Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

is the most popular sport in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, with

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

and

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

as close contenders. Football has been a part of life for Iranians for many decades now and is played in schools, streets, and football clubs nationwide.

History

Early days

Football was played in

as early as 1898, when a team of

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

residents of

Esfahan Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its Achaemenid empire, ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in Sassanian Empire, middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Regio ...

played a team of

Armenians Armenians ( hy, հայեր, ''hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora ...

. In south western

the game was introduced in 1907 by

sailors and workers. At that time they were working at port cities

Bushehr Bushehr, Booshehr or Bushire ( fa, بوشهر ; also romanised as ''Būshehr'', ''Bouchehr'', ''Buschir'' and ''Busehr''), also known as Bandar Bushehr ( fa, ; also romanised as ''Bandar Būshehr'' and ''Bandar-e Būshehr''), previously Antioc ...

Khorramshahr Khorramshahr ( fa, خرمشهر , also romanized as ''Khurramshahr'', ar, المحمرة, romanized as ''Al-Muhammerah'') is a city and capital of Khorramshahr County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. At the 2016 census, its population was 170,976, in ...

Bandar Abbas Bandar Abbas or Bandar-e ‘Abbās ( fa, , , ), is a port city and capital of Hormozgān Province on the southern coast of Iran, on the Persian Gulf. The city occupies a strategic position on the narrow Strait of Hormuz (just across from Musan ...

and major oil refineries such as

Abadan Abadan ( fa, آبادان ''Ābādān'', ) is a city and capital of Abadan County, Khuzestan Province, which is located in the southwest of Iran. It lies on Abadan Island ( long, 3–19 km or 2–12 miles wide). The island is bounded ...

and

Masjed Soleiman Masjed Soleyman ( fa, مسجدسلیمان, also Romanized as Masjedsoleimān, Masjed-e Soleymān, Masjed Soleiman, and Masjid-i-Sulaiman) is a city and capital of Masjed Soleyman County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its populati ...

in the province of

Khuzestan Khuzestan Province (also spelled Xuzestan; fa, استان خوزستان ''Ostān-e Xūzestān'') is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the southwest of the country, bordering Iraq and the Persian Gulf. Its capital is Ahvaz and it covers ...

, the latter area even boasting a football league. The local Iranian employees of the company first looked on, and then began replacing individual players on the teams, until they formed their own teams. These young Iranian football players met some hostility from their social environment for participating in the games of the "infidels," and were at times beaten up and pelted with stones. In 1907, the

Ambassador in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

Cecil Spring Rice Sir Cecil Arthur Spring Rice, (27 February 1859 – 14 February 1918) was a British diplomat who served as British Ambassador to the United States from 1912 to 1918, as which he was responsible for the organisation of British efforts to end A ...

founded Iran's first Football Tournament which had only 3 teams
Embassy of Great Britain

Imperial Bank of Persia The Imperial Bank of Persia ( fa, بانک شاهنشاهی ایران‎, Bank-e Šâhanšâhi-ye Irân) was a British bank that operated as the state bank and bank of issue in Iran (formerly known as Persia until 1935) between 1889 and 1929. It ...

and Indo-European Telegraph Company. In the same year, the Tehran Football Association Club, an organising body for arranging football matches, was established. All teams were made up of British residents of Tehran, although when teams didn't have enough players they sometimes chose Iranian bystanders to come on the field and play. The matches were played at or around Mashq Square. The first Iranian player was Karim Zandi who played from 1908 to 1916. This period saw increasing interest in the game among Iranians. In 1910, Samuel M. Jordan, the principal of the American School (currently known as

Alborz High School Mandegar Alborz High School ( fa, دبیرستان ماندگار البرز) is a college-preparatory high school located in the heart of Tehran, Iran. It is one of the first modern high schools in Asia and the Middle East, named after the Alborz ...

