The Azadegan League (, ''Lig-e Âzâdegân''), also known as League 1 (, ''Lig-e Yek''), is the second highest division of professional

football in Iran Football is the most popular sport in Iran, with wrestling and volleyball 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. For political a ...

. It was the top-level football league in Iran from its foundation in 1991 until 2001, when the

Persian Gulf Pro League The Persian Gulf Pro League (, ''Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs''), formerly known as the Iran Premier League (, ''Lig-e bartar-e Irân''), is a professional association football league in Iran and the highest level of the Iranian football league s ...

was established. Azadegan League operates on a system of promotion and relegation. Each year, the top finishing teams in the Azadegan League are promoted to the Persian Gulf Pro League, and the lowest finishing teams are relegated to League 2. Since 2016, the league comprises 18 teams. The winner and the runner-up of the Azadegan League are automatically promoted to the Persian Gulf Pro League. The bottom three teams in the league are relegated to League 2. In the past, the format and number of teams were changed for various times.

History

Before 1970

Before the 1970s, Iran did not have an official national football league. Most clubs participated in championships of their city or province. In 1970, the Local League was created. The league included teams from all Iran in different qualifying tournaments. In 1972, the

Takht Jamshid Cup The Takht Jamshid Cup (, Jâm-e Taxt-e Jamšid) was a national football league based in Iran which lasted from 1974 to 1979. The league was named after ''Takht-e Jamshid'', the Iranian name for the ancient city known as Persepolis. Hi ...

was founded as the national league and included teams from all over the country.

1979 Revolution and 1980s

Due to the

Islamic Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Im ...

and the

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...

, the Takht Jamshid Cup was dissolved and also the lower leagues were unorganized. In 1989 the

Qods League Qods may refer to: Geography * Jerusalem, a disputed city in the Levant, sometimes known as Qods from Al-Quds, the Arabic name * Qaleh-ye Qods, a village in Markazi Province, Iran * Qods, Iran, a city in Tehran Province, Iran * Qods, Semnan, a v ...

was created as the national football league. Esteghlal were the first national champion since

PAS Tehran Pas Tehran Football Club (, ''Bashgah-e Futbal-e Pas Tehran'') was an Iranian football club based in Tehran, Iran. Pas F.C. was the football club of the multisport Pas Cultural and Sports Club. The club has a long and rich history and has alwa ...

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

. After the season the Qods League was not continued.

Establishment as First tier (1991–2001)

In 1991 the Azadegan League was formed as the top flight of Iranian football. The league was named as Azadegan League in honor of the Iranian

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

who were released. ''Azadegan'' means ''the liberated'' in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

. The league started with a format of 12 teams in the first

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...

. In the 1992–93 Azadegan League season the league changed its format. 16 clubs participated in two groups of eight teams.

were the champions in both seasons. Esteghlal relegated for the first time in their history in 1993. Before the start of the 1993–94 season, the league changed its format again. 14 teams participated in one group.

Saipa SAIPA (, ''SAIPA'') is an Iranian automaker headquartered in Tehran. The SAIPAC (an acronym for the French ''Société anonyme iranienne de production des automobiles Citroën'' lit. ''Iranian Limited Company for the Production of Citroën Autom ...

won the Azadegan League title, sitting three points of runners-up

Persepolis Persepolis (; ; ) was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (). It is situated in the plains of Marvdasht, encircled by the southern Zagros mountains, Fars province of Iran. It is one of the key Iranian cultural heritage sites and ...

. Only one year later the league format was changed again. 24 clubs participated in two groups of 12 teams. Saipa defended their title in final against Esteghlal. Prior to the start of the

1995–96 Azadegan League The 1995–96 Azadegan League was the fifth season of the Azadegan League, the top-level league of professional football in Iran at the time, that was won by Persepolis. Mohammad Momeni (Poli Ekril Isfahan) was the top scorer with 19 goals. T ...

season, the league changed its format again. 16 teams participated in one group until 1999.

were the champions in 1995–96, 1996–97 and 1998–99, while Esteghlal became the champion in the 1997–98 season. In 1999 the league was reduced to 14 teams. Persepolis won the

1999–2000 Azadegan League The 1999–2000 Azadegan League was the ninth season of Iran's premiere professional football league at the time, the Azadegan League. Persepolis became the league champions. The following are the final results of the Azadegan League's 1999–2 ...

season, sitting seven points clear of rival Esteghlal. The 2000–01 season was the last year of the Azadegan League as the top-level football league of Iran. Esteghlal became the champion in a league of 12 teams.

Continuance as Second tier (2001–)

After the

Iran Pro League The Persian Gulf Pro League (, ''Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs''), formerly known as the Iran Premier League (, ''Lig-e bartar-e Irân''), is a professional association football league in Iran and the highest level of the Iranian football league s ...

was established as the professional football league of Iran, Azadegan League was declared as the second-highest professional league in the

Iranian football league system The Iranian football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for soccer, football clubs in Iran. Structure The current structure has been in place since 2001. The Iran's Premier Football League, Pro League is the highest level of cl ...

