Iran national football team

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For current information on this topic, see Iran national football team season 2009.

Iran
ایران

Nickname(s)	Team melli (Persian: تیم ملی) "The National Team"
Association	FFIRI
Confederation	AFC
Head coach	Afshin Ghotbi
Asst coach	Piet Buter
Captain	Mehdi Mahdavikia
Most caps	Ali Daei (149)
Top scorer	Ali Daei (109)
Home stadium	Azadi Stadium
FIFA code	IRN
FIFA ranking	58
Highest FIFA ranking	15 (July 2005)
Lowest FIFA ranking	122 (May 1996)
Elo ranking	38
Highest Elo ranking	15 (May 2005)
Lowest Elo ranking	73 (January 1964)
Home colours Away colours
First international
Afghanistan 0 - 0 Iran (Kabul, Afghanistan; January 1, 1941)
Biggest win
Turkey 1 - 4 Iran (Istanbul, Turkey; May 28, 1950) Iran 19 - 0 Guam  (Tabriz, Iran; November 24, 2000[1])
Biggest defeat
Korea Republic 5 - 0 Iran (Tokyo, Japan)
World Cup
Appearances	3 (First in 1978)
Best result	Round 1, 1978, 1998, 2006
AFC Asian Cup
Appearances	11 (First in 1968)
Best result	Winners, 1968, 1972, 1976

The national football team of Iran (Persian: تیم ملی فوتبال ایران) represents Iran in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran. The national football team of Iran is known as Team Melli, and is one of the strongest teams in the Asian Football Confederation ranking 8th overall and 58th in the world according to the FIFA World Rankings.^[2]

Contents 1 History 1.1 Early years 1.2 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina 1.3 After Revolution 1.4 1998 FIFA World Cup in France 1.5 2002 FIFA World Cup 1.6 2006 FIFA-World Cup in Germany 1.7 Temporary Suspension 1.8 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa 1.8.1 Group 5 1.8.2 Group B 1.9 Presidential Election Protests 2 Home stadium 3 Kit 4 Media coverage 5 Green Armband Controversy 6 Tournament records 6.1 World Cup record 6.2 Olympic Games record 6.3 Asian Cup record 6.4 Asian Games record 6.5 West Asian Football Federation Championship record 6.6 RCD Cup/ECO Cup record 6.7 West Asian Games 6.8 Islamic Solidarity Games 6.9 Other Achievements 7 Results and fixtures 7.1 Previous matches 7.2 Next matches 8 Managers 8.1 Coaching Staff 9 Players 9.1 Current squad 9.2 Previous squads 9.2.1 World Cups 9.2.2 Asian Cups 9.3 Most capped players 9.4 Top goalscorers 9.5 Iran World Cup captains 10 See also 11 References 12 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Early years

The very first match that the Team Melli played was on January 1, 1941 away at Afghanistan.

Before the 1979 revolution, Iran won the Asian Cup three consecutive times (1968, 1972, 1976), a championship record to which the team has not been able to add since, although they have finished third four times.

[edit] 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina

In 1978, Iran made its first appearance in the World Cup after defeating Australia in Tehran to qualify. Iran lost two of their three group stage games against the Netherlands and Peru.^[3] However, they managed to create a surprise^[4] by drawing 1-1 against Scotland with a late Iraj Danaeifard goal.^[5]

[edit] After Revolution

After the 1979 Revolution, football was somewhat neglected and cast aside. During the 1980s, the Iranian national team did not feature in World Cup competitions due to the Iran–Iraq War (1980-88) and domestic football suffered the inevitable effects of conflict. The national team withdrew from the Asian qualifiers for the 1982 World Cup, and refused to participate in the qualifiers for the 1986 World Cup because of having to play on neutral ground. The war and political upheavals left Iran without major club competitions until 1989 when the Qods League was established. A year later, the Qods League was renamed the Azadegan League. Despite failing to qualify for either the 1990 or the 1994 World Cups, it was during this period that a number of quality players burst onto the Iranian football scene, laying the foundation for their second stab at World Cup glory in 1998.^[6] Iran could count on new talents such as Ali Daei, Mehdi Mahdavikia, Khodadad Azizi and Karim Bagheri.