) in Tehran, introduced football as part of the school's curriculum. Four years later 1914, the start of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

put an end to these football matches and programs. In other parts of southern Iran, (e.g. cities such as

Shiraz Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As o ...

) football was introduced by the British officers of the

South Persia Rifles The South Persia Rifles (Persian: تپانچه‌داران جنوب پارس), also known as SPR, was a Persian military force recruited by the British in 1916 and under British command.Fromkin, p. 209 They participated in the Persian Campaign ...

(1916–1921) to the Iranian troops they commanded, who then spread the game among the civilian population. The period following

World War 1 World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

saw football matches recommence in Tehran. Then two years later, in 1920, a number of Iranian and British football enthusiasts founded the Iranian Football Association (Majmaa-i Football-i Iran) to encourage Iranian players and to popularize the game. The director of the

James McMurray James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

, became its president, and he was assisted by the legation doctor, A.R. Neligan; they each donated a cup to be awarded to winning teams. 1920 also saw the establishment of Iran's first football club called ''

Iran Club Iran Club ( fa, کلوپ ایران) was an Iranian football club based in Tehran, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turk ...

''. Soon after the alumni of American College and the students of School of Political Science also formed teams. The

squad consisted of Karim Zandi, Khan Sardar brothers, Amir-Aslani brothers, Mohammad Ali Shokooh, Azizollah Afkkhami, Reza Kalantar, Sheybani, Hasan Meftah, Herand, Galustyan, Khajeh-Noori, Reza Rabizadeh, Hambarson, Ashrafi. This group of players won the Tehran Association Cup in 1923. In the same year a new club was established called

Tehran Club Tehran Club ( fa, کلوپ تهران) was an Iranian football club based in Tehran, Iran. It was the successor to Iran first football club Iran Club Iran Club ( fa, کلوپ ایران) was an Iranian football club based in Tehran, Iran ...

, followed by the creation of the Armenian Sports Club and the Toofan Club, and in 1925 the Tehran Club reached the final and defeated the British Select Team of Tehran 2-1. In this period a number of footballers who had played abroad, such as

Hossein Sadaghiani Dr. Amir Hossein Sadaghiani (1 January 1903 – 1 December 1982) was an Iranian football player and manager. He was a striker during his playing career and afterwards was Iran national football team's head coach from 1941 till 1950. Playing care ...

and the Khan-Sardar brothers, who played in the Belgian Football Leagues, returned to Iran.

for instance after returning to Iran temporarily from Europe, helped to establish the first football club (Ferdowsi Club) in

Mashhad Mashhad ( fa, مشهد, Mašhad ), also spelled Mashad, is the List of Iranian cities by population, second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about from Tehran. It serves as the capital of R ...

. During his one-year stay in Mashhad, he arranged football matches between the club and the British Consulate-General. Before this, football was only played by foreign residents in Mashhad (especially the employees of the Telegraph Office and the British Consulate-General). In places that had not entertained a significant foreign presence, such as

Ardabil Ardabil (, fa, اردبیل, Ardabīl or ''Ardebīl'') is a city in northwestern Iran, and the capital of Ardabil Province. As of the 2022 census, Ardabil's population was 588,000. The dominant majority in the city are ethnic Iranian Azerbaija ...

, it seems that the game was introduced in the 1920s by young men who had spent some time in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

1950s to 1970s

By the 1950s and early 60s, football had become a popular sport in Iran, and teams from Khuzestan were considered the most successful. Tehran then slowly started becoming the football capital of Iran, and numerous great clubs emerged from there.

Shahin FC Shahin Tehran Football Club ( fa, باشگاه فوتبال شاهین تهران, Shāhīn meaning ''Falcon''), also spelled Shaahin or Shaheen, from 1973 to 1979 known as Shahbaz ( fa, شهباز, Shahbāz, meaning '' Shahbaz''), is an Iranian ...

