Uzbekistan on 12 June 2017.^[55] They also clinched first place in their qualification group after South Korea's defeat to Qatar.^[56]

Iran won the first match against Morocco after Aziz Bouhaddouz scoring an own goal.^[57] They then lost against Spain with a goal scored by Diego Costa, with video assistant referees denying an Iranian equalizer.^[58] The third match against Portugal ended in a draw after a penalty scored by Karim Ansarifard^[59] and because Morocco could only manage a 2–2 draw to Spain, Iran were eliminated.^[60] Iran's four points is the most received in any World Cup appearance.

Having qualified for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup earlier, Iran was drawn into group D, where they shared fate with Iraq, Vietnam and Yemen. Iran opened their tournament against Yemen slower and almost conceded a goal but after 10 minutes, Iran regained the ground and proved more dominant in certain aspects, thrashing Yemen 5–0.^[61] A 2–0 win over the Vietnamese side gave Iran direct qualification to the knockout stage.^[62] Iran ended their group stage with a goalless draw over neighbor Iraq and took first place.^[63] After the group stage, Iran encountered Oman, with a defending mistake almost costing Iran's chances but Ahmed Mubarak Al-Mahaijri's penalty was saved by Alireza Beiranvand. Iran then defeated Oman 2–0 to reach the last eight.^[64] In the quarter-finals against a defensive China, Iran outclassed the Chinese 3–0 to meet Japan in the semi-finals.^[65] Iran missed the opportunity to reach the final once again when they fell 3–0 with all three goals scored in second half.^[66]

Early 2020s

Iran was the highest-ranked team to be seeded in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification. Iran was drawn into the second round where they would have to deal with two Arab countries, Iraq and Bahrain, along with Cambodia and Hong Kong. Iran, under new Belgian manager Marc Wilmots, began with a 2–0 win over Hong Kong away. After the death of Sahar Khodayari, the 14–0 win over Cambodia allowed select Iranian women to enter the stadium for the first time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.^[67][68][69] Their next away encounters against Bahrain and Iraq went on to be consecutive defeats which Iran lost 0–1 and 1–2, respectively.^[70][71] Following two consecutive draws between Iraq and Bahrain, Iran was left with the possibility of being eliminated from the World Cup outright in the second round, leading to the sacking of Marc Wilmots.^[72]

The COVID-19 pandemic in Iran forced the remaining fixtures to be played without spectators in June 2021, forcing Iran to play their remaining games in Bahrain under new coach Dragan Skočić; but with Bahrain losing its home support as an advantage, and Iraq assured a place in the final phase, Iran was able to stage a comeback, occupying first place and, together with Iraq, progressed to the final phase.^[73]

Iran became the thirteenth team to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup after a 1–0 win at home over Iraq on 27 January 2022. In March 2022, Iranian women were again banned from entering the stadium for a World Cup qualifier.^[74] Iran's World Cup preparation friendly match against Canada at BC Place in June 2022 was cancelled by the Canadian Soccer Association amid opposition and mounting criticism, namely in regards to the Iranian government's role in shooting down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752.^[75][76]

By the start of the World Cup in Qatar, Iran was the highest ranked team from Asia. In October 2022, calls were made to ban the Iranian national team from the World Cup for the Iranian government's blocking of Iranian women from their stadiums, their supplying of weapons to Russia during the invasion of Ukraine, and the treatment towards protesters during the Mahsa Amini protests.^[77][78][79] However, Iran started its World Cup campaign with a nightmare, losing 2–6 to England in the opening game as Iran suffered the worst ever loss in its FIFA World Cup history.^[80] The Iranian team notably made headlines in their opening match against England after refusing to sing the national anthem in solidarity with the Mahsa Amini protests, with some Iranian supporters cheering against their own team or boycotting their team amidst the ongoing protests as they felt the team was representing the government.^{[81][82][83][84]}

In the following match against Wales, amidst the boos and whistles from some of the Iranian supporters during the playing of the national anthem, the Iranian players were filmed singing the national anthem before defeating Wales 2–0 for their first-ever win over a European nation at the World Cup, with some protestors having their pre-revolutionary Lion and Sun flags and Women, Life, Freedom banners snatched from them by pro-government fans and stadium security at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.^{[85][86][87][88]} Protesters were harassed by government supporters with some protesters being detained by Qatari police, while stadium security confirmed they were given orders to confiscate anything but the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran.^[89][90] Documents obtained by Iran International showed Iran was coordinating secret efforts with Qatar to control who attends the World Cup and restrict any signs of dissent.^[91]

