Iran national football team

Template:Template other The Iran national football team (Template:Langx), recognised as IR Iran by FIFA since 2018, represents Iran in men's international senior football and is governed by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI).

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 quarter-finals at the 1976 Summer Olympics. At the FIFA World Cup, Iran have qualified seven times (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026) 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

File:Iran1304.jpg

The very first Iran football team that traveled to Baku in 1926

The Iranian Football Federation was founded in 1920. In 1926, Tehran XI (selected players from Tehran Club, Toofan, and Armenian Sports Club) traveled across the border to Baku, Soviet Union; 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.

Iran won three AFC Asian Cups in 1968, 1972, and 1976, the latter being their most recent Asian Cup win. In 1978, Iran made its first appearance in the FIFA World Cup after defeating Australia in Tehran. They lost two of three group stage matches against the Netherlands and Peru, and only earned one point by drawing Scotland, in a match that saw Iraj Danaeifard cancel out an own goal scored by Andranik Eskandarian for a score of 1–1.

File:Iran Football 78WC.jpg

Iran playing in the 1978 World Cup against Scotland in Córdoba, Argentina

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 FIFA World Cup and refused to participate in the qualifiers for the 1986 FIFA 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.

1998–2006

On 29 November 1997, Iran qualified for the 1998 FIFA 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.

At their first game at the 1998 FIFA World Cup against Yugoslavia, Iran lost 1–0 to a free kick by Siniša Mihajlović. Iran recorded their first World Cup victory in the second game 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. 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 with 3 points.

Iran finished first in the group stage of the 2000 AFC Asian Cup but lost to South Korea in the quarter-finals. They failed to qualify for 2002 FIFA World Cup, 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 2004 AFC Asian Cup, 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.

File:Iran equaliser.JPG

Iran scores against Angola at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

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

Iran started their 2006 FIFA World Cup appearance in Germany 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. Team Melli 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. The ban lasted less than a month and as a dispensation was given to allow the Iran under-23 team to participate in the football competition of the 2006 Asian Games, fixtures were unaffected.

2007–2014

The IRIFF appointed Amir Ghalenoei as manager of Iran on 17 July 2006 to succeed Branko Ivanković. After finishing first in the 2007 AFC 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. 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. Iran was placed with Kuwait, Syria and United Arab Emirates in the third round of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying. Ali Daei resigned from his position as the Iranian national coach on 29 March 2009, replaced by Afshin Ghotbi. Iran failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup after finishing fourth overall in its group.

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". 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.

Afshin Ghotbi renewed his contract until the end of 2011 AFC Asian Cup and the team qualified for the tournament with 13 points as 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. 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. 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." Head coach Afshin Ghotbi also confirmed that it was a rumour and the Iranian FA "has not taken any official stand on this issue."

Afshin Ghotbi qualified Iran for the 2011 Asian Cup and finished second in the 2010 WAFF Championship 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. Under Queiroz, Iran began their 2014 FIFA 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.

File:Iran-Maldavies.jpg

Iran's squad in July 2011 against Maldives. Manager: Carlos Queiroz. Standing left to right: Aghili, Hosseini, Haddadifar, Ansarifard, Zare, Pooladi; sitting left to right: Heydari, Norouzi, Rahmati, Khalatbari, Karimi.

Iran topped 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.

Iran started the 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.

File:Iran vs. Argentina match, 2014 FIFA World Cup 15.jpg

Iran v Argentina at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil

Since Queiroz's role as manager of the Iranian national team, he has introduced 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.

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

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. 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. 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. 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.

Late 2010s

Iran qualified for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup as group winners where Team Melli were the highest ranked seed. 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. 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. 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.

File:Portugal and Iran match at the FIFA World Cup 2018 1.jpg

Iran's squad against Portugal in Mordovia Arena at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Iran began their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign with friendly matches against Chile and Sweden in March 2015. Queiroz resigned from his managerial post thereafter due to disagreements with the Iranian Football Federation. On 14 April 2015, Iran were drawn with Oman, India, Turkmenistan and Guam in the second round of qualifiers. 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 after a 2–0 win at home over Uzbekistan on 12 June 2017. They also clinched first place in their qualification group after South Korea's defeat to Qatar.

Iran won the first match against Morocco after Aziz Bouhaddouz scoring an own goal. They then lost against Spain with a goal scored by Diego Costa, with video assistant referees denying an Iranian equalizer. The third match against Portugal ended in a draw after a penalty scored by Karim Ansarifard in the stoppage time, while Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty when Iran was trailing, with Alireza Beiranvand making a decisive save and because Morocco could only manage a 2–2 draw to Spain, Iran were eliminated. Iran's four points is the most received in any World Cup appearance.

File:China-Iran 2019 AFC Asian Cup by Mehdi Zare 1.jpg

Iran's squad against China at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup

File:IRN-VIETNAM 20190112 Asian Cup 18.jpg

Azmoun and Taremi played a key role in the front line of the team in these years.