, Oghab FC, and Taj, were all Tehran teams established in the mid-1940s and are still active. As the number of club teams increased the need for a national league became apparent, and ever since 1960, with the exception of a few years, a nationwide football league has existed in Iran. The Takhte Jamshid Cup,

Azadegan League The Azadegan League ( fa, ليگ آزادگان, ''Lig-e Âzâdegân''), also known as League 1 ( fa, لیگ یک, ''Lig-e Yek''), is the second highest division of professional football in Iran. It was the top-level football league in Iran from ...

and the

IPL The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's T20 franchise cricket league of India. It is annually contested by ten teams based out of seven Indian cities and three Indian states. The leagu ...

being the most important ones. Iranian female football fan

21st century

Female spectators

In the

AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...

(organised by the

Asian Football Confederation The Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal in some countries/territories in Asia and Oceania. It has 47 member countries most of which are located in Asia. Australia, formerly in ...

, problems on the Iranian sides were attracting media attention. In addition, International Arabic and English-language media reported on the violation of

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

in Iranian stadiums, and the fact that

Iranian women Throughout history, women in Iran have played numerous roles, and contributed in many ways, to Iranian society. Historically, tradition maintained that women be confined to their homes so that they could manage the household and raise children ...

had been banned from football stadiums for about 40 years wince 2019, by the

Iranian government The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran ( fa, نظام جمهوری اسلامی ایران, Neẓām-e jomhūrī-e eslāmi-e Irān, known simply as ''Neẓām'' ( fa, نظام, lit=the system) among its supporters) is the ruling state a ...

. In 2018,

FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...

, as the parent of the AFC, pressured Iran to let women into the stadiums in the ACL, but Iran only allowed a limited number of women to watch the 2018 final, which called by the media "a show". In October 2019, Iranian women allowed to watch a

2022 World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup is an international football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. The 22nd FIFA World Cup is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022; it is the first Wo ...

qualifier, when the men's team beat

Cambodian football team The Cambodia national football team represents Cambodia in association football and is administered by the Football Federation of Cambodia (FFC). Operated under the name Khmer Republic from 1970 to 1975, it was founded in 1933 and joined FIFA's ...

14-0. Up to 3,500 women attended the game in the 80,000-seat

Azadi Stadium The Azadi Stadium ( fa, ورزشگاه آزادی Varzešgâh''-è Âzâdi''), opened as the Aryamehr Stadium ( fa, ورزشگاه آریامهر Varzešgâh-è ''Âryâmehr''), is an all-seater football stadium in Tehran, Iran. The stadium wa ...

Other challenges

Persepolis , native_name_lang = , alternate_name = , image = Gate of All Nations, Persepolis.jpg , image_size = , alt = , caption = Ruins of the Gate of All Nations, Persepolis. , map = , map_type ...

and Esteghlal have been challenged by other sides due to direct ownership by the government of the Islamic Republic. In 2021, AFC investigated the matter.

Iran national football team (Team Melli)

The predecessor of Iran national football team

Tehran XI

In 1926

Tehran XI Tehran XI was an Iranian football club founded in 1926 from Tehran that was seen as the predecessor of the Iran's national football team. The players were chosen from Tehran Club, Toofan Club and Armenian Sports Club. History In 1926 Tehran XI ...

(selected players from

, Toofan and Armenian Sports Club) traveled across the border to

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

, this was the first away football match for an Iranian team. This Tehran Select team is the predecessor of Iran's national football team. In 1929 it was time for a return visit, and so a team from Baku was invited to play in Tehran in late November. To impress the visitors, grass had been planted on the state-owned football field. The last of the three games, all of which were won by the visitors, was attended by

Abdolhossein Teymourtash Abdolhossein Teymourtash ( fa, عبدالحسین تیمورتاش; 25 September 1883 – 3 October 1933) was an influential Iranian statesman who served as the first minister of court of the Pahlavi dynasty from 1925 to 1932, and is credited w ...