Ahead of Iran's final group stage match against the United States, the Iranian players were allegedly called in to a meeting with members of the IRGC and were threatened with violence and torture for their families if they did not sing the national anthem or joined the protests against the Iranian regime.^[92] During the match, the Iranian players sang the national anthem again before losing to the United States 1–0 for the first time in their history and thereby being knocked out of the tournament.^[93] Some Iranians celebrated the defeat and one Iranian man was killed by security forces in Bandar-e Anzali after honking his car horn in celebration.^[94] Another Iranian fan was also arrested by Qatari police after he was wearing a shirt with the Woman, Life, Freedom slogan.^[95]

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

Team image

Nicknames

The Iranian national team has received several nicknames by supporters and media. The most common one used is "Team Melli" (Persian: تیم ملی), meaning "The National Team" in Persian language. Although the Iranian supporters have popularized "Team Melli",^[101][102] other nicknames for the team include "Persian Stars"^{[103][104][105]} (entitled since the World Cup 2006) "Shiran e Iran",^[106][107] meaning "The Iranian Lions" or "The Lions of Persia",^[108] "Shir Dilan", "Lion Hearts" and "Princes of Persia"^[109][110] (used since AFC Asian Cup 2011).^[111] Iran's slogan for the 2014 FIFA World Cup was Honour of Persia, selected in an internet poll held by FIFA.^[112][113] A more recently used nickname, due to the presence of the Asiatic cheetah on the 2014 World Cup jersey, is Youzpalangan which means "The Cheetahs".^[114] The team mascot "Yupa" is also a cheetah.^[115]

Kits and crests

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Iran national football team kits.

Traditionally, Iran national football team's home kit is white, and the away kit is red. Sometimes, green shirts with white shorts and red socks are used.

Kit suppliers

The table below shows the history of kit supplier for the Iranian national football team.

Kit supplier	Period
Adidas	1978
Puma[116]	1980
Amini[117]	1981–1993
Shekari	1993–1998
Puma	1998–2000
Shekari	2000–2003
Daei Sport	2003–2006
Puma	2006–2007
Merooj	2007–2008
Daei Sport	2008–2009
Legea	2009–2012
Uhlsport[114]	2012–2016
Givova[118]	2016
Adidas[119]	2016–2019
Uhlsport	2019–2022
Merooj[120]	2022–present

Sponsorship

On 1 February 2014, Iran announced the addition of the endangered Asiatic cheetah on their 2014 FIFA World Cup kits to bring attention to its conservation efforts.^[114]

Rivalries

Iran and Iraq are neighboring rivals, sharing a history. According to the Malay Mail, "Emotions are always high when Iran and Iraq meet on the football pitch". In the contemporary era, especially during the reign of Saddam Hussein, the two countries had worsened relations and fought the Iran–Iraq War for 8 years.^{[121][122][123][124][125]} In 2001, for the first time in decades, an Iran-Iraq match was not held at a neutral venue.^[123] The rivalry was escalated after Iraq knocked Iran out of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in controversial circumstances.^[126][127] Iran leads the series with 17 wins, 7 draws and 6 losses.

Iran and Saudi Arabia are ideological rivals.^[128] The game was ranked eighth in Goal.com's 2010 list of "Football's 10 Greatest International Rivalries".^[129] and ninth in Bleacher Report's 2014 list of "International Football's 10 Most Politically-Charged Football Rivalries"^[130] All of their matches have been competitive; none of them were friendlies. The first match was played on 24 August 1975, with Iran defeating Saudi Arabia 3–0. Iran leads the series with 5 wins, 6 draws and 4 losses.

Iran and South Korea are competitive rivals with over 50 years of history.^[131] As two of the leading teams in the continent in the 1970s, the rivalry is among the most storied in Asian football. Since their initial meeting in the 1958 Asian Games, they have faced off in a total of 32 games. South Korea frequently held the upper hand in the early years of the competition, but things started to shift in the twenty-first century. Iran has triumphed six times since 2006, while Korea has only defeated them once—by a score of 1–0 at the Asian Cup in 2011. Before Korea recovered its footing in 2017 and pushed the Middle Eastern team to a tie the past three times they faced off, Iran won four straight games after the 2011 AFC Asian Cup.