[edit] 1998 FIFA World Cup in France

Abedzadeh Mohammadkhani Pashazadeh Khakpour Zarincheh Minavand Estili Bagheri Mahdavikia Azizi Daei

Iran lineup during the 1998 World Cup

Additional information: 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (play-off AFC-OFC)

Additional information: 1998 FIFA World Cup - Group F

In November 1997, Iran qualified for the 1998 World Cup after eliminating Australia in a close playoff series. Both games finished undecided, but Iran managed to qualify due to the away goals rule. Iran held Australia to a 1-1 draw at home, and a 2-2 draw in Melbourne; however, since Iran had scored more away goals, they were able to qualify for the Cup.^[7]

At their first game of the Group F at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Iran played well against Yugoslavia, losing narrowly 1-0, only to a free kick goal by Mihajlović.^[6]

Iran recorded their first World Cup victory in the second game^[5], beating the United States 2-1, with Estili and Mahdavikia scoring goals for Iran. The Iran vs USA World Cup match was preheated with much excitement because of each country's political stance after the Iranian revolution. However, in an act of defiance against all forms of hatred or politics in sports, both sides presented one another with gifts and flowers and took ceremonial pictures before the match kickoff.^[8] Following defeat with Iran the United States were eliminated from the World Cup.^[9]

Iran played against Germany in the third game. The game was lost 2-0. The goals were scored by Bierhoff and Klinsmann.^[10] The one win and two losses meant Iran became third in the final group standing and failed to make it to the next round.^[11]

[edit] 2002 FIFA World Cup

Additional information: 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification

Iran failed to qualify for World Cup 2002 after an aggregate defeat to the Republic of Ireland, losing 2-0 in Dublin and winning 1-0 in Tehran. The elimination saw manager Miroslav Blažević step down from the top spot to be replaced by his assistant Branko Ivanković, who stepped up from assistant coach.

[edit] 2006 FIFA-World Cup in Germany

Additional information: 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)

Additional information: 2006 FIFA World Cup seeding

On June 8, 2005, Iran together with Japan became the first country to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, making it Iran's 3rd appearance on the world stage of football. The qualification round both in 2001 and 2004-05 resulted in mass celebrations, hysteria and rioting, causing internal chaos and unrest between youth and government officials. The Iran versus Japan leg of the 2006 World Cup Qualifiers in Tehran was the highest attended qualifying match among all confederations.

Iran started their 2006 FIFA World Cup appearance with high expectations from fans and media. Their first match was against Mexico in Group D. The game was level 1-1 at the half-time, but Iran lost at the end because of a defensive mistake. The final score, 3-1, was brought about by goals from Omar Bravo and Zinha for Mexico, with Yahya Golmohammadi scoring the only Iran goal.

Iran played against Portugal in the second game. The game was lost 2-0. The goals were scored by Deco and Cristiano Ronaldo (penalty). The two losses meant Iran was eliminated from the competition, before their third and final game against Angola. Iran drew 1-1 with Angola on the 21st of June 2006, Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh scoring the Iran goal.

[edit] Temporary Suspension

In November 2006, Iran was suspended by FIFA from all participation in international football, on the grounds of governmental interference in the national football association.^[12] The ban lasted less than a month, ^[13] and as a dispensation was given to allow the Iran under-23 team to participate in the football competition of the 2006 Asian Games, ^[14] fixtures were unaffected.