, the powerful minister of court. The humiliating defeats, suffered on home ground, caused great consternation, so much so that some young men gave up football altogether. In subsequent years the interest in football waned, and newspapers hardly reported on those matches that did take place. However, all this changed with the return of crown prince

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi , title = Shahanshah Aryamehr Bozorg Arteshtaran , image = File:Shah_fullsize.jpg , caption = Shah in 1973 , succession = Shah of Iran , reign = 16 September 1941 – 11 February 1979 , coronation = 26 October ...

from

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

in 1936 and arrival of Thomas R Gibson in the 1930s to promote the game. *Head Coach: Mir Mehdi Varzandeh *Squad: The results were as follow:

World War Two period

One man can be remembered, who contributed to Iranian football during the post-World War One period.

became active in sharing the knowledge of the game and also with growth of football, he became the first head coach of the Iranian national team, who later coached football teams of

University of Tehran The University of Tehran (Tehran University or UT, fa, دانشگاه تهران) is the most prominent university located in Tehran, Iran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as its research and teaching pro ...

. The first match that the Iranian national football team played was on August 25, 1941 away at

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. In 1942, when the Allied Forces were in

Iran national football team ) ''(the national team)' other nicknames'' , Badge = Flag_of_Iran.svg , Badge_size = 190px , Association = Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran , FIFA Trigramme = IRN , FIFA Rank ...

defeated a British Military XI team in a friendly match played in

. Match details as follow: Iran team lineup were: Fathollah Minbashian, Mansour Hajian, Abbas Qarib, Aziz Farzanegan, Abbas Tandidehgar, Jamshid Malekshahi, Bakhtiar, Akbar Toofan, Ahmad Izadpanah and 2 more players. The team's head coach was

. British Army XI lineup included players such as

Wilf Mannion Wilfrid James Mannion (16 May 1918 – 14 April 2000) was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward, making over 350 senior appearances for Middlesbrough. He also played international football for England. With his blonde ...

, Migger and Bick,

Bertie Mee Bertram Mee OBE (25 December 1918 – 21 October 2001) was an English footballer who played as a winger for Derby County and Mansfield Town. Mee was also a manager, noted for leading Arsenal to their first Double win in 1971. Playing career Bor ...

, Jimmy McCabe.

Post-World War Two period

In the 1960s and 1970s Iran established itself as one of Asia's top sides, winning the

Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second oldest cont ...

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

and

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

, the only team to win the tournament three times in a row. In 1964 Iran qualified for the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

, but they finished last in their group with one point which came in a 1–1 draw against

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. Iran also qualified for the

and

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

. In 1978, Iran qualified for its first

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

, held in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. In the 1980s the

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations Security Council ...

hindered the development of the national team and Iran missed out of several World Cups due to withdrawing from the qualifying stage. After a twenty-year absence, Iran qualified for the

1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for the ...

and recorded their first ever World Cup victory, defeating the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

2–1. Iran has also more recently qualified for the tournament in

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

and

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, failing to advance past the group stage on each occasion.

Youth national teams

Iran fields youth national teams predominantly at the U17,

U20 U20 or U-20 may refer to: Naval vessels * * , a sloop of the Royal Navy * , a submarine of the Austro-Hungarian Navy Other uses * Great truncated cuboctahedron * Meizu U20, a smartphone * Roland U-20, a synthesizer * Small nucleolar RNA SN ...

and U23 levels having enjoyed moderate success.

U17

The U17 national team first qualified for the

AFC U-16 Championship The AFC U-17 Asian Cup, formerly known as the AFC U-16 Championship and AFC U-17 Championship, is a football competition, organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) held once every two years for Asian under-17 teams that also serves as a q ...

in 1996. Iran finished runners up in the

2000 AFC U-17 Championship The 2000 AFC U-16 Championship was the 9th AFC U-16 Championship, which was held between 3 and 17 September 2000 in Vietnam. Oman defeated Iran in the final round. Qualification *Group 1 : *Group 2 : *Group 3 : *Group 4 : *Group 5 : *Group 6 ...