Stadiums

Since 1972, Iran's national stadium has been Tehran's Azadi Stadium with a nominal capacity of 78,116 spectators.^[132] Azadi Stadium is the 28th largest association football stadium in the world, seventh in Asia and first in West Asia. A record was set in Azadi for the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Australia with over 128,000 in attendance.^[133] Since 1979, the government restricts Iranian women from entering the stadiums.^[134][135] However, FIFA condemned the move and wrote to Iranian Football Federation in June 2019. The federation in their letter gave deadline to uplift the restrictions and let women enter the stadiums. On 25 August 2019, deputy Sports Minister Jamshid Taghizadeh stated: "Women can go to Tehran's Azadi stadium to watch the match between Iran's national team and Cambodia in October for the Qatar World Cup qualifier.”^[136] After the death of Sahar Khodayari, select Iranian women were allowed to attend the match against Cambodia in October 2019.^[67] However, in March 2022, Iranian women were again blocked from entering the stadium for a World Cup qualifier.^[137]

From 1942 to 1972, Amjadieh Stadium was Iran's national stadium. The other stadiums that Iran has been played international games are Bagh Shomal and Yadegar Emam Stadium (Tabriz), Takhti Stadium (Tehran), Enghelab Stadium (Karaj), Hafezieh Stadium (Shiraz), Takhti Stadium and Imam Reza Stadium (Mashhad).

The Iran National Football Camp is the team's training ground.

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win  Draw  Loss  Fixture

2023

Iran  v  Afghanistan

13 June 2023 CAFA Nations Cup	Iran	6–1	Afghanistan	Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
21:00 UTC+6	Azmoun 20' Taremi 21', 28', 51' Jahanbakhsh 45' Asadi 67'		Noor 57'	Stadium: Dolen Omurzakov Stadium Referee: Golmorad Saadollah (Tajikistan)

Kyrgyzstan  v  Iran

16 June 2023 CAFA Nations Cup	Kyrgyzstan	1–5	Iran	Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
21:00 UTC+6	Murzayev 52'		Taremi 34', 39' (pen.), 56' Azmoun 66', 79'	Stadium: Dolen Omurzakov Stadium Referee: Akhrol Riskullaev (Uzbekistan)

Uzbekistan  v  Iran

20 June 2023 CAFA Nations Cup Final	Uzbekistan	0–1	Iran	Tashkent, Uzbekistan
20:30 UTC+5			Azmoun 48'	Stadium: Milliy Stadium Referee: Kirill Levnikov (Russia)

Bulgaria  v  Iran

7 September Friendly	Bulgaria	0–1	Iran	Plovdiv, Bulgaria
19:00 UTC+3		Report	Mohebi 14'	Stadium: Hristo Botev Attendance: 9,500 Referee: Lazar Lukic (Serbia)

Iran  v  Angola

12 September Friendly	Iran	4–0	Angola	Tehran, Iran
19:00 UTC+3:30	Taremi 8', 16' Moharrami 20' Moghanloo 87'	Report		Stadium: Azadi Stadium Referee: Mohammed Al-Hoaish (Saudi Arabia)

Jordan  v  Iran

13 October 2023 Jordan International Tournament	Jordan	1–3	Iran	Amman, Jordan
21:00 UTC+3	Al-Naimat 74'	Report	Azmoun 6' Taremi 28' Mohammadi 90+4'	Stadium: Amman International Stadium Referee: Mohammed Al-Hoaish (Saudi Arabia)

Iran  v  Qatar

17 October 2023 Jordan International Tournament	Iran	4–0	Qatar	Amman, Jordan
21:00 UTC+3	Kanaanizadegan 69', 79' Jahanbakhsh 73' Azmoun 75'	Report		Stadium: Amman International Stadium Attendance: 1,000 Referee: ahmad Ibrahim Yacoub (Jordan)

Iran  v  Hong Kong

16 November 2026 World Cup qualification	Iran	4–0	Hong Kong	Tehran, Iran
18:00 UTC+3:30	Azmoun 12', 15' Taremi 87' Rezaeian 90+2'	Report		Stadium: Azadi Stadium Attendance: 6,191 Referee: Nazmi Nasaruddin (Malaysia)

