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Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan Sport Club ( fa, باشگاه فرهنگی ورزشی فولاد مبارکه سپاهان اصفهان, ''Bâšgâh-è Varzeši-ye Fulâd-è Mobârake-ye Sepâhân''), commonly known as Sepahan S.C., are an Iranian sports club based 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 ...
, best known for their
association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
branch that play in 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 ...
, the highest tier of Iranian football. In the 2002–03 season, Sepahan ended the total dominance of two Tehran-based clubs,
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, to win the Pro League. They are also the first Iranian club to win three consecutive league titles, reach 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 ...
final in
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
and qualify for the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup, becoming the first-ever Iranian representative of the tournament. To date, they have won five league titles and four
Hazfi Cup Hazfi Cup (Jām-e Hazfi; ) is the Iranian football knockout cup competition, run by the Iranian Football Federation. The Iranian football league was not held during the 1980s, hence the winner of Hazfi Cup represented Iran in the Asian Club Cha ...
s, becoming one of the most successful football clubs in Iran. Sepahan are owned by the Mobarakeh Steel Company.


Club history


Before the revolution

In 1953, with the help of
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 ...
player Mahmoud Hariri the Shahin Isfahan football club was created. This club was one of the teams attached to the more popular and successful Shahin F.C. of
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 ...
. In 1963, Shahin as the representative of Isfahan Province became champions of Iran after a 1–1 draw against ''Tehran XI''. In 1967, due to the problems that arose in the Shahin F.C. organization in Tehran, the
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 ...
branch was forced to cease operations. The club changed its name to Sepahan. The club participated in the
Takht Jamshid Cup The Takht Jamshid Cup ( fa, جام تخت جمشید, Jâm-e Taxt-e Jamšid) was a national football league based in Iran which lasted from 1973 to 1978. History Before 1970 Before 1970s, the tournament was called the Iranian Championship cup, ...
league from
1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
to
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 go ...
. In the club's first season in the Takht Jamshid Cup they finished in 10th place ahead of city rivals Zob Ahan.


Post Revolution

After the
Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
, they played in the local Isfahan leagues for many years until 1993. That year the club was purchased by the Siman-e-Sepahan (Sepahan Cement) factory of Isfahan. It participated in the Azadegan League until the year 2000, when
Foolad Mobarekeh Mobarakeh Steel Company (MSC, fa, فولاد مبارکه, Foolad Mobarakeh) is an state owned Iranian steel company, located 65 km south west of Esfahan, near the city of Mobarakeh, Esfahan Province, Iran. It is the largest steel maker of ...
(
Steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
Mill of Mobarekeh
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 ...
) bought the team from the Siman factory. The team now plays under the name of Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan, and enjoys very good support by the club board, and has been able to attain a respectable fan base in its hometown.