, having gone undefeated in the group stage and defeating

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

4–0 in the semi-final. Iran lost in the final to

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

, but qualified to the FIFA U17 World Cup in 2001. In 2008 Iran won the AFC U16 Championships for the first time after defeating

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

in the finals. As a result, Iran also qualified for their second World Cup in 2009.

Other football teams

Iran national futsal team The Iran national futsal team represents Iran in international futsal competitions and is controlled by the Futsal Commission of the Iranian Football Federation. According to the Futsal World Ranking, it is ranked 5th in the world, and 1st amongs ...

: The Iran national futsal team represents Iran in international futsal competitions and is controlled by the Futsal Commission of the Iranian Football Federation. The "Kings of Asian Futsal" are by far the strongest Asian team and one of the best teams in the world according to the Futsal World Ranking. The Iranians are the regular participants of the FIFA Futsal World Cup reaching the third place in 2016 after eliminating the favorites, Brazil. Iran have won the first

Futsal Confederations Cup The Futsal Confederations Cup is a futsal tournament for national teams. It is contested by the winners of each of the six FIFA confederation championships ( AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, UEFA, OFC), the winner of the FIFA Futsal World Cup and ...

in 2009 and also reached the second place in the Grand Prix de Futsal known as Futsal Mini-World Cup in multiple editions.

Iran national beach soccer team The Iran national beach soccer team ( fa, تیم ملی فوتبال ساحلی) represents Iran in international beach soccer competitions and is controlled by the IFF, the governing body for football in Iran. Iran is the best ranked beach socce ...

: Iran has won the AFC Beach Soccer Championship a record two times (2013, 2017) and has placed in the top four in every edition. Iran has also appeared in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup seven times, reaching the quarterfinals on three occasions (2013, 2015, 2017), and finishing in third place once (2017).

Football structure

The

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

and

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exam ...

are administrated by the Iranian FA known as the I.R.I.F.F. The I.R.I.F.F has also been a member of

since 1945 and the

since 1958. The Federation receives most of its budget from the Iranian government's Physical Education Department, and also from sponsorships with various companies.

League system

The current structure has been in place since 2001. The

Persian Gulf Pro League The Persian Gulf Pro League ( fa, لیگ برتر خلیج فارس, ''Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs''), formerly known as the Iran Pro League ( fa, links=no, لیگ برتر ایران, ''Lig-e bartar-e Irân''), is the highest division of profe ...

is the highest level of club football in Iran. Below it is the

, also known as the 1st division, which consists of two twelve-team groups. One level further down from that is the 2nd division which is made up of 28 teams evenly distributed into two groups. One step down, and the final nationwide league, is the 3rd division. This level has eight groups and 45 teams. Each groups contains teams that are located in the same area of the nation. The final level of the football system consists of 28

provincial Provincial may refer to: Government & Administration * Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country * Provincial city (disambiguation) * Provincial minister (disambiguation) * Provincial Secretary, a position in Can ...

leagues. Local teams from each province participate in these leagues, and some of the leagues are divided into further divisions. The system works with a promotion-relegation system, meaning that a team from the lowest level of the system can make it to the top level after a number of years. The number of teams in each league often changes from season to season, due to the lack of any professional management in the lower levels of the system. Currently the IPL is the only league that is considered professional, despite many of its rules about club facilities and management being broken. It is not uncommon for teams in the lower levels of the system to change team names because of sponsorship issues or for teams to completely withdraw from a competition. The top four levels of the men's system are managed by the

FFIRI The Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) ( fa, فدراسیون فوتبال جمهوری اسلامی ایران, Federâsion-è Futbâl-è Jomhuri-ye Eslâmi-ye Irân) is the governing body of association football in Iran. Formed ...

, while the bottom level leagues are managed by their respective provincial football committee. The

Kowsar Women Football League The Kowsar Women Football League ( fa, لیگ کوثر بانوان فوتبال ایران, ''Lig-e Kâuser-e Banuan-e Futbal-e Iran'') is a women's football league, run by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran. At the top of the Irani ...

is the primary women's football league in Iran.