Uzbekistan  v  Iran

21 November 2026 World Cup qualification	Uzbekistan	2–2	Iran	Tashkent, Uzbekistan
18:00 UTC+5	Urunov 52' Sergeev 83'	Report	Rezaeian 14' Taremi 38'	Stadium: Milliy Stadium Attendance: 32,551 Referee: Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed (UAE)

2024

Iran  v  Burkina Faso

5 January Friendly	Iran	2–1	Burkina Faso	Kish, Iran
18:00 UTC+3:30	Taremi 42' Ebrahimi 71'	Report	Konaté 16'	Stadium: Olympic Stadium Attendance: 7,000 Referee: Yousif Saeed Hassan (Iraq)

Indonesia  v  Iran

9 January Friendly	Indonesia	0–5	Iran	Al Rayyan, Qatar
18:00 UTC+3		Report	Ghoddos 3' Cheshmi 22' Moghanlou 36' Ghayedi 70', 87'	Stadium: Al Rayyan Training Ground Attendance: 0

Iran  v  Palestine

14 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup GS	Iran	4–1	Palestine	Al Rayyan, Qatar
20:30 UTC+3	Ansarifard 2' Khalilzadeh 12' Ghayedi 38' Azmoun 55'	Report	Seyam 45+6'	Stadium: Education City Stadium Attendance: 27,691 Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)

Hong Kong  v  Iran

19 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup GS	Hong Kong	0–1	Iran	Al Rayyan, Qatar
20:30 UTC+3		Report	Ghayedi 24'	Stadium: Khalifa International Stadium Attendance: 36,412 Referee: Hanna Hattab (Syria)

Iran  v  United Arab Emirates

23 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup GS	Iran	2–1	United Arab Emirates	Al Rayyan, Qatar
18:00 UTC+3	Taremi 26', 65'	Report	Al-Ghassani 90+3'	Stadium: Education City Stadium Attendance: 34,259 Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)

Iran  v  Syria

31 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup R16	Iran	1–1 (a.e.t.) (5–3 p)	Syria	Doha, Qatar
19:00 UTC+3	Taremi 34' (pen.)	Report	Khribin 64' (pen.)	Stadium: Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium Attendance: 8,720 Referee: Kim Jong-hyeok (South Korea)
	Penalties
	Ansarifard Rezaeian Ebrahimi Torabi Hajsafi		Sabbag Youssef Ousou Al Dali

Iran  v  Japan

3 February 2023 AFC Asian Cup QF	Iran	2–1	Japan	Al Rayyan, Qatar
14:30 UTC+3	Mohebi 55' Jahanbakhsh 90+6' (pen.)	Report	Morita 28'	Stadium: Education City Stadium Attendance: 35,640 Referee: Ma Ning (China)

Iran  v  Qatar

7 February 2023 AFC Asian Cup SF	Iran	2–3	Qatar	Doha, Qatar
18:00 UTC+3	Azmoun 4' Jahanbakhsh 51' (pen.)	Report	Gaber 17' Afif 43' Ali 82'	Stadium: Al Thumama Stadium Attendance: 40,342 Referee: Ahmad Al-Ali (Kuwait)

Iran  v  Turkmenistan

21 March 2026 World Cup qualification	Iran	5–0	Turkmenistan	Tehran, Iran
19:30 UTC+3:30	Kanaani 10', 48' Azmoun 13' Mohebi 56' Noorafkan 90+2'	Report		Stadium: Azadi Stadium Attendance: 23,109 Referee: Yusuke Araki (Japan)

Turkmenistan  v  Iran

26 March 2026 World Cup qualification	Turkmenistan	0–1	Iran	Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
20:00 UTC+5		Report	Ghayedi 45+5'	Stadium: Ashgabat Stadium Attendance: 10,230 Referee: Sivakorn Pu-udom (Thailand)

Hong Kong  v  Iran

6 June 2026 World Cup qualification	Hong Kong	v	Iran	So Kon Po, Hong Kong
				Stadium: Hong Kong Stadium

Iran  v  Uzbekistan

11 June 2026 World Cup qualification	Iran	v	Uzbekistan	Tehran, Iran
				Stadium: Azadi Stadium

• FIFA International match days 2020–2024^[138]

Coaching staff

^[139]