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, nearly conceding a goal early but after 10 minutes, Iran regained the ground and proved more dominant in certain aspects, thrashing Yemen 5–0. A 2–0 win over the Vietnamese side gave Iran direct qualification to the knockout stage. Iran ended their group stage with a goalless draw over neighbor Iraq and took first place. 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. In the quarter-finals against a defensive China, Iran outclassed the Chinese 3–0 to meet Japan in the semi-finals. Iran missed the opportunity to reach the final once again when they fell 3–0 with all three goals scored in second half.

Early 2020s

File:2022 FIFA World Cup England 6–2 Iran - (7).jpg

Iran's squad against England at the 2022 FIFA World Cup

Iran was the highest-ranked team to be seeded in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, being drawn into the second round where they would 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 away win over Hong Kong. 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. Their next away encounters against Bahrain and Iraq went on to be consecutive defeats which Iran lost 0–1 and 1–2, respectively. 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.

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.

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. 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.

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. 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. 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.

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. 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. 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.

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. 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, being the only team to finish third in the group with three points instead of four. Many Iranians celebrated the defeat and one Iranian man was killed by security forces in Bandar-e Anzali after honking his car horn in celebration. Another Iranian fan was also arrested by Qatari police after he was wearing a shirt with the Woman, Life, Freedom slogan.

During the FIFA 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. Iran were eventually knocked out in the semi-final of the Asian Cup by hosts Qatar. After the game, Iranian officials reportedly arrested ten teenagers in the city of Javanrud for celebrating the team's elimination from the tournament.

Late 2020s

Iran qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on 25 March 2025 following a 2–2 home draw against Uzbekistan in the third round of AFC qualification. They were placed in pot 2 for the World Cup draw and were subsequently drawn into Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand. Prior to the draw, a group stage match scheduled to be played in Seattle was designated as a "Pride Match" by the City of Seattle to coincide with the city's annual Pride celebrations and to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion. Following the draw, the fixture was confirmed to be the match between Iran and Egypt. Both Iran and Egypt are countries where homosexuality is criminalized under domestic law, with Iran in particular having imposed capital punishment in certain cases, including the executions of Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni. The Iranian Football Federation and the Egyptian Football Association objected to the match's designation; however, FIFA and local organizers confirmed that associated LGBTQ+ events would proceed, and that rainbow flags would be permitted inside the stadium.

Team image

Nicknames

The Iranian national team has received several nicknames by supporters and media. The most common one used is (meaning "National Team" in Persian). Although the Iranian supporters have popularized , other nicknames for the team include , ("Lions of Iran"), ("Lion Hearts") and "Princes of Persia" (used since AFC Asian Cup 2011). Iran's slogan for the 2014 FIFA World Cup was Honour of Persia, selected in an internet poll held by FIFA. A more recently used nickname, due to the presence of the Asiatic cheetah on the 2014 World Cup jersey, is which means "The Cheetahs"; the team mascot "Yupa" is also a cheetah, although this has been seen as a government propaganda ploy to wane people away from the lion nickname due to the pre-revolutionary Lion and Sun.

Kits and crests

Template:Sister project 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 suppliers for the Iranian national football team.

Kit supplier	Period
Adidas	1978
Puma	1980
Amini	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	2012–2016
Givova	2016
Adidas	2016–2019
Uhlsport	2019–2022
Merooj	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.

Rivalries

Iran and Iraq are neighboring rivals. 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. In 2001, for the first time in decades, an Iran-Iraq match was not held at a neutral venue. The rivalry was escalated after Iraq knocked Iran out of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in controversial circumstances. Iran leads the series with 18 wins, 7 draws and 6 losses.

Iran and Saudi Arabia are ideological rivals. The game was ranked eighth in Goal.com's 2010 list of "Football's 10 Greatest International Rivalries". and ninth in Bleacher Report's 2014 list of "International Football's 10 Most Politically-Charged Football Rivalries" 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.

Stadiums

File:Azadi Stadium 1991.PNG

Azadi Stadium, 1991

Since 1972, Iran's national stadium has been Tehran's Azadi Stadium with a nominal capacity of 78,116 spectators. 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. Since 1979, the government restricts Iranian women from entering the stadiums. 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.” After the death of Sahar Khodayari, select Iranian women were allowed to attend the match against Cambodia in October 2019. However, in March 2022, Iranian women were again blocked from entering the stadium for a FIFA World Cup qualifier.

From 1942 to 1972, Amjadieh Stadium was Iran's national stadium. Other stadiums that Iran has played international games at 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