Major stadiums

Main Article ''

List of football stadiums in Iran The following is a list of Association football, football stadiums in Iran, ordered by capacity. The minimum capacity is 5,000. Existing stadiums See also *List of Asian stadiums by capacity *List of association football stadiums by capacity *L ...

'' *

Ali Daei Stadium The Ali Daei Stadium ( fa, ورزشگاه علی دایی) is a 20,000 seater stadium in Ardabil, Iran. The seated capacity may in due course be increased to 30,000. The stadium is part of a much larger sports complex that extends over 40,000 squ ...

Ardebil Ardabil (, fa, اردبیل, Ardabīl or ''Ardebīl'') is a city in northwestern Iran, and the capital of Ardabil Province. As of the 2022 census, Ardabil's population was 588,000. The dominant majority in the city are ethnic Iranian Azerbaija ...

* Dr. Azodi Stadium,

Rasht Rasht ( fa, رشت, Rašt ; glk, Rəšt, script=Latn; also romanized as Resht and Rast, and often spelt ''Recht'' in French and older German manuscripts) is the capital city of Gilan Province, Iran. Also known as the "City of Rain" (, ''Ŝahre B ...

Bagh Shomal Stadium The Takhti Stadium (, ''Vârzeshgah-e Texeti'') formerly known as Bagh Shomal Stadium (, ''Vârzeshgah-e Baq Shimal'') is a multi-use stadium in Tabriz, Iran. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Iran Pro Lea ...

Tabriz Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...

Enghelab Stadium The Enghelab Stadium () is a multi-purpose stadium in Karaj, Iran. Currently, it is currently mostly used for football matches and is the home of football team Saipa as of 2001. It has a capacity of 15,000 people. The stadium held the final mat ...

Karaj Karaj ( fa, کرج, ) is the capital of Alborz Province, Iran, and effectively a satellite city of Tehran. Although the county hosts a population around 1.97 million, as recorded in the 2016 census, most of the county is rugged mountain. The urb ...

Foolad Shahr Stadium Foolad Shahr Stadium (Persian language, Persian: ورزشگاه فولادشهر, ''Varzeshgāh-e Fulādshahr'') is a association football, football stadium in Fooladshahr, Iran. It is the home stadium of F.C. Zob Ahan, Zob Ahan, and was opened in ...

Isfahan Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its Achaemenid empire, ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in Sassanian Empire, middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Regio ...

* Ghadir stadim,

Ahvaz Ahvaz ( fa, اهواز, Ahvâz ) is a city in the southwest of Iran and the capital of Khuzestan province. Ahvaz's population is about 1,300,000 and its built-up area with the nearby town of Sheybani is home to 1,136,989 inhabitants. It is hom ...

Hafezieh Stadium The Hafeziyeh Stadium ( fa, ورزشگاه حافظیه) is a multi-purpose stadium in Shiraz, Iran. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Persian Gulf League side, Fajr Sepasi F.C. The stadium also is used ...

Imam Reza Stadium The Imam Reza Stadium ( fa, ورزشگاه امام رضا, ''Vârzeshgah-e Emam Reza'') is an all-seated football stadium located in Mashhad, Iran. The stadium has a seating capacity of 27,700 and is the sixth biggest stadium in Iran. It hosts ...

* Naghsh-e-Jahan Stadium,

Pars Shiraz Stadium The Pars Stadium ( fa, ورزشگاه پارس Varzešgâh''-è Pârs'', ) is a multi-use stadium in Shiraz, Iran. It is mostly used for football (soccer), football matches. The stadium holds 50,000 people. The stadium is the forth largest stadium ...

Rah Ahan Stadium The Rah Ahan Stadium ( fa, استاديوم راه آهن) is a multi-purpose stadium in Tehran, Iran. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Rah Ahan F.C., who currently play in Iran's Premier Football L ...