. Esteghlal Ahvaz won the

2001–02 Azadegan League The 2001–02 Azadegan League was the 11th season of the League since its establishment in 1991 and its first season as the second highest football league division in Iran. Following are the final results and standings for the Azadegan League 200 ...

season and promoted to Iran Pro League. Also Sanat Naft Abadan promoted to the Iran Pro League. 22 clubs participated in two groups of 11 teams including a final stage for the best four teams. The format was changed into a classic league of 16 teams for the next two seasons. Shamoushak Noshahr became the champion in 2002–03, while

Saba Battery Saba Battery Club (also Saba Battery Physical and Cultural Gym) is an Iranian sports club based in Tehran, Iran. The club was founded in 2002 . Teams * Saba Battery Football Club, competing in the Iran Pro League The Persian Gulf Pro League (, ...

won the league title in the 2003–04 season. Once more the league changed their format in 2004. Between the 2004–05 and

2007–08 Azadegan League The 2007–08 Azadegan League was the 17th season of the League and seventh as the second highest division since its establishment in 1991. Following are the standings for the 2007–08 football season in the Azadegan League. Standings Group 1 ...

season, 24 clubs played in two groups of 12 teams. After Shahid Ghandi winning the league in 2004–05,

Mes Kerman Mes Kerman Football Club (, ''Bashgah-e Futbal-e Sân't-e Mes Kârman'') is an Iranian professional association football, football team based in Kerman, Iran. They were promoted to Iran's top league, the Iran Pro League, in the 2005–06 season. ...

became the champion in the 2005–06 season. Sanat Naft Abadan, the third-ranked team in 2004–05, criticized the Iranian Football Federation due to incidents in the final stage. In the

2006–07 Azadegan League The 2006–07 Azadegan League was the 16th season of the League and sixth as the second highest division since its establishment in 1991. Following are the standings for the 2006–07 season in the Azadegan League. Group A Group B Top goal ...

season, Pegah and

Shirin Faraz Rahiyan Kermanshah Football Club () (formerly named ''Shirin Faraz'') is an Iranian Football (soccer), football club based in Kermanshah, Iran and compete in the Azadegan League. The club is in the private ownership of Farman Karimi. History Es ...

became the champions of the league, while

Tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a Trailer (vehicle), trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or constructio ...

failed once again for promotion. Also, Sanat Naft Abadan promoted automatically to the Persian Gulf Cup because of the 2004–05 Azadegan League promotion controversy. After

Payam Mashhad Payam Toos Khorasan Football Club (, ''Bashgah-e Futbal-e Peyam Tus Xerasan'') is an Iranian football club based in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan. They compete in the 2nd Division. The club is more commonly known as Payam Mashhad when it was based ...

winning the title in the

season, the number of teams was increased to 28 before the start of the 2008–09 season. They played in two groups of 14 teams until 2013.

East Azerbaijan East Azerbaijan province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Tabriz. The province is located in Iranian Azerbaijan, bordering Armenia, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ardabil province, West Azerbaijan province ...

club

returned finally back to the Persian Gulf Cup by winning the 2008–09 season alongside Steel Azin.

Shahrdari Tabriz Shahrdari Tabriz Cultural and Athletic Club (, ''Bashgah-e Futbal-e Vârzeshi-ye Shiherdari Tebriz'') was an Iranian sports club most widely known for its professional football team based in Tabriz, Iran. Shahrdari Tabriz also has futsal, basket ...

and

Naft Tehran Naft Tehran Football Club (, ''Bashgah-e Futbal-e Nuft Teheran'') was an Iranian association football, football club based in Tehran, Iran. They competed in the Persian Gulf Pro League. They were owned by the National Iranian Oil Company previousl ...

were the champions in the 2009–10 season, before Damash winning the league in

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

Paykan The Paykan ( meaning ''Arrow'') is the first Iranian-made car produced by Iran Khodro, between 1967 and 2005. The car, formerly called "Iran National", is a licensed version of the British Rootes Arrow (Hillman Hunter) and was very popular i ...

won the league title 2011–12, while Gostaresh and

Esteghlal Khuzestan Esteghlal Khuzestan Football Club (, ''Bašgâh-e Futbâl-e Esteqlâl-e Xuzestân''), commonly known as Esteghlal Khuzestan, is an Iranian Football (soccer), football club based in Ahvaz, Iran. The club currently competes in the Persian Gulf Pr ...

winning the league one year later. Although

could win their group, they had to relegate due to match-fixing. The number of teams was reduced in the next two seasons. 26 clubs participated in 2013–14, while 24 teams played in the 2014–15 season. Padideh won the title in 2013–14 after a victory over Naft Masjed Soleyman in the league final. One season later, Foolad Novin could win the league after they beat Siah Jamegan in final. Due to the fact that Foolad Novin is the reserve team of Foolad Khuzestan, they could not promote to the

. Instead of Foolad Novin,

Esteghlal Ahvaz Esteghlal Ahvaz Football Club (, ''Bashgah-e Futbal-e Esteqlâl Ahvaz''), commonly known as Esteghlal Ahvaz, was an Iranian football club based in Ahvaz, Khuzestan, that competed in the khuzestan province league The club was founded in 1948 as Taj ...

was allowed to promote.