Success years

The club was able to demonstrate its worth when it captured the league title in the 2002–03 season of 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 ...
, and qualified for 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 ...
tournament with
Farhad Kazemi Farhad Kazemi ( fa, فرهاد کاظمی; born 1 July 1959 in Tehran) is an Iranian football coach With many professional clubs in his résumé, Kazemi has established himself as one of the top coaches in a country which has many enthusiastic f ...
. It also won the
Hazfi Cup Hazfi Cup (Jām-e Hazfi; ) is the Iranian football knockout cup competition, run by the Iranian Football Federation. The Iranian football league was not held during the 1980s, hence the winner of Hazfi Cup represented Iran in the Asian Club Cha ...
in 2004 and was able to qualify for another season of the ACL competition, though the club did not have much success in the continental tournaments of ACL 2004 and
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
. With
Luka Bonačić Luka Bonačić (; born 21 March 1955) is a Croatian football coach and former professional player. Early life He was born in Split, Croatia that was then part of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. He began his football career at the Spl ...
, Sepahan was able to once again win the Hazfi Cup on 22 September 2006. With this win, they gained Iran's final and second spot in the
AFC Champions League 2007 The 2007 AFC Champions League was the 26th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament and the 5th edition under the current AFC Champions League title. Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds became champions for the first time, beating Se ...
. They were impressive in continental stage as they finished top of their group and defeated
Kawasaki Frontale is a Japanese professional football club based in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Their home stadium is Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium, in Nakahara W ...
of Japan and Al Wahda of the
UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
to reach the final of the newly established continental tournament for the first time. Although they lost the final to
Urawa Red Diamonds , colloquially Urawa Reds (浦和レッズ), also known as Mitsubishi Urawa Football Club from April 1992 to January 1996, is a professional football club in the city of Saitama, part of the Greater Tokyo Area in Japan. The club plays in the J ...
on aggregate, by reaching the final, Sepahan became the first Iranian club to qualify for the
FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 200 ...
. In the opening match of the
FIFA Club World Cup 2007 The 2007 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2007 presented by Toyota for sponsorship reasons) was a football tournament played in Japan from 7 to 16 December 2007. It was the fourth FIFA Club World Cup, a tourn ...
, Sepahan defeated
Waitakere United Waitakere United was a football club based in Waitakere City, New Zealand. They were one of the franchises in the ISPS Handa Premiership. They played their home games at Fred Taylor Park in Kumeu and The Trusts Arena. History Waitakere Uni ...
of New Zealand to reach the quarter-final where they met
Urawa Red Diamonds , colloquially Urawa Reds (浦和レッズ), also known as Mitsubishi Urawa Football Club from April 1992 to January 1996, is a professional football club in the city of Saitama, part of the Greater Tokyo Area in Japan. The club plays in the J ...
for a spot in the semifinal match against
AC Milan Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 and 1982–83 seasons ...
. Urawa Reds managed to defeat Sepahan for the second time in just one month, reaching the semifinals of the FIFA Club World Cup. By winning the
Hazfi Cup Hazfi Cup (Jām-e Hazfi; ) is the Iranian football knockout cup competition, run by the Iranian Football Federation. The Iranian football league was not held during the 1980s, hence the winner of Hazfi Cup represented Iran in the Asian Club Cha ...
once again in 2007, Sepahan also qualified for the AFC Champions League 2008, but could not repeat their success of
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
. Sepahan has qualified for 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 ...
for the third consecutive time in
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
, coming as the Runners-up in Persian Gulf Cup 2007-08. Sepahan lost the title by only one point to
Persepolis F.C. Persepolis Football Club ( fa, باشگاه فوتبال پرسپولیس, Bâšgâh-e Futbâl-e Perspolis) is an Iranian professional football club based in Tehran, that competes in the Persian Gulf Pro League. Persepolis was founded in 1 ...
, who beat them 2–1 in the last match of the season with a winner six minutes into second half injury time. They tried to improve the team by sacking the Brazilian coach Viera and replacing him with the German coach Firat but they had a difficult season where they could not win anything in the 2008–09 season and changed the coach three times. In the next season Sepahan hired Turkish and former
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 ...
's assistant coach Engin Firat, but he was fired after getting poor result in the league, and Hossein Charkhabi who was Sepahan Novin head coach at that time replaced Firat. Despite getting good result with the team Charkahbi was replaced once again with
Farhad Kazemi Farhad Kazemi ( fa, فرهاد کاظمی; born 1 July 1959 in Tehran) is an Iranian football coach With many professional clubs in his résumé, Kazemi has established himself as one of the top coaches in a country which has many enthusiastic f ...
who won the league title with Sepahan in the 2002–03 season. Finally Sepahan finished 4th in the league and qualified for the
2010 AFC Champions League The 2010 AFC Champions League was the 29th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 8th under the current AFC Champions League title. The final was held at the National ...
Group stage. In the next season the club hired former Iran and Esteghlal head coach
Amir Ghalenoei Ardeshir "Amir" Ghalenoei ( fa, , born 21 November 1963 in Tehran, Iran) is an Iranian football coach and former player who currently manages Gol Gohar Sirjan. He has been the most successful coach in the Iran Pro League and managed several clu ...
, at the helm of Sepahan's 2010 Season, the club sealed a championship title two weeks before the end of the season with a 2–2 tie against
F.C. Aboomoslem Football Club Aboomoslem Khorasan ( fa, باشگاه فوتبال ابومسلم خراسان, ''Bashgah-e Futbal-e Abumislâm-e Xerasan''), commonly known as Aboomoslem, is an Iranian Football team, football club based in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan ...
. In the 2010–11 Persian Gulf Cup, Sepahan dominated the league after a slow start and practically won the title two weeks before the season end. They also advanced to the knock out stage of the ACL competition, after finishing on top of the table in the group stage. Their group was arguably the group of death, consisting of Al-Hilal, Al Gharafa and Al-Jazira. They won their third championship and became the most successful team in
Iran 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 ...
.