[edit] 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa

Additional information: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - AFC Third Round

Iran is in the same FIFA World Cup qualifying group as Kuwait, Syria and United Arab Emirates. They will play home and away against each of the other three teams in the group 5. Ali Daei was chosen to become the new coach after Spanish coach Javier Clemente had been close to signing on as Iran's national team manager but talks collapsed when he refused to live full time in the country.^[15] Ali Daei got ejected from his position as the Iranian national coach on March 29, 2009.^[16] He was replaced by Afshin Ghotbi. Iran failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup after ranking 4th overall in its group.^[17]

[edit] Group 5

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts  Iran 6 3 3 0 7 2 +5 12  United Arab Emirates 6 2 2 2 7 7 0 8  Syria 6 2 2 2 7 8 −1 8  Kuwait 6 1 1 4 8 12 −4 4

Iran  – 2 – 0 0 – 0 0 – 0 Kuwait  2 – 2 – 4 – 2 2 – 3 Syria  0 – 2 1 – 0 – 1 – 1 United Arab Emirates  0 – 1 2 – 0 1 – 3 –

In the next stage of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification Iran will play in group B. ^[18]

[edit] Group B

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts  Korea Republic 8 4 4 0 12 4 +8 16  Korea DPR 8 3 3 2 7 5 +2 12  Saudi Arabia 8 3 3 2 8 8 0 12  Iran 8 2 5 1 8 7 +1 11  United Arab Emirates 8 0 1 7 6 17 −11 1   Iran  – 2 – 1 1 – 1 1 – 2 1 – 0 Korea DPR  0 – 0 – 1 – 1 1 – 0 2 – 0 Korea Republic  1 – 1 1 – 0 – 0 – 0 4 – 1 Saudi Arabia  1 – 1 0 – 0 0 – 2 – 3 – 2 United Arab Emirates  1 – 1 1 – 2 0 – 2 1 – 2 –

[edit] Presidential Election Protests

During the final game of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against the South Korean national football team held in Seoul on June 17, 2009, four members of the team, Ali Karimi, Mehdi Mahdavikia, Hosein Kaebi, and Vahid Hashemian, wore green wristbands in support of the opposition candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi in the 2009 Iranian election protests. The players were forced to remove the wrist bands at the half time, except for Mahdavikia, who wore his green captains arm band the whole match. All four players have been given lifetime bans from competing on the national team and were forced into "retirement". Further, as of June 23, none of the players have been given back their passports upon returning to Tehran after the match.^[19][20]

[edit] Home stadium

Iran play their home games at Azadi (Freedom) Stadium which was built in the mid 1970s with a capacity of over 100,000. A record was set in Azadi for the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign in Iran's home match against Japan, in which the whole stadium was filled. The government restricts Iranian women from attending football stadiums such as the ones held in Azadi stadium.

[edit] Kit

Iran's current jersey is provided by 'Merooj'. The table below shows the history of kit providers for the national football team of Iran.

Period	Kit Manufacturer
1997	Saipa
1998–2000	Puma
2001–2004	Shekari
2004–2005	Saba Battery
2005–2009	Puma
2009–Current	Daei

[edit] Media coverage

Iran home matches (both qualifiers and friendlies) are shown live on Channel 3 and satellite television network Jame Jam 2. All matches are broadcasted with full commentary.

[edit] Green Armband Controversy

In a World Cup Qualifier against South Korea on 17 June 2009, several members of the Iranian national team wore green wristbands and armbands to show support for protesters in the disputed Iranian presidential election. The players were asked to remove the green bands at halftime by team officials, but a few of the players continued to wear green bands in the second half. According to The Guardian, several of the players who wore the bands have been purged from the national team by the embarrassed Iranian government. According to a pro-government newspaper called Iran, four players – Ali Karimi, 31, Mehdi Mahdavikia, 32, Hosein Ka'abi, 24 and Vahid Hashemian, 32 – have been forcibly "retired" from the sport. They have also been prevented from giving media interviews. ^[21]

[edit] Tournament records

[edit] World Cup record

World Cup record Year Round GP W D L GS GA 1930 to 1970 Did not enter - - - - - - 1974 Did not qualify - - - - - - 1978 Round 1 3 0 1 2 2 8 1982 Withdrew - - - - - - 1986 Disqualified for refusal to play at neutral sites - - - - - - 1990 Did not qualify - - - - - - 1994 Did not qualify - - - - - - 1998 Round 1 3 1 0 2 2 4 2002 Did not qualify - - - - - - 2006 Round 1 3 0 1 2 2 6 2010 Did not qualify - - - - - - Total 3/19 9 1 2 6 6 18