Samen Stadium The Samen Al-Aeme Stadium (), commonly known as Samen, is a multi-use stadium in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan, Iran, with a 27,000 seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both th ...

Shahid Bahonar Stadium Shahid Bahonar Kerman Stadium () is a multi-purpose stadium, located in central Kerman, Iran. It is used mostly for football matches. The stadium is able to hold 15,430 people and was opened in 2007. Shahid Bahonar Stadium is home venue of Azade ...

Kerman Kerman ( fa, كرمان, Kermân ; also romanization of Persian, romanized as Kermun and Karmana), known in ancient times as the satrapy of Carmania, is the capital city of Kerman Province, Iran. At the 2011 census, its population was 821,394, in ...

Shahid Dastgerdi Stadium The Shahid Dastgerdi Stadium (also known as PAS Tehran Stadium) ( fa, ورزشگاه شهيد دستگردی, ''Vârzeshgah-e Shihid Dâstgârdi'') is a football stadium located in the Ekbatan area of Tehran, Iran. It was named after a casualty of ...

Shahid Shiroudi Stadium The Shahid Shiroudi Stadium () formerly known as Amjadiyeh Stadium is a sports stadium in Tehran, Iran. It is currently used for athletics and held football matches until 2009. The stadium is able to seat 30,000 people and was opened in 1942. I ...

Shohada Stadium The Shohada Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Noshahr, Iran. It is currently used mostly for football (soccer), football matches and is the home stadium of Shemushack Noshahr F.C. in the Azadegan League. The stadium holds 6,000 people. Th ...

Noshahr Nowshahr ( fa, نوشهر; also Romanized as Now Shahr, Noshahr, and Nau Shahr; also known as Bandar-e Noshahr and the former name was Dehno) is a city and capital of Nowshahr County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. The largest ethnic group in Nowsha ...

* Takhti Stadium,

*Takhti Stadium,

Bandar-e Anzali Bandar-e Anzali ( fa, بندرانزلی, also Romanized as Bandar-e Anzalī; renamed as Bandar-e Pahlavi during the Pahlavi dynasty) is a city of Gilan Province, Iran. At the 2011 census, its population was 144,664. Anzali is one of the mos ...

* Takhti Stadium,

Yadegar Emam Stadium The Yadegar-e-Imam Stadium ( fa, ورزشگاه یادگار امام قم) was a multi-purpose stadium in Qom, Iran. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Saba Qom F.C. who currently play in Iran's Premi ...

Qom Qom (also spelled as "Ghom", "Ghum", or "Qum") ( fa, قم ) is the seventh largest metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. Qom is the capital of Qom Province. It is located to the south of Tehran. At the 2016 census, its popul ...

*Shohada Haft Tir Stadium,

Babol Babol ( fa, بابل, , known as "Orange Blossom City" , also Romanized as Bābol; formerly known as Barfrouch) is the capital of Babol County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. Babol is divided into two metropolitan areas (under Iranian law). At the 20 ...

*Shahid Vatani Stadium,

Qaemshahr Qaem Shahr ( fa, قائم‌شهر, also Romanized as Qā’em Shahr; formerly known as Shāhi ( fa, شاهی) is a city and capital of Qaem Shahr County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. At the 2016 census, its population was 247,953. Originally kno ...

References

iranica.comhamshahrionline.irtwof.blogfa.comispkavosh.persiangig.com
*A Political History of Football in Iran, H. E. Chehabi; Iranian Studies, Vol. 35, No. 4, Sports and Games (Autumn, 2002), pp. 371–402, Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of International Society for Iranian Studies

External links

Iran's National Football FederationIran's Football Leagues Live CoveragePFDC - Persian Football Dot Com

Iranian CornerIran Sports PressNational team archivePars FootballPersian Football League
{{DEFAULTSORT:Football In Iran Sport in Iran