Kranjčar Era

They also repeated their league title in 2011–12 season, this time with Croatian manager,
Zlatko Kranjčar Zlatko "Cico" Kranjčar (; 15 November 1956 – 1 March 2021) was a Croatian professional football manager and player. Kranjčar started his career as a player with Dinamo Zagreb where he won the Yugoslav First League in 1981–82, then Yugosl ...
. Sepahan also made it to the quarter-finals of 2012 AFC Champions League after defeating the fellow Iranian club Esteghlal. In 2013 however, Sepahan was placed in Group C of the 2013 AFC Champions League and was unable to get past the 2013 AFC Champions League group stage. Being placed in the same group as
Al-Gharafa Sports Club Al-Gharafa Sports Club ( ar, نادي الغرافة الرياضي) is a Qatari multisports club based in the Al Gharrafa district of Al Rayyan. It is best known for its football team, although it also has teams for other sports. It was establ ...
of Qatar, Al-Ahli SC of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates' Al Nasr SC, they could not qualify as one of the top two teams of their group. Sepahan started the 2013 AFC Champions League with a great win at home against Al Nasr SC, however heading for an away game against
Al-Gharafa Sports Club Al-Gharafa Sports Club ( ar, نادي الغرافة الرياضي) is a Qatari multisports club based in the Al Gharrafa district of Al Rayyan. It is best known for its football team, although it also has teams for other sports. It was establ ...
in Qatar, Sepahan only returned home humiliated by the Qatari team in a 3–1 lost game. That was not the end of Sepahan's poor performance in the AFC Champions League. About three weeks after their loss in Qatar, Sepahan hosted Al-Ahli SC at
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 ...
, losing poorly once again but this time with a score of 4–2. Sepahan still had a chance after those two losses, but all hopes were lost once they lost in front of the Saudi giants again, this time with a score of 4–1 thus having them bid farewell to the 2013 AFC Champions League. In the 2013–14 Iran Pro League season, Sepahan finished 4th, thus missing out on 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 ...
for the first time in five years. At the end of the season,
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...
n manager
Zlatko Kranjčar Zlatko "Cico" Kranjčar (; 15 November 1956 – 1 March 2021) was a Croatian professional football manager and player. Kranjčar started his career as a player with Dinamo Zagreb where he won the Yugoslav First League in 1981–82, then Yugosl ...
announced that he would not be returning for the 2014–2015 season. Sepahan also struggled in the Champions League as well, failing to make it past the group stage with a 1–0 loss to Al Hilal on the final match day. After originally announcing he was leaving the club, Sepahan announced that they had extended the contract of Kranjčar for another season.


Faraki years

Sepahan started the 2014–15 season with three wins in a row. However, Sepahan did not win their next four matches. Kranjčar resigned on 8 September 2014 and was replaced with former
Foolad Foolad Khuzestan Football Club ( fa, باشگاه فوتبال فولاد خوزستان, ''Bāshgāh-e Futbāl-e Fulād-e Khuzestān'') is an Iranian football club, based in Ahwaz, Khuzestan that plays in Persian Gulf Pro League. Foolad F.C. ...
manager
Hossein Faraki Hossein Faraki ( fa, حسین فرکی, born 22 March 1957) is a retired Iranian football player and a coach. Personal life He was born on 22 March 1957 in Tehran, Iran. He began playing football with PAS Tehran in 1976. Faraki has a son named ...
. On 15 May 2015, with a 2–0 Sepahan victory over
Saipa SAIPA ( fa, سایپا, ''SAIPA'') is an Iranian automaker headquartered in Tehran. The SAIPAC (an acronym for the French ''Société anonyme iranienne de production des automobiles Citroën'') was established in 1965 as with 75% Iranian ownersh ...
and
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 or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most common ...
drawing 3–3 with
Naft Tehran Naft Tehran Football Club ( fa, باشگاه فوتبال نفت تهران, ''Bashgah-e Futbal-e Nuft Teheran'') is an Iranian football club based in Tehran, Iran. They competed in the Persian Gulf Pro League. They were owned by the National Ira ...
, Sepahan won their fifth league title with a one-point margin over runner up Tractor. With the league victory, Sepahan returned to 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 ...
after a one-year absence. On 12 November 2015
Hossein Faraki Hossein Faraki ( fa, حسین فرکی, born 22 March 1957) is a retired Iranian football player and a coach. Personal life He was born on 22 March 1957 in Tehran, Iran. He began playing football with PAS Tehran in 1976. Faraki has a son named ...
left Sepahan for personal problems. Faraki left by saying "Things just don’t seem to be working out for me and I decided to quit my job in the team, I have nothing more to say because I think Sepahan needs concentration at the moment since they will play in Iran’s Hazfi Cup on Thursday,"