World Cup matches (by opponent) Against Wins Draws Losses Total  Netherlands 0 0 1 1  Peru 0 0 1 1  Scotland 0 1 0 1  Yugoslavia 0 0 1 1  United States 1 0 0 1  Germany 0 0 1 1  Mexico 0 0 1 1  Portugal 0 0 1 1  Angola 0 1 0 1 Total 1 2 6 9

World Cup history Year Round Score Result 1978 Round 1 Iran 0 – 3  Netherlands Lose Round 1 Iran 1 – 1  Scotland Draw Round 1 Iran 1 – 4  Peru Lose 1998 Round 1  Iran 0 – 1  Yugoslavia Lose Round 1  Iran 2 – 1 USA Win Round 1  Iran 0 – 2  Germany Lose 2006 Round 1  Iran 1 – 3  Mexico Lose Round 1  Iran 0 – 2  Portugal Lose Round 1  Iran 1 – 1  Angola Draw

[edit] Olympic Games record

Olympic Games record Year Round GP W D L GS GA 1900 to 1960 Did not enter - - - - - - 1964 Round 1 3 0 1 2 1 6 1968 Did not enter - - - - - - 1972 Round 1 3 1 0 2 1 9 1976 Quarter Finals 3 1 0 2 4 5 1980 Qualified but boycotted the event - - - - - - 1984 Did not enter due to boycott - - - - - - 1988 Did not qualify - - - - - - Total Best: Quarter Finals 9 2 1 6 6 20

Olympic Games matches (by opponent) Against Wins Draws Losses Total  East Germany 0 0 1 1  Mexico 0 1 0 1  Romania 0 0 1 1  Hungary 0 0 1 1  Denmark 0 0 1 1  Brazil 1 0 0 1  Cuba 1 0 0 1  Poland 0 0 1 1  USSR 0 0 1 1 Total 2 1 6 9

Olympic Games history Year Round Score Result 1964 Round 1 Iran 0 – 4  East Germany Lose Round 1 Iran 1 – 1  Mexico Draw Round 1 Iran 0 – 1  Romania Lose 1972 Round 1 Iran 0 – 5  Hungary Lose Round 1 Iran 0 – 4  Denmark Lose Round 1 Iran 1 – 0  Brazil Win 1976 Round 1 Iran 1 – 0  Cuba Win Round 1 Iran 2 – 3  Poland Lose Quarter Finals Iran 1 – 2  USSR Lose

• As of 1992 Olympic Games campaign onwards U23 Team played in qualification.

[edit] Asian Cup record

AFC Asian Cup Record
Year	Round	Pld	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1956	Did Not Enter	-	-	-	-	-	-
1960	Did not qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1964	Did Not Enter	-	-	-	-	-	-
1968	Champions	4	4	0	0	11	2
1972	Champions	5	5	0	0	12	4
1976	Champions	4	4	0	0	13	0
1980	Third place	6	3	2	1	16	6
1984	Fourth place	6	2	4	0	8	3
1988	Third place	6	2	2	2	3	4
1992	Round 1	3	1	1	1	2	1
1996	Third place	6	3	2	1	14	6
2000	Quarterfinals	4	2	1	1	7	3
2004	Third place	6	3	3	0	14	8
2007	Quarterfinals	4	2	2	0	6	3
Total	3 Titles	54	31	17	6	106	40

*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
*Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

[edit] Asian Games record

Year	Round
New Delhi 1951	Runners-Up
Manila 1954	Did not enter
Tokyo 1958	Round 1
Jakarta 1962	Did not enter
Bangkok 1966	Runners-Up
Bangkok 1970	Round 1
Tehran 1974	Champions
Bangkok 1978	Did not enter
New Delhi 1982	Quarterfinals
Seoul 1986	Quarterfinals
Beijing 1990	Champions
Hirosima 1994	Round 1
Bangkok 1998	Champions
Busan 2002	Champions
Doha 2006	Third place

• As of 2002 Asian Games Campaign onwards U23 Team participated in the Tournament.