Position	Name
Head Coach	Amir Ghalenoei
Assistant Coach(es)	Antonio Manicone
	Rahman Rezaei
	Hamid Motahari
	Andranik Teymourian
	Saeed Alhoei
Goalkeeping Coach	Alin Dinca
Fitness Coach	Ali Asghar Ghorbanalipour
Physiotherapist	Dr. Alireza Shahab
Team Doctor	Dr. Parhan Khanlari
Masseurs	Hadi Nejatpour
	Amir Esmaeili
Team Supervisor	Mehdi Kharati
Team Management	Mahdi Mohammadnabi

Players

Current squad

The following 29 players have been called up to training camp for preparation of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualificatin.^[140]

Caps and goals updated as of 26 March 2024 , after the match against  Turkmenistan.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Alireza Beiranvand	(1992-09-21) 21 September 1992 (age 31)	70	0	Persepolis
12	1GK	Hossein Pour Hamidi	(1998-03-26) 26 March 1998 (age 26)	1	0	Tractor
22	1GK	Hossein Hosseini	(1992-06-30) 30 June 1992 (age 31)	11	0	Esteghlal
2	2DF	Saleh Hardani	(1998-12-26) 26 December 1998 (age 25)	4	0	Esteghlal
3	2DF	Hossein Kanaanizadegan	(1994-03-23) 23 March 1994 (age 30)	53	6	Persepolis
4	2DF	Shojae Khalilzadeh	(1989-05-14) 14 May 1989 (age 34)	40	2	Tractor
5	2DF	Milad Mohammadi	(1993-09-29) 29 September 1993 (age 30)	59	1	Adana Demirspor
13	2DF	Saman Fallah	(2001-05-12) 12 May 2001 (age 22)	4	0	Gol Gohar
15	2DF	Amin Hazbavi	(2003-05-06) 6 May 2003 (age 20)	1	0	Al Sadd
23	2DF	Ramin Rezaeian	(1990-03-21) 21 March 1990 (age 34)	65	6	Sepahan
	2DF	Abolfazl Jalali	(1998-06-26) 26 June 1998 (age 25)	4	0	Esteghlal
	2DF	Hossein Goudarzi	(2001-05-03) 3 May 2001 (age 22)	0	0	Shams Azar
6	3MF	Saeid Ezatolahi	(1996-10-01) 1 October 1996 (age 27)	68	1	Shabab Al Ahli
11	3MF	Mohammad Mohebi	(1998-12-20) 20 December 1998 (age 25)	23	6	Rostov
14	3MF	Saman Ghoddos	(1993-09-06) 6 September 1993 (age 30)	50	3	Brentford
17	3MF	Ali Gholizadeh	(1996-03-10) 10 March 1996 (age 28)	36	6	Lech Poznań
20	3MF	Mohammad Ghorbani	(2001-05-21) 21 May 2001 (age 22)	1	0	Orenburg
21	3MF	Omid Noorafkan	(1997-04-09) 9 April 1997 (age 27)	20	1	Sepahan
8	4FW	Allahyar Sayyadmanesh	(2001-06-29) 29 June 2001 (age 22)	8	1	Westerlo
9	4FW	Mehdi Taremi	(1992-07-18) 18 July 1992 (age 31)	83	46	Porto
10	4FW	Mehdi Ghayedi	(1998-12-05) 5 December 1998 (age 25)	18	7	Ittihad Kalba
19	4FW	Mohammad Reza Azadi	(1999-12-07) 7 December 1999 (age 24)	1	0	Nassaji
	4FW	Saeid Saharkhizan	(2003-06-26) 26 June 2003 (age 20)	0	0	Gol Gohar
	4FW	Javad Aghaeipour	(1999-12-06) 6 December 1999 (age 24)	0	0	Esteghlal Khuzestan