Štimac and Veisi years

After
Hossein Faraki Hossein Faraki ( fa, حسین فرکی, born 22 March 1957) is a retired Iranian football player and a coach. Personal life He was born on 22 March 1957 in Tehran, Iran. He began playing football with PAS Tehran in 1976. Faraki has a son named ...
's resignation, the club signed former
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...
n national team manager
Igor Štimac Igor Štimac (; born 6 September 1967) is a Croatian football coach and former player who played as a centre back. He is the current head coach of the Indian national team. In his playing career, Štimac had three spells with Hajduk Split and ...
. Igor Štimac won his first game against
Naft Tehran Naft Tehran Football Club ( fa, باشگاه فوتبال نفت تهران, ''Bashgah-e Futbal-e Nuft Teheran'') is an Iranian football club based in Tehran, Iran. They competed in the Persian Gulf Pro League. They were owned by the National Ira ...
, but after not winning a game in 10 weeks made the situations harder for Sepahan. Sepahan got knocked out of the
Hazfi Cup Hazfi Cup (Jām-e Hazfi; ) is the Iranian football knockout cup competition, run by the Iranian Football Federation. The Iranian football league was not held during the 1980s, hence the winner of Hazfi Cup represented Iran in the Asian Club Cha ...
by their rivals, Zob Ahan in penalties at the semi-final. Sepahan also went out of 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 ...
after losing five times in the first round. Igor Štimac resigned as Sepahan head coach on 20 April 2016, after a run of unsuccessful results which led the league champions Sepahan to end up in 11th place and out of both season's cups, Hazfi Cup and AFC Champions League. Before the start of the 2016–17 season, Abdollah Veisi who had led
Esteghlal Khuzestan Esteghlal Khuzestan Football Club ( fa, باشگاه فوتبال استقلال خوزستان, ''Bašgâh-e Futbâl-e Esteqlâl-e Xuzestân''), commonly known as Esteghlal Khuzestan, is an Iranian football club based in Ahvaz, Iran. The club c ...
to the league title, was announced as the new manager of Sepahan but sepahans poor results continued so they announced
Zlatko Kranjčar Zlatko "Cico" Kranjčar (; 15 November 1956 – 1 March 2021) was a Croatian professional football manager and player. Kranjčar started his career as a player with Dinamo Zagreb where he won the Yugoslav First League in 1981–82, then Yugosl ...
as their new manager. Sepahan finished the season in the 5th place.


Reserve team

Sepahan is also one of the clubs in Iranian football to have a senior reserve team, Foolad Sepahan Novin F.C., that as of the 2007/08 season, participates in 3rd Division and the Hazfi Cup. The reserve team was promoted to the
Iran 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 ...
from the Azadegan League, but was not allowed to participate due to Fifa's regulations about two teams from the same club playing in the same league.


Rivalries


Isfahan Derby

The Nagsh-e- Jahan derby is a
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 ...
match played annually in of
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 ...
,
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 ...
, between the two rival professional teams of the city:
Zob Ahan F.C. Zob Ahan Esfahan Football Club ( fa, باشگاه فرهنگى ورزشى ذوب‌آهن اصفهان, ''Bâšgâhé Futbâlé Zobâhané Esfahân'') is an Iranian football club based in Fuladshahr, Iran. It competes in the Persian Gulf Pro L ...
and Sepahan.
Naqsh-e Jahan Naqsh-e Jahan Square ( fa, میدان نقش جهان ''Maidān-e Naghsh-e Jahān''; trans: "Image of the World Square"), also known as the Shah Square (میدان شاه) prior to 1979, is a square situated at the center of Isfahan, Iran. Const ...
is an important square in old centrum of
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 ...
. According to Iranian football journalist Afshin Afshar, the competition is one of the most popular annual football events in Iran. The Isfahan derby goes back to the 1970s, when
Zob Ahan F.C. Zob Ahan Esfahan Football Club ( fa, باشگاه فرهنگى ورزشى ذوب‌آهن اصفهان, ''Bâšgâhé Futbâlé Zobâhané Esfahân'') is an Iranian football club based in Fuladshahr, Iran. It competes in the Persian Gulf Pro L ...
and Sepahan F.C. faced each other in
Takht Jamshid Cup The Takht Jamshid Cup ( fa, جام تخت جمشید, Jâm-e Taxt-e Jamšid) was a national football league based in Iran which lasted from 1973 to 1978. History Before 1970 Before 1970s, the tournament was called the Iranian Championship cup, ...
seasons ( 1974/75, 1975/76, 1976/77, 1977/78). Their rivalry resumed in the 1990s when they faced each other in Azadegan League seasons ( 1993/94, 1996/97, 1997/98) and from then on the two met each other twice a year.