[edit] West Asian Football Federation Championship record

Year	Round
2000	Champions
2002	Third Place
2004	Champions
2007	Champions
2008	Champions

[edit] RCD Cup/ECO Cup record

Year	Round
1965	Champions
1967	Runners-Up
1969	Runners-Up
1970	Champions
1974	Runners-Up
1993	Champions

[edit] West Asian Games

Year	Round
1997	Champions
2002	Runners-Up
2005	Third place
2010

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Asian_Games

[edit] Islamic Solidarity Games

Year	Round
2005	Third Place
2009

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_at_the_2005_Islamic_Solidarity_Games

[edit] Other Achievements

Year	Round
1969 Friendship Cup	Runners-Up
1971 Cyrus International Tournament	Champions
1974 Iran International Tournament	Champions
1975 Iran International Tournament	Runners-Up B Team
1989 Peace and Friendship Tournament	Fourth Place
2005 Islamic Solidarity Games	Third Place B Team

[edit] Results and fixtures

see Iran national football team results

[edit] Previous matches

Matches from the past six months as well as any future scheduled matches.

Date	Venue	Opponent	Competition	Result	Iranian scorers
06 September 2008	King Fahd, Riyadh	Saudi Arabia	WCQ	1-1 D	81' Javad Nekounam
11 October 2008	Training Camp, Karaj	Paykan	Friendly	2-2 D	40' Javad Nekounam, 43' Seyed Salehi
15 October 2008	Azadi, Tehran	Korea DPR	WCQ	2-1 W	9' Mehdi Mahdavikia, 64' Javad Nekounam
09 November 2008	Jassim Bin Hamad, Doha	Qatar	Friendly	1-0 W	78' Gholamreza Rezaei
19 November 2008	Al-Maktium, Dubai	UAE	WCQ	1-1 D	81' Karim Bagheri
16 December 2008	Sultan Qaboos, Muscat	Ecuador	Oman tournament	0-1 L
18 December 2008	Sultan Qaboos, Muscat	China PR	Oman tournament	2-0 W	44'Seyed Mehdi Salehi 72' Pejman Nouri
27 December 2008	Spain	Galicia	Friendly	2-3 L	Arash Borhani 32' Khalatbari 82'
9 January 2009	Azadi, Tehran	Singapore	ACQ	6-0 W	28' Majid Gholamnejad, 51' Karim Bagheri, 54' Gholamreza Rezaei 79' Maziar Zare, 82', 83' Mohammad Nouri
January 28, 2009	Rajamangala, Bangkok	Thailand	ACQ	0-0 D
February 11, 2009	Azadi, Tehran	Korea Republic	WCQ	1-1 D	65' Javad Nekounam
March 14, 2009	Azadi, Tehran	Kenya	Friendly	1-0 W	Hossein Kazemi
March 23, 2009	Kuwait National Stadium, Kuwait City	Kuwait	Friendly	1-0 W	84' Maziar Zare
March 28, 2009	Azadi, Tehran	Saudi Arabia	WCQ	1-2 L	64' Masoud Shojaei
April 1, 2009	Azadi, Tehran	Senegal	Friendly	1-1 D	Mehrzad Madanchi
May 16, 2009	Azadi, Tehran	U-23	Friendly	3-0 W	Mohsen Khalili, Ali Karimi, Mohammad Reza Khalatbari
May 26, 2009	Azadi, Tehran	Indonesia U-23	Friendly	5-0 W	54',89' Ferydoon Zandi, 67' Arash Borhani, 72' Mohammad Reza Khalatbari
June 1, 2009	Qinghuangdao	China	Friendly	0-1 L
June 6, 2009	Kim Il-Sung Stadium, Pyongyang	Korea DPR	WCQ	0-0 D
June 10, 2009	Azadi, Tehran	United Arab Emirates	2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification	1-0 W	53' Ali Karimi
June 17, 2009	Seoul World Cup, Seoul	Korea Republic	2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification	1-1 D	51' Shojaei