Recent call-ups

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

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Arsha Shakouri	(2006-10-01) 1 October 2006 (age 17)	0	0	Havadar	v.  Turkmenistan, 21 Mar 2024
GK	Payam Niazmand INJ	(1995-04-06) 6 April 1995 (age 29)	8	0	Sepahan	v.  Qatar, 7 Feb 2024
GK	Mohammad Reza Akhbari	(1993-02-15) 15 February 1993 (age 31)	1	0	Gol Gohar	v.  Angola, 12 Sep 2023
DF	Ehsan Hajsafi	(1990-02-25) 25 February 1990 (age 34)	142	7	AEK Athens	v.  Qatar, 7 Feb 2024
DF	Sadegh Moharrami INJ	(1996-03-01) 1 March 1996 (age 28)	30	1	Dinamo Zagreb	v.  Qatar, 7 Feb 2024
DF	Majid Hosseini INJ	(1996-06-20) 20 June 1996 (age 27)	28	0	Kayserispor	v.  Qatar, 7 Feb 2024
DF	Aria Yousefi	(2002-04-22) 22 April 2002 (age 22)	2	0	Sepahan	v.  Qatar, 7 Feb 2024
DF	Mohammad Daneshgar	(1994-01-24) 24 January 1994 (age 30)	2	0	Sepahan	v.  Uzbekistan, 21 Nov 2023
DF	Morteza Pouraliganji	(1992-04-19) 19 April 1992 (age 32)	54	3	Persepolis	v.  Qatar, 17 Oct 2023
DF	Hossein Moradmand	(1993-06-22) 22 June 1993 (age 30)	1	0	Esteghlal	v.  Angola, 12 Sep 2023
DF	Mohammad Naderi	(1996-10-05) 5 October 1996 (age 27)	1	0	Tractor	Mini Camp, 2 Jun 2023
DF	Aref Aghasi	(1997-01-02) 2 January 1997 (age 27)	1	0	Tractor	Mini Camp, 2 Jun 2023
DF	Mehdi Tikdari	(1996-07-12) 12 July 1996 (age 27)	0	0	Gol Gohar	Mini Camp, 2 Jun 2023
DF	Ehsan Hosseini	(1998-10-03) 3 October 1998 (age 25)	0	0	Nassaji	Mini Camp, 2 Jun 2023
DF	Amir Mehdi Janmaleki	(1999-02-01) 1 February 1999 (age 25)	0	0	Nassaji	Mini Camp, 2 Jun 2023
MF	Alireza Jahanbakhsh	(1993-08-11) 11 August 1993 (age 30)	82	17	Feyenoord	v.  Turkmenistan, 21 Mar 2024
MF	Mehdi Torabi	(1994-09-10) 10 September 1994 (age 29)	49	7	Persepolis	v.  Turkmenistan, 21 Mar 2024
MF	Mahdi Limouchi	(1999-11-23) 23 November 1999 (age 24)	0	0	Aluminium Arak	v.  Turkmenistan, 21 Mar 2024
MF	Omid Ebrahimi RET	(1987-09-15) 15 September 1987 (age 36)	64	1	Al-Shamal	v.  Qatar, 7 Feb 2024
MF	Rouzbeh Cheshmi	(1993-07-24) 24 July 1993 (age 30)	34	3	Esteghlal	v.  Qatar, 7 Feb 2024
MF	Javad Hosseinnejad INJ	(2003-06-26) 26 June 2003 (age 20)	2	0	Sepahan	v.  Burkina Faso, 31 Dec 2023
MF	Ali Karimi	(1994-02-11) 11 February 1994 (age 30)	19	0	Kayserispor	v.  Uzbekistan, 21 Nov 2023
MF	Ahmad Nourollahi WD	(1993-02-01) 1 February 1993 (age 31)	31	3	Al Wahda	v.  Hong Kong, 16 Nov 2023
MF	Vahid Amiri	(1988-04-02) 2 April 1988 (age 36)	71	2	Persepolis	v.  Angola, 12 Sep 2023
MF	Milad Sarlak	(1995-03-26) 26 March 1995 (age 29)	13	0	Malavan	v.  Angola, 12 Sep 2023
MF	Alireza Alizadeh	(1993-02-11) 11 February 1993 (age 31)	1	0	Gol Gohar	v.  Angola, 12 Sep 2023
MF	Mohammad Karimi	(1996-06-20) 20 June 1996 (age 27)	3	0	Sepahan	v.  Uzbekistan, 20 Jun 2023
MF	Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh	(2000-10-30) 30 October 2000 (age 23)	3	0	Tractor	v.  Uzbekistan, 20 Jun 2023
MF	Saeid Mehri	(1998-02-09) 9 February 1998 (age 26)	1	0	APOEL	v.  Uzbekistan, 20 Jun 2023
MF	Mehran Ahmadi	(1997-01-01) 1 January 1997 (age 27)	0	0	Malavan	Mini Camp, 2 Jun 2023
MF	Mehdi Ghanbari	(1999-01-01) 1 January 1999 (age 25)	0	0	Tractor	Mini Camp, 2 Jun 2023
MF	Mehdi Mamizadeh	(2000-01-01) 1 January 2000 (age 24)	0	0	Gol Gohar	Mini Camp, 2 Jun 2023
MF	Gholamreza Sabet Imani	(2000-04-06) 6 April 2000 (age 24)	0	0	Paykan	Mini Camp, 2 Jun 2023
FW	Sardar Azmoun INJ	(1995-01-01) 1 January 1995 (age 29)	81	52	Roma	v.  Turkmenistan, 21 Mar 2024
FW	Karim Ansarifard	(1990-04-03) 3 April 1990 (age 34)	104	30	Aris	v.  Qatar, 7 Feb 2024
FW	Reza Asadi	(1996-01-17) 17 January 1996 (age 28)	10	1	Sepahan	v.  Qatar, 7 Feb 2024
FW	Shahriyar Moghanlou	(1994-12-21) 21 December 1994 (age 29)	8	2	Sepahan	v.  Qatar, 7 Feb 2024
FW	Mehrdad Mohammadi	(1993-09-29) 29 September 1993 (age 30)	5	2	Esteghlal	v.  Uzbekistan, 21 Nov 2023
FW	Shahab Zahedi	(1995-08-18) 18 August 1995 (age 28)	1	0	Avispa Fukuoka	v.  Uzbekistan, 20 Jun 2023
FW	Javad Mohammadi	(1996-07-20) 20 July 1996 (age 27)	0	0	Zob Ahan	Mini Camp, 2 Jun 2023
INJ Withdrew due to injury PRE Preliminary squad / standby RET Retired from the national team SUS Serving suspension WD Player withdrew from the squad due to a non-injury issue. COV Injured because of COVID-19