Since 2015

Before the start of the

2015–16 Azadegan League The 2015–16 Azadegan League was the 25th season of the Azadegan League and 15th as the second highest division since its establishment in 1991. The season featured 15 teams from the 2014–15 Azadegan League, two new teams relegated from the ...

season, they returned to a classic league format. 20 clubs participated in 2015–16, before the number of teams were reduced to 18 one season later.

won the 2015–16 season, sitting seven points clear of Machine Sazi. Like in the 2016–17 season, Nassaj was also involved in a dramatic season finish in the

2017–18 Azadegan League The 2017–18 Azadegan League was the 27th season of the Azadegan League and 17th as the second highest division since its establishment in 1991. The season featured 13 teams from the 2016–17 Azadegan League, two new teams relegated from the 2016 ...

. At the last matchday, five teams had the chance to promoted. Naft Masjed Soleyman drew 2–2 with Mes Rafsanjan and won the league, while Nassaji defeated

Rah Ahan Rah Ahan Sports Club (, ''Bashgah-e Vârzeshi-ye Rahâhen''), commonly known as Rah Ahan Football Club, was an Iranian professional football club based in Tehran. They last played in the Azadegan League. Rah Ahan is one of the oldest Iranian foot ...

6–0 in Tehran's Takhti Stadium and became runners-up with 64 points thanks to a better goal difference than Khooneh be Khooneh.

Format

In the past, the format and number of teams were changed for various times. Since 2016, the league comprises 18 teams. Over the course of a season, which runs annually from July to the following May, each team plays twice against the others in the league, once at home and once away, resulting in each team competing in 34 games in total. Three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. The teams are ranked in the league table by points gained, then goal difference, then goals scored and then their head-to-head record for that season. At the end of the season, the top two teams are promoted to the

and the bottom three teams are relegated to League 2. Furthermore, all teams in the Azadegan League can participate in the

Hazfi Cup Hazfi Cup (, ) formerly known as Pahlavi Cup () is an Iranian knockout football competition held annually by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran. The Iranian Football League, Iranian football league was not held during the 1980s, h ...

Logo

Clubs

Champions

Overall

Notes:
¹ Saba Qom was formerly known as

² Shahid Ghandi Yazd was known as Tarbiat Yazd between 2006 and 2015
³ Rahian Kermanshah was formerly known as

⁴ Steel Azin was formerly known as Ekbatan
⁵

was formerly known as

Tractor Sazi Tractor Cultural Sports Club (, ''Bâšgâh-e Farhangi Varzeši-ye Terâktor''), commonly known as Tractor, formerly Tractor Sazi, is an Iranian professional football club based in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan, that competes in the Persian Gulf Pro ...

⁶ Padideh was known as Shahr Khodrou between 2019 and 2021

As 1st Tier league

As 2nd Tier league

Notes:
¹ Saba Qom was formerly known as

² Shahid Ghandi Yazd was known as Tarbiat Yazd between 2006 and 2015
³ Rahian Kermanshah was formerly known as

⁴ Steel Azin was formerly known as Ekbatan
⁵

was formerly known as

⁶ Padideh was known as Shahr Khodrou between 2019 and 2021

All-time table

Notes:
Only league matches, Play-offs are not included in the all-time table
¹

Nassaji Mazandaran Nassaji Mazandaran Football Club (, ''Bāšgāh-e Futbāl-e Nassāji-ye Māzandarān'') is an Iranian football club based in Qaem Shahr, Mazandaran. They currently compete in the Persian Gulf Pro League. Nassaji has one of the highest average at ...

was deducted three points in the

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

season
² Aluminium Arak was formerly known as PAS Arak, Shensa Arak, Hamyari Arak and Shahrdari Arak
³

Malavan Malavan Bandar Anzali Football Club (, ''Bāšgāh-e Futbāl-e Malavān-e Bandar-e Anzali'') is an Iranian football club based in Bandar-e Anzali, Iran. It currently won Iran's second league, the Azadegan League and came back to Persian Gulf P ...

was deducted six points in the 2018–19 season
⁴

was deducted three points in the

season
⁵

Damash Gilan Sport Club Damash Guilan (, ''Bashgah-e Vârzeshi-ye Damash Guilân''), commonly known as Damash Guilan sc, also spelled Damash Guilan, is an Iranian football club based in Rasht, Guilan, that competes in the Azadegan League. The club was founde ...

was formerly known as Esteghlal Rasht and Pegah Gilan
⁶ Rayka Babol was formerly known as Khooneh be Khooneh

Attendances

Average league attendances

Notes:
Matches with spectator bans are not included in average attendances

Highest attended season matches

Statistics

Top scorers

References

External links

*
Azadegan League stats
(archived)
Azadegan League
Live Score, Player Statistics, Goal Scorers, Fixtures, Standing
PFDC – Persian Football Dot ComIran Goals

Iran Sports PressPars Football
(archived) {{Iranian Sport leagues 2

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Sports leagues established in 1991 Professional sports leagues in Iran