[edit] Next matches

Date	Venue	Opponent	Competition
November 14, 2009	Azadi, Tehran	Jordan	2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification
November 18, 2009	Amman International Stadium, Amman	Jordan	2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification
January 6, 2010	National Stadium, Singapore, Kallang	Singapore	2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification
March 3, 2010	Azadi, Tehran	Thailand	2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification

[edit] Managers

Name	Nat	Period	Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses	Honours
Hossein Sadaghiani		Aug 1941–Sep 1948	3	0	2	1
Alfred James Gibel		Sep 1948–Sep 1949	0	0	0	0
Hossein Sadaghiani		Sep 1949–Dec 1950	3	2	0	1
Mostafa Salimi		Jan 1951–Mar 1956	5	2	2	1	Silver Medal at 1951 Asian Games
Edmund Masayufskei		Mar 1956– Aug 1957	0	0	0	0
József Mészaros		Aug 1957– Dec 1959	8	3	1	4
Hossein Fekri		Dec 1961– Mar 1966	14	5	5	4	Qualification to 1964 Summer Olympics
György Szűcs		Mar 1966– Dec 1966	7	4	0	3	Silver Medal at 1966 Asian Games
Hossein Fekri		Jan 1967–Feb 1968	2	1	0	1
Mahmoud Bayati		Mar 1968–Jun 1968	4	4	0	0	Winner of 1968 Asian Cup
Zdravko Rajkov		Jul 1968– May 1970	4	3	0	1
Mohammad Bayati		Jun 1970–Sep 1970	2	1	1	0
Igor Netto		Oct 1970– Dec 1970	2	0	1	1
Parviz Dehdari		Jan 1971– Apr 1972	5	3	1	1	Winner of 1971 Cyrus International Tournament
Mohammad Ranjbar		May 1972- Jun 1972	11	6	2	3	Winner of 1972 Asian Cup
Mahmoud Bayati		Jul 1972– Mar 1974	12	6	2	4
Frank O'Farrell		Apr 1974– Apr 1976	13	10	1	2	Gold Medal at 1974 Asian Games, Winner of 1974 Iran International Tournament, Qualification to 1976 Summer Olympics
Heshmat Mohajerani		5 May 1976– Dec 1978	30	14	8	8	Winner of 1976 Asian Cup, Quarter Finals of 1976 Summer Olympics, Qualification to 1978 FIFA World Cup
Hassan Habibi		Nov 1979– Oct 1980	14	9	4	1	Qualification to 1980 Summer Olympics,Third place at 1980 Asian Cup
Asghar Sharafi		Nov 1980- Aug 1981	0	0	0	0
Parviz Aboutaleb		Sep 1981- Mar 1982	0	0	0	0
Naser Ebrahimi		Apr 1982- Sep 1982	0	0	0	0
Jalal Cheraghpour		Oct 1982- May 1983	4	2	0	2
Ahmad Tousi		Jun 1983- Mar 1984	0	0	0	0
Mahmoud Yavari		Apr 1984- Oct 1984	7	6	0	1
Nasser Ebrahimi		Oct 1984– Feb 1985	10	4	4	2	Fourth place at 1984 Asian Cup
Fereydoun Asgharzadeh		Mar 1985– Mar 1986	0	0	0	0
Parviz Dehdari		Apr 1986– Oct 1987	8	4	1	3
Mahmoud Yavari		Nov 1987	0	0	0	0
Parviz Dehdari		Nov 1987-Feb 1989	11	4	5	2	Third place at 1988 Asian Cup
Reza Vatankhah		Mar 1989 -Apr 1989	3	3	0	0
Mehdi Monajati		May 1989 - Sep 1989	3	2	0	1
Ali Parvin		Oct 1989– Nov 1993	38	18	11	9	Gold Medal at 1990 Asian Games, Winner of ECO Cup 1993
Stanko Poklepović		