Player records

As of 26 March 2024.^[141]

Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only.

Players in bold are still active with Iran.

Most appearances

Top goalscorers

Notes

Most capped goalkeepers

Captains

Competition records

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record												Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	Manager(s)		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Not a FIFA member											No qualification
1934												Not a FIFA member
1938
1950	Did not enter											Did not enter
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974	Did not qualify											8	5	1	2	9	6
1978	First round	14th	3	0	1	2	2	8	Squad	Mohajerani		12	10	2	0	20	3
1982	Withdrew											Withdrew
1986	Disqualified											Disqualified
1990	Did not qualify											6	5	0	1	12	5
1994												11	5	3	3	23	13
1998	Group stage	20th	3	1	0	2	2	4	Squad	Talebi		17	8	6	3	57	17
2002	Did not qualify											14	9	3	2	36	9
2006	Group stage	25th	3	0	1	2	2	6	Squad	Ivanković		12	9	1	2	29	7
2010	Did not qualify											14	5	8	1	15	9
2014	Group stage	28th	3	0	1	2	1	4	Squad	Queiroz		16	10	4	2	30	7
2018	Group stage	18th	3	1	1	1	2	2	Squad	Queiroz		18	12	6	0	36	5
2022	Group stage	26th	3	1	0	2	4	7	Squad	Queiroz		18	14	1	3	49	8
2026	To be determined											4	3	1	0	12	2
2030[a]												To be determined
2034
Total	First round	6/22	18	3	4	11	13	31	—	—		150	95	36	19	328	91

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

Olympic Games

Summer Olympics record												Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	Manager(s)		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1900	Not an IOC member											No qualification
1904
1908
1912
1920
1924
1928
1936
1948	Did not enter
1952
1956	Withdrew											Withdrew
1960	Did not enter											Did not enter
1964	First round	12th	3	0	1	2	1	6	Squad	Fekri		6	4	1	1	14	3
1968	Withdrew											Withdrew
1972	First round	12th	3	1	0	2	1	9	Squad	Bayati		5	3	2	0	6	0
1976	Quarter-finals	7th	3	1	0	2	4	5	Squad	Mohajerani		4	3	1	0	8	1
1980	Qualified but later boycotted the event											6	4	2	0	22	2
1984	Boycotted the event											Did not enter
1988	Did not qualify											2	1	0	1	2	2
1992–present	See Iran national under-23 team											See Iran national under-23 team
Total	Quarter-finals	4/17	9	2	1	6	6	20	—	—	23	15	6	2	52	8