Tehran rivalries

Esteghlal–Sepahan and Persepolis–Sepahan rivalries are the two important Iran Football Rivalries played between Sepahan and two
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 ...
based football clubs: Esteghlal and
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 ...
.


FIFA Club World Cup

One of the most important titles of Sepahan football club, which makes this club a special club in Iranian football, is the participation in the Club World Cup in 2007. For the people of Isfahan and those interested in football, especially the fans of Sepahan and of course Iranian football, the second day of November is undoubtedly a reminder of the name of Sepahan. On the day when the club was born, Sepahan's name was placed next to big teams such as AC Milan of Italy, Boca Juniors of Argentina, Pachuca of Mexico, Whiteacres United of New Zealand, Sahil Tunis and Overwards of Japan. Until today, Sepahan is the first and last representative of Iranian football who has hoisted the Iranian flag in the Club World Cup.


Partnerships

On 28 January 2009, Sepahan and Lebanese club Ahed signed an informal partnership deal. The partnership was made official on 8 March 2021, involving training camps and friendly games between the two sides.


Stadium

The Naghsh-e-Jahan Stadium is a
multi-purpose stadium A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used by multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy tha ...
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 ...
,
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 ...
that is home ground of Sepahan. It is currently used for
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 ...
matches. The stadium was built in 2003 and holds 45,000 in a three-tier configuration. The first phase finished in 2003 and they have decided to finish the second phase which is the first floor of the stadium. It was started in 2007 and was meant to be finished by 2008, but construction continued until summer 2016. The final capacity of the stadium will be 75,000. Sepahan's second home ground is
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 ...
that is the home ground of
Zob Ahan F.C. Zob Ahan Esfahan Football Club ( fa, باشگاه فرهنگى ورزشى ذوب‌آهن اصفهان, ''Bâšgâhé Futbâlé Zobâhané Esfahân'') is an Iranian football club based in Fuladshahr, Iran. It competes in the Persian Gulf Pro L ...
too. Some of Sepahan's matches are held in that stadium.


Season-by-season

''For details on seasons, see
List of Sepahan F.C. seasons This is a list of seasons played by Sepahan Football Club in Iranian and Asian football, from 1974 to the most recent completed season. It details the club's achievements in major competitions, and the top scorers for each season. Top scorers in b ...
'' :


Honours


Domestic


League

*
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 ...
**Winners (5): 2002–03, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2014–15 **Runners-up (3): 2007–08, 2018–19,
2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
* 2nd Division **Winner (1): 1973–74


Cup

*
Hazfi Cup Hazfi Cup (Jām-e Hazfi; ) is the Iranian football knockout cup competition, run by the Iranian Football Federation. The Iranian football league was not held during the 1980s, hence the winner of Hazfi Cup represented Iran in the Asian Club Cha ...
**Winners (4): 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2012–13


Continental

*
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 ...
**Runners-up (1):
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...


Players


First-team squad

(on loan from
Portimonense Portimonense Sporting Clube is a Portuguese sports club based in Portimão. Founded on 14 August 1914, it is most notable for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portuguese football. It al ...
) * U21 = Under-21 level player. U23 = Under-23 level player. U25 = Under-25 level player. INJ = Out of main squad due to injury. ''For recent transfers, see ''
List of Iranian football transfers summer 2022 This is a list of Iranian football transfers for the 2022 summer transfer window. Only moves from Persian Gulf Pro League are listed. The summer transfer window will begin on 13 June 2022 and closes at midnight on 31 August 2022. Players Free agen ...
''.''


Loan list


Former players

''For details on former players, see :Sepahan players.''


Notable players

:''See: List of Sepahan players''


Managerial staff


Current managerial staff


Head coaches

Below is a list of Sepahan coaches from 1953 until the present day.تاریخچه دیدارهای سپاهان و استقلال در اصفهان
/ref>


Club officials


List of Sepahan records


FIFA Club World Cup participation


Top scorers by season


Players on international cups


Sponsorship


Shirt sponsors and manufacturers


References


External links

*
Club Official Website
*
The Club page in Soccerway.com
*
The Club page in Persianleague.com
{{Iranian football league champions Football clubs in Iran Association football clubs established in 1953 1953 establishments in Iran Sport in Isfahan