File:Iran national football team opponents.png

All opponents that the Iran football team has played at least once

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

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Coaching staff

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

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2025 Al Ain International Cup against Cape Verde and Uzbekistan on 13 and 18 November 2025, respectively.
Caps and goals updated as of 18 November 2025, after the match against Uzbekistan.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Alireza Beiranvand		83	0	Template:Fbaicon/core Tractor
12	1GK	Payam Niazmand		14	0	Template:Fbaicon/core Persepolis
22	1GK	Hossein Hosseini		12	0	Template:Fbaicon/core Sepahan
30	1GK	Mohammad Reza Akhbari		1	0	Template:Fbaicon/core Sepahan
3	2DF	Ali Nemati		14	0	Template:Fbaicon/core Foolad
2	2DF	Saleh Hardani		16	1	Template:Fbaicon/core Esteghlal
4	2DF	Shojae Khalilzadeh		54	2	Template:Fbaicon/core Tractor
5	2DF	Milad Mohammadi		73	1	Template:Fbaicon/core Persepolis
13	2DF	Hossein Kanaanizadegan		62	6	Template:Fbaicon/core Persepolis
19	2DF	Majid Hosseini		30	0	Template:Fbaicon/core Kayserispor
23	2DF	Aria Yousefi		11	0	Template:Fbaicon/core Sepahan
26	2DF	Danial Esmaeilifar		5	0	Template:Fbaicon/core Tractor
6	3MF	Saeid Ezatolahi		81	1	Template:Fbaicon/core Shabab Al Ahli
14	3MF	Saman Ghoddos		65	3	Template:Fbaicon/core Ittihad Kalba
16	3MF	Mohammad Ghorbani		13	0	Template:Fbaicon/core Al Wahda
17	3MF	Mehdi Hashemnejad		7	0	Template:Fbaicon/core Tractor
18	3MF	Mehdi Tikdari		1	0	Template:Fbaicon/core Gol Gohar
21	3MF	Omid Noorafkan		37	1	Template:Fbaicon/core Sepahan
25	3MF	Alireza Koushki		2	0	Template:Fbaicon/core Esteghlal
27	3MF	Hadi Habibinejad		0	0	Template:Fbaicon/core Chadormalou
28	3MF	Mohammad Mehdi Mohebi		4	2	Template:Fbaicon/core Ittihad Kalba
9	4FW	Mehdi Taremi (captain)		101	56	Template:Fbaicon/core Olympiacos
10	4FW	Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh		14	5	Template:Fbaicon/core Tractor
11	4FW	Ali Alipour		11	1	Template:Fbaicon/core Persepolis
24	4FW	Mohammad Omri		0	0	Template:Fbaicon/core Persepolis
	4FW	Mehdi Ghayedi		27	9	Template:Fbaicon/core Al-Nasr

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up to the team in the last 12 months. Template:Nat fs r start Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs break Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs break Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs break Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs break ^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.
|}

Player records

Template:Updated

Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only.

Players in bold are still active with Iran.

Most appearances

File:Iran vs. Montenegro 2014-05-26 (040).jpg

Javad Nekounam is the most capped player in the history of Iran with 149 appearances.

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Javad NekounamTemplate:Efn	149	38	2000–2015
2	Ali DaeiTemplate:Efn	148	108	1993–2006
3	Ehsan Hajsafi	142	7	2008–2024
4	Ali Karimi	127	38	1998–2012
5	Jalal Hosseini	115	8	2007–2018
6	Mehdi Mahdavikia	110	13	1996–2009
7	Karim Ansarifard	104	30	2009–2024
8	Mehdi Taremi	101	56	2015–present
	Andranik Teymourian		9	2005–2016
10	Alireza Jahanbakhsh	96	17	2013–present

Top goalscorers

File:Ali Daei, Saipa vs. Al-Rayyan pre-match conference.jpg

Ali Daei is the world's third all-time leading goalscorer in international matches, having scored 108 goals in 148 matches.

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Ali DaeiTemplate:Efn (list)	108	148	0.73	1993–2006
2	Sardar Azmoun	57	91	0.63	2014–present
3	Mehdi Taremi	56	101	0.55	2015–present
4	Karim Bagheri	50	87	0.57	1993–2010
5	Ali Karimi	38	127	0.3	1998–2012
	Javad Nekounam	38	149	0.26	2000–2015
7	Karim Ansarifard	30	104	0.29	2009–2024
8	Gholam Hossein Mazloumi	19	40	0.48	1969–1977
9	Farshad Pious	18	34	0.53	1984–1994
10	Reza Ghoochannejhad	17	44	0.39	2012–2018
	Alireza Jahanbakhsh	17	96	0.18	2013–present

Notes Template:Notelist

Most capped goalkeepers

File:Ahmadreza Abedzadeh 20170303 04.jpg

Ahmadreza Abedzadeh, an iconic goalkeeper known for his outstanding performances with the national team, is regarded as one of the finest in the nation's history.

Rank	Player	Caps	Career
1	Alireza Beiranvand	83	2015–present
2	Mehdi Rahmati	76	2004–2012
3	Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh	73	1987–1998
4	Ebrahim Mirzapour	70	2001–2011
5	Nasser Hejazi	62	1968–1980
6	Behzad Gholampour	27	1990–1999
7	Aziz Asli	24	1962–1968
8	Alireza Haghighi	23	2012–2018
9	Mansour Rashidi	20	1972–1985
	Parviz Boroumand		1998–2001

Captains

#	Reign	Player	Career	Total		As Captain		Tournaments
				Caps	Goals	Caps	Goals
1	1965–1967	Mohammad Ranjbar	1959–1967	23	0	9	0
2	1967–1970	Hassan Habibi	1958–1970	31	0	10	0	1968 AFC Asian Cup
3	1970–1972	Mostafa Arab	1959–1972	48	2	13	0	1972 AFC Asian Cup
4	1972–1977	Parviz Ghelichkhani	1964–1977	64	12	26	7	1976 AFC Asian Cup
5	1977–1980	Ali Parvin	1970–1980	76	13	31	2	1978 FIFA World Cup
6	1980	Nasser Hejazi	1968–1980	62	0	7	0	1980 AFC Asian Cup
7	1980–1984	Mehdi Dinvarzadeh	1977–1984	26	0	9	0
8	1984–87 1989–91	Mohammad Panjali	1978–1991	45	0	27	0	1984 AFC Asian Cup
9	1987–89 1991–93	Sirous Ghayeghran	1986–1993	43	6	22	3	1988 AFC Asian Cup 1992 AFC Asian Cup
10	1993	Hamid Derakhshan	1980–1993	41	9	12	3
11	1993–1994	Farshad Pious	1984–1994	35	19	4	1
12	1996	Mojtaba Moharrami	1988–1996	37	5	2	0	1996 AFC Asian Cup
13	1996–1998	Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh	1988–1998	73	0	38	0	1998 FIFA World Cup
14	1998–1999	Nader Mohammadkhani	1988–1999	64	4	9	1	1998 FIFA World Cup
15	1999–2000	Javad Zarincheh	1987–2000	80	1	8	0
16	2000–2006	Ali Daei	1993–2006	148	108	80	44	2000 AFC Asian Cup 2004 AFC Asian Cup 2006 FIFA World Cup
17	2006–2009	Mehdi Mahdavikia	1996–2009	111	13	17	1	2007 AFC Asian Cup
18	2009–2015	Javad Nekounam	2000–2015	149	38	56	18	2011 AFC Asian Cup 2014 FIFA World Cup 2015 AFC Asian Cup
19	2015–2016	Andranik Teymourian	2005–2016	101	9	9	1
20	2016–2019	Masoud Shojaei	2004–2019	87	8	11	0	2018 FIFA World Cup 2019 AFC Asian Cup
21	2019–2024	Ehsan Hajsafi	2008–2024	142	7	43	3	2022 FIFA World Cup 2023 AFC Asian Cup
22	2024–	Alireza Jahanbakhsh	2013–	96	17	6	0

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
Template:Flagicon 1930	Not a FIFA member										No qualification
Template:Flagicon 1934											Not a FIFA member
Template:Flagicon 1938
Template:Flagicon 1950	Did not enter										Did not enter
Template:Flagicon 1954
Template:Flagicon 1958
Template:Flagicon 1962
Template:Flagicon 1966
Template:Flagicon 1970
Template:Flagicon 1974	Did not qualify									8	5	1	2	9	6
Template:Flagicon 1978	First round	14th	3	0	1	2	2	8	Squad	12	10	2	0	20	3
Template:Flagicon 1982	Withdrew									Withdrew
Template:Flagicon 1986	Disqualified									Disqualified
Template:Flagicon 1990	Did not qualify									6	5	0	1	12	5
Template:Flagicon 1994										11	5	3	3	23	13
Template:Flagicon 1998	Group stage	20th	3	1	0	2	2	4	Squad	17	8	6	3	57	17
Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon 2002	Did not qualify									14	9	3	2	36	9
Template:Flagicon 2006	Group stage	25th	3	0	1	2	2	6	Squad	12	9	1	2	29	7
Template:Flagicon 2010	Did not qualify									14	5	8	1	15	9
Template:Flagicon 2014	Group stage	28th	3	0	1	2	1	4	Squad	16	10	4	2	30	7
Template:Flagicon 2018	Group stage	18th	3	1	1	1	2	2	Squad	18	12	6	0	36	5
Template:Flagicon 2022	Group stage	26th	3	1	0	2	4	7	Squad	18	14	1	3	49	8
Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon 2026	Qualified										16	11	4	1	35	12
Total	First round	6/22	18	3	4	11	13	31	—	162	103	39	20	351	101

Iran's World Cup record
First match	{{ Template:Yesno	alias = Netherlands	flag alias = Flag of the Netherlands.svg	flag alias-prinsengeus = Naval Jack of the Netherlands.svg	flag alias-army =Flag of the Royal Netherlands Army.svg	flag alias-air force=Flag of the Royal Netherlands Air Force.svg	link alias-air force= Royal Netherlands Air Force	link alias-army= Royal Netherlands Army	flag alias-naval = Flag of the Netherlands.svg	link alias-naval = Royal Netherlands Navy	flag alias-navy = Naval Jack of the Netherlands.svg	link alias-navy=Royal Netherlands Navy	flag alias-marines = Naval Jack of the Netherlands.svg	link alias-marines = Netherlands Marine Corps	size =	name =	altlink = national football team	variant = }} 3–0 Iran (3 June 1978; Mendoza, Argentina)
Biggest win	{{ Template:Yesno	alias = Wales	flag alias = Flag of Wales (1959–present).svg	flag alias-1807 = Flag of Wales (1807–1953).svg	flag alias-1953 = Flag of Wales (1953–1959).svg	flag alias-1959 = Flag of Wales (1959).svg	size =	name =	variant =	altlink = national football team }} 0–2 Iran (25 November 2022; Al Rayyan, Qatar)
Biggest defeat	{{ Template:Yesno	alias = England	flag alias = Flag of England.svg	flag alias-naval = English White Ensign 1620.svg	link alias-naval = Royal Navy	flag alias-navy = English White Ensign 1620.svg	link alias-navy = Royal Navy	link alias-cricket = England cricket team	empty = England Saxons	size =	name =	variant =	altlink = national football team	altvar = football }} 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)

AFC Asian Cup

AFC Asian Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
Template:Flagicon 1956	Withdrew										Withdrew
Template:Flagicon 1960	Did not qualify										6	3	1	2	12	10
Template:Flagicon 1964	Withdrew										Withdrew
Template:Flagicon 1968	Champions	1st	4	4	0	0	11	2	Squad		Qualified as hosts
Template:Flagicon 1972	Champions	1st	5	5	0	0	12	4	Squad		Qualified as holders
Template:Flagicon 1976	Champions	1st	4	4	0	0	13	0	Squad		Qualified as hosts
Template:Flagicon 1980	Third place	3rd	6	3	2	1	16	6	Squad		Qualified as holders
Template:Flagicon 1984	Fourth place	4th	6	2	4	0	8	3	Squad		6	6	0	0	22	2
Template:Flagicon 1988	Third place	3rd	6	2	2	2	3	4	Squad		4	2	2	0	6	1
Template:Flagicon 1992	Group stage	5th	3	1	1	1	2	1	Squad		2	2	0	0	10	0
Template:Flagicon 1996	Third place	3rd	6	3	2	1	14	6	Squad		6	6	0	0	27	1
Template:Flagicon 2000	Quarter-finals	5th	4	2	1	1	7	3	Squad		6	4	1	1	16	2
Template:Flagicon 2004	Third place	3rd	6	3	3	0	14	8	Squad		6	5	0	1	16	5
Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon 2007	Quarter-finals	5th	4	2	2	0	6	3	Squad		6	4	2	0	12	2
Template:Flagicon 2011	Quarter-finals	5th	4	3	0	1	6	2	Squad		6	4	1	1	11	2
Template:Flagicon 2015	Quarter-finals	6th	4	3	1	0	7	3	Squad		6	5	1	0	18	5
Template:Flagicon 2019	Semi-finals	3rd	6	4	1	1	12	3	Squad		8	6	2	0	26	3
Template:Flagicon 2023	Semi-finals	3rd	6	4	1	1	12	7	Squad		8	6	0	2	34	4
Template:Flagicon 2027	Qualified										6	4	2	0	16	4
Total	3 titles	16/19	74	45	20	9	143	55	—		76	57	12	7	226	41

Iran's AFC Asian Cup record
First match	{{ Template:Yesno	alias = Iran	flag alias = Flag of Iran.svg	flag alias-official = Flag of Iran (official).svg	flag alias-1502 = Flag of Persia (1502-1524).svg	flag alias-1576 = Safavid Flag.svg	flag alias-1665 = Flag of Persia (1665).svg	flag alias-1736 = Nadir Shah Flag.svg	flag alias-1760 = Zand Dynasty flag.svg	border-1760 =	flag alias-1796 = Qajar Naval Ensign.svg	flag alias-1849 = Amir Kabir Flag.svg	flag alias-1907 = Flag of Persia (1907).svg	flag alias-1910 = Flag of Persia (1910-1925).svg	flag alias-1925 = State Flag of Iran (1925).svg	flag alias-1964 = State Flag of Iran (1964).svg	flag alias-air force = Flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force.svg	link alias-air force = Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force	flag alias-army = Flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces.svg	link alias-army = Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces	flag alias-navy = Flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy.svg	link alias-navy = Islamic Republic of Iran Navy	link alias-naval = Islamic Republic of Iran Navy	flag alias-military = Flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army.svg	link alias-military = Islamic Republic of Iran Army	flag alias-coast guard = Flag of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution.svg	link alias-coast guard = Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps	size =	name =	altlink = national football team	variant = 1964	related1 = Persia	related2 = Pahlavi Iran	related3 = Qajar Iran }} 2–0 Hong Kong (10 May 1968; Tehran, Iran)
Biggest win(s)	{{ Template:Yesno	alias = Iran	flag alias = Flag of Iran.svg	flag alias-official = Flag of Iran (official).svg	flag alias-1502 = Flag of Persia (1502-1524).svg	flag alias-1576 = Safavid Flag.svg	flag alias-1665 = Flag of Persia (1665).svg	flag alias-1736 = Nadir Shah Flag.svg	flag alias-1760 = Zand Dynasty flag.svg	border-1760 =	flag alias-1796 = Qajar Naval Ensign.svg	flag alias-1849 = Amir Kabir Flag.svg	flag alias-1907 = Flag of Persia (1907).svg	flag alias-1910 = Flag of Persia (1910-1925).svg	flag alias-1925 = State Flag of Iran (1925).svg	flag alias-1964 = State Flag of Iran (1964).svg	flag alias-air force = Flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force.svg	link alias-air force = Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force	flag alias-army = Flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces.svg	link alias-army = Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces	flag alias-navy = Flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy.svg	link alias-navy = Islamic Republic of Iran Navy	link alias-naval = Islamic Republic of Iran Navy	flag alias-military = Flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army.svg	link alias-military = Islamic Republic of Iran Army	flag alias-coast guard = Flag of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution.svg	link alias-coast guard = Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps	size =	name =	altlink = national football team	variant = 1964	related1 = Persia	related2 = Pahlavi Iran	related3 = Qajar Iran }} 8–0 South Yemen (8 June 1976; Tehran, Iran)
Biggest defeat(s)	{{ Template:Yesno	alias = South Korea	flag alias = Flag of South Korea.svg	flag alias-1945 = Flag of South Korea (1945–1948).svg	flag alias-1948 = Flag of South Korea (1948–1949).svg	flag alias-1949 = Flag of South Korea (1949–1984).svg	flag alias-1984 = Flag of South Korea (1984–1997).svg	flag alias-1997 = Flag of South Korea (1997–2011).svg	flag alias-army = Flag of the Republic of Korea Army.svg	flag alias-air force = Flag of the Republic of Korea Air Force.svg	link alias-army = Republic of Korea Army	flag alias-naval = Flag of the Republic of Korea Navy.svg	link alias-naval = Republic of Korea Navy	link alias-air force = Republic of Korea Air Force	flag alias-marines = Flag of the Republic of Korea Marine Corps.svg	link alias-marines = Republic of Korea Marine Corps	link alias-navy = Republic of Korea Navy	flag alias-navy = Flag of the Republic of Korea Navy.svg	flag alias-military = Flag of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces.svg	link alias-military = Republic of Korea Armed Forces	flag alias-coast guard = Flag of the Korean Coast Guard.svg	link alias-coast guard = Korea Coast Guard	size =	name =	altlink = national football team	altvar = football	variant = 1984 }} 3–0 Iran (11 December 1988; Doha, Qatar) {{ Template:Yesno	alias = Iran	flag alias = Flag of Iran.svg	flag alias-official = Flag of Iran (official).svg	flag alias-1502 = Flag of Persia (1502-1524).svg	flag alias-1576 = Safavid Flag.svg	flag alias-1665 = Flag of Persia (1665).svg	flag alias-1736 = Nadir Shah Flag.svg	flag alias-1760 = Zand Dynasty flag.svg	border-1760 =	flag alias-1796 = Qajar Naval Ensign.svg	flag alias-1849 = Amir Kabir Flag.svg	flag alias-1907 = Flag of Persia (1907).svg	flag alias-1910 = Flag of Persia (1910-1925).svg	flag alias-1925 = State Flag of Iran (1925).svg	flag alias-1964 = State Flag of Iran (1964).svg	flag alias-air force = Flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force.svg	link alias-air force = Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force	flag alias-army = Flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces.svg	link alias-army = Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces	flag alias-navy = Flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy.svg	link alias-navy = Islamic Republic of Iran Navy	link alias-naval = Islamic Republic of Iran Navy	flag alias-military = Flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army.svg	link alias-military = Islamic Republic of Iran Army	flag alias-coast guard = Flag of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution.svg	link alias-coast guard = Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps	size =	name =	altlink = national football team	variant =	related1 = Persia	related2 = Pahlavi Iran	related3 = Qajar Iran }} 0–3 Japan (28 January 2019; Al Ain, UAE)
Best result	Champions in 1968, 1972 and 1976
Worst result	1992 (group stage)

Olympic Games

Summer Olympics record											Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
Template:Flagicon 1900	Not an IOC member										No qualification
Template:Flagicon 1904
Template:Flagicon 1908
Template:Flagicon 1912
Template:Flagicon 1920
Template:Flagicon 1924
Template:Flagicon 1928
Template:Flagicon 1936
Template:Flagicon 1948	Did not enter
Template:Flagicon 1952
Template:Flagicon 1956	Withdrew										Withdrew
Template:Flagicon 1960	Did not enter									Did not enter
Template:Flagicon 1964	First round	12th	3	0	1	2	1	6	Squad	6	4	1	1	14	3
Template:Flagicon 1968	Withdrew									Withdrew
Template:Flagicon 1972	First round	12th	3	1	0	2	1	9	Squad	5	3	2	0	6	0
Template:Flagicon 1976	Quarter-finals	7th	3	1	0	2	4	5	Squad	4	3	1	0	8	1
Template:Flagicon 1980	Qualified but later withdrew									6	4	2	0	22	2
Template:Flagicon 1984	Did not enter									Did not enter
Template:Flagicon 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

Asian Games

Asian Games record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
Template:Flagicon 1951	Runners-up	2nd	3	2	0	1	2	1	Squad
Template:Flagicon 1954	Did not enter
Template:Flagicon 1958	Preliminary round	14th	2	0	0	2	0	9	Squad
Template:Flagicon 1962	Did not enter
Template:Flagicon 1966	Runners-up	2nd	7	4	0	3	9	6	Squad
Template:Flagicon 1970	Preliminary round	8th	2	0	1	1	2	3	Squad
Template:Flagicon 1974	Champions	1st	7	7	0	0	20	1	Squad
Template:Flagicon 1978	Did not enter
Template:Flagicon 1982	Quarter-finals	8th	4	2	0	2	3	2	Squad
Template:Flagicon 1986	Quarter-finals	6th	5	3	1	1	13	2	Squad
Template:Flagicon 1990	Champions	1st	5	4	1	0	7	1	Squad
Template:Flagicon 1994	Preliminary round	9th	4	1	2	1	5	2	Squad
Template:Flagicon 1998	Champions	1st	8	7	0	1	25	7	Squad
2002–present	See Iran national under-23 team
Total	3 titles	10/13	47	30	5	12	86	34	—

WAFF Championship

WAFF Championship record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
Template:Flagicon 2000	Champions	1st	5	4	1	0	7	1	Squad
Template:Flagicon 2002	Third place	3rd	4	1	2	1	4	3	Squad
Template:Flagicon 2004	Champions	1st	4	4	0	0	17	3	Squad
Template:Flagicon 2007	Champions	1st	4Template:Efn	3	1	0	5	1	Squad
Template:Flagicon 2008	Champions	1st	4	4	0	0	13	2	Squad
Template:Flagicon 2010	Runners-up	2nd	4	2	1	1	8	5	Squad
Template:Flagicon 2012	Group stage	6th	3	1	2	0	2	1	Squad
Template:Flagicon 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
Template:FlagiconTemplate:Flagicon 2023	Champions	1st	3	3	0	0	12	2	Squad
Template:FlagiconTemplate:Flagicon 2025	Runners-up	2nd	4	2	1	1	8	4	Squad
Total	1 title	2/2	7	5	1	1	20	6	—

RCD Cup/ECO Cup

RCD Cup/ECO Cup record (Defunct)Template:Efn
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
Template:Flagicon 1965	Champions	1st	2	1	1	0	4	1	Squad
Template:Flagicon 1967	Runners-up	2nd	2	1	0	1	2	1	Squad
Template:Flagicon 1969	Runners-up	2nd	2	1	0	1	4	6	Squad
Template:Flagicon 1970	Champions	1st	2Template:Efn	1	1	0	8	1	Squad
Template:Flagicon 1974	Runners-up	2nd	2Template:Efn	1	0	1	2	2	Squad
Template:Flagicon 1993	Champions	1st	4	4	0	0	10	2	Squad
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
Template:FlagiconTemplate:Flagicon 1978	Not completedTemplate:Efn		1	1	0	0	3	0	Squad
Template:FlagiconTemplate:Flagicon 1985	Did not qualify
Template:Flagicon 1987
Template:FlagiconTemplate:Flagicon 1991	Runners-up	2nd	2	1	0	1	2	2	Squad Squad
Template:Flagicon 1993	Did not qualify
Template:FlagiconTemplate:Flagicon 1995
Template:FlagiconTemplate:Flagicon 1997
Template:Flagicon 2007
Total	Runners-up	2/8	3	2	0	1	5	2	—

AFC–OFC Challenge Cup

AFC–OFC Challenge Cup record (Defunct)
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
Template:Flagicon 2001	Did not qualify
Template:Flagicon 2003	Champions	1st	1	1	0	0	3	0	Squad
Total	1 title	1/2	1	1	0	0	3	0	—

Head-to-head record

{{#section-h:Iran national football team records and statistics|Head-to-head records}}

FIFA World rankings

9 Template:Gold1 , 9 Template:Silver2 , 2 Template:Bronze3 , 5 (Fourth Place) (25/31) (1993–2023)

File:Iran FIFA Ranking.png

FIFA World Rankings for Iran, August 1993 – March 2018

Between December 2014 and May 2018, Iran was the highest-ranked team in Asia, which is the longest continuous period of time that a team has held that distinction.

Highest FIFA ranking

15 (July 2005)

Lowest FIFA ranking

122 (May 1996)

Best mover

+65 (July 1996)

Worst mover

–43 (October 1995)

Last update was on 01 January 2022.

  Best Ranking    Worst Ranking    Best Mover    Worst Mover  

Iran's FIFA World Ranking History
Rank	Year	Games Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Best		Worst
						Rank	Move	Rank	Move
24	2022	11	6	1	4	20	Increase 2	24	Decrease 4
21	2021	11	10	1	0	21	Increase 5	31	Decrease 2
29	2020	2	2	0	0	29	Increase 3	33	Decrease 0
33	2019	12	7	2	3	20	Increase 7	33	Decrease 6
29	2018	15	9	3	3	28	Increase 5	37	Decrease 3
32	2017	11	7	3	1	23	Increase 7	43	Decrease 9
29	2016	10	8	2	0	27	Increase 10	44	Decrease 3
45	2015	15	10	4	1	38	Increase 10	51	Decrease 4
51	2014	10	3	4	3	34	Increase 5	56	Decrease 7
33	2013	9	7	1	1	33	Increase 15	67	Decrease 10
59	2012	14	4	7	3	44	Increase 14	59	Decrease 15
45	2011	15	12	2	1	42	Increase 21	65	Decrease 4
66	2010	12	8	2	2	57	Increase 8	67	Decrease 4
64	2009	21	7	8	6	42	Increase 2	64	Decrease 11
43	2008	21	12	7	2	37	Increase 11	51	Decrease 10
41	2007	13	8	4	1	32	Increase 5	47	Decrease 8
38	2006	15	8	5	2	19	Increase 5	47	Decrease 24
19	2005	11	8	1	2	15	Increase 2	21	Decrease 3
20	2004	18	13	3	2	17	Increase 7	31	Decrease 3
28	2003	11	6	1	4	28	Increase 7	47	Decrease 7
33	2002	10	4	4	2	29	Increase 2	34	Decrease 3
29	2001	20	11	4	5	29	Increase 8	51	Decrease 7
37	2000	26	15	7	4	37	Increase 7	53	Decrease 6
49	1999	6	2	4	0	44	Increase 3	51	Decrease 20
27	1998	18	9	2	7	27	Increase 17	47	Decrease 6
46	1997	22	11	7	4	46	Increase 17	87	Decrease 6
83	1996	21	13	5	3	57	Increase 65	122	Decrease 7
108	1995	0	0	0	0	63	Increase 26	108	Decrease 43
75	1994	4	1	2	1	57	Increase 2	75	Decrease 9
59	1993	15	9	3	3	54	Increase 7	59	Decrease 4

Honours

Intercontinental

• Afro-Asian Cup of Nations
  • Template:Silver2 Runners-up (1): 1991
• AFC–OFC Challenge Cup
  • Template:Gold1 Champions (1): 2003

Continental

• AFC Asian Cup
  • File:Gold medal asia.svg Champions (3): 1968, 1972, 1976
  • File:Bronze medal asia.svg Third place (6): 1980, 1988, 1996, 2004, 2019, 2023
• Asian Games¹
  • File:Gold medal asia.svg Gold medal (3): 1974, 1990, 1998
  • File:Silver medal asia.svg Silver medal (2): 1951, 1966

Regional

• WAFF Championship
  • Template:Gold1 Champions (4): 2000, 2004, 2007*, 2008
  • Template:Silver2 Runners-up (1): 2010
  • Template:Bronze3 Third place (1): 2002
• CAFA Nations Cup
  • Template:Gold1 Champions (1): 2023
  • Template:Silver2 Runners-up (1): 2025
• West Asian Games
  • File:Med 1.png Gold medal (1): 1997
  • Template:Silver2 Runners-up (1): 2002
  • Template:Bronze3 Third place (1): 2005

Friendly

• ECO Cup
  • Winners: 1965, 1970, 1993
  • Runners-up: 1967, 1969, 1974**
• LG Cup
  • Winners: 2001, 2002 (Morocco), 2002 (Iran), 2006
  • Third place: 2000
• Quaid-e-Azam International Tournament
  • Winners: 1982
• Iran Friendship Cup
  • Runners-up: 1969
• Cyrus International Tournament
  • Winners: 1971
• Iran International Tournament
  • Winners: 1974
• Fajr International Tournament
  • Runners-up: 1986
• Lunar New Year Cup
  • Runners-up: 2003
  • Third place: 1998
• Ciao February Cup
  • Runners-up: 1999
• Canada Cup
  • Runners-up: 1999
• Civilization Cup
  • Third place: 2001
• Tehran Cup
  • Third place: 2005
• Oman Cup
  • Third place: 2008
• Al Ain International Cup
  • Runners-up: 2025

^** as Malavan

Awards

• AFC Asian Cup Fair Play Award: 1996

Summary

Only official honours are included, according to FIFA statutes (competitions organized/recognized by FIFA or an affiliated confederation).

Competition	Template:Gold1	Template:Silver2	Template:Bronze3	Total
AFC Asian Cup	3	0	6	9
Afro-Asian Cup of Nations	0	1	0	1
AFC–OFC Challenge Cup	1	0	0	1
Total	4	1	6	11

Notes

1. Competition organized by OCA, officially not recognized by FIFA.

See also

• Iran national football B team
• Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran
• Persian Gulf Pro League
• Iranian football clubs in the AFC Champions League
• Asian Club Championship and AFC Champions League Elite records and statistics
• Football in Iran
• Futsal in Iran
• Iran national futsal team
• Iran national beach soccer team
• Iran national under-23 football team
• Iran national under-20 football team
• Iran national under-17 football team
• Iran women's national football team
• Iran women's national under-20 football team
• Iran women's national under-17 football team
• Iran women's national futsal team
• Tehran XI

External links

• Template:In lang
• Iran profile at FIFA.com
• Extensive archive of Team's results, squads, campaigns and players
• Players Profile, Articles, Statistics and Gallery of National Team
• RSSSF archive of results since 1941
• RSSSF archive of most capped players and top goalscorers