AFC Asian Cup

AFC Asian Cup record												Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	Manager(s)		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1956	Withdrew											Withdrew
1960	Did not qualify											6	3	1	2	12	10
1964	Withdrew											Withdrew
1968	Champions	1st	4	4	0	0	11	2	Squad	Bayati		Qualified as hosts
1972	Champions	1st	5	5	0	0	12	4	Squad	Ranjbar		Qualified as champions
1976	Champions	1st	4	4	0	0	13	0	Squad	Mohajerani		Qualified as hosts
1980	Third place	3rd	6	3	2	1	16	6	Squad	Habibi		Qualified as champions
1984	Fourth place	4th	6	2	4	0	8	3	Squad	Ebrahimi		6	6	0	0	22	2
1988	Third place	3rd	6	2	2	2	3	4	Squad	Dehdari		4	2	2	0	6	1
1992	Group stage	5th	3	1	1	1	2	1	Squad	Parvin		2	2	0	0	10	0
1996	Third place	3rd	6	3	2	1	14	6	Squad	Kohan		6	6	0	0	27	1
2000	Quarter-finals	5th	4	2	1	1	7	3	Squad	Talebi		6	4	1	1	16	2
2004	Third place	3rd	6	3	3	0	14	8	Squad	Ivanković		6	5	0	1	16	5
2007	Quarter-finals	5th	4	2	2	0	6	3	Squad	Ghalenoei		6	4	2	0	12	2
2011	Quarter-finals	7th	4	3	0	1	6	2	Squad	Ghotbi		6	4	1	1	11	2
2015	Quarter-finals	6th	4	3	1	0	7	3	Squad	Queiroz		6	5	1	0	18	5
2019	Semi-finals	3rd	6	4	1	1	12	3	Squad	Queiroz		8	6	2	0	26	3
2023	Semi-finals	3rd	6	4	1	1	12	7	Squad	Ghalenoei		8	6	0	2	34	4
2027	Qualified											4	3	1	0	12	2
Total	3 titles	15/18	74	45	20	9	143	55	—	—		74	56	11	7	222	39

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

Asian Games

Asian Games record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	Manager(s)
1951	Runners-up	2nd	3	2	0	1	5	3	Squad	Sadaghiani
1954	Did not enter
1958	Preliminary round	14th	2	0	0	2	0	9	Squad	Mészáros
1962	Did not enter
1966	Runners-up	2nd	7	4	0	3	9	6	Squad	Szűcs
1970	Preliminary round	8th	2	0	1	1	2	3	Squad	Netto
1974	Champions	1st	7	7	0	0	20	1	Squad	O'Farrell
1978	Did not enter
1982	Quarter-finals	8th	4	2	0	2	3	2	Squad	Cheraghpour
1986	Quarter-finals	6th	5	3	1	1	13	2	Squad	Dehdari
1990	Champions	1st	5	4	1	0	7	1	Squad	Parvin
1994	Preliminary round	9th	4	1	2	1	5	2	Squad	Poklepović
1998	Champions	1st	8	7	0	1	25	7	Squad	Pourheidari
2002–present	See Iran national under-23 team
Total	3 titles	10/13	47	30	5	12	89	36	—	—

WAFF Championship

WAFF Championship record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	Manager(s)
2000	Champions	1st	5	4	1	0	7	1	Squad	Talebi
2002	Third place	3rd	4	1	2	1	4	3	Squad	Ivanković
2004	Champions	1st	4	4	0	0	17	3	Squad	Ivanković
2007	Champions	1st	4[b]	3	1	0	5	1	Squad	Mazloumi
2008	Champions	1st	4	4	0	0	13	2	Squad	Daei
2010	Runners-up	2nd	4	2	1	1	8	5	Squad	Ghotbi
2012	Group stage	6th	3	1	2	0	2	1	Squad	Queiroz
2014	Did not enter
2019–onwards	Not a WAFF member
Total	4 titles	7/9	28	19	7	2	56	16	—	—

CAFA Nations Cup

CAFA Nations Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	Manager(s)
2023	Champions	1st	3	3	0	0	12	2	Squad	Ghalenoei
Total	1 title	1/1	3	3	0	0	12	2	—	—

RCD Cup/ECO Cup

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

Afro-Asian Cup of Nations

Afro-Asian Cup of Nations record (Defunct)
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	Manager(s)
1978	Not completed[e]		1	1	0	0	3	0	Squad	Yavari
1985	Did not qualify
1987
1991	Runners-up	2nd	2	1	0	1	2	2	Squad Squad	Parvin
1993	Did not qualify
1995
1997
2007
Total	Runners-up	2/8	3	2	0	1	5	2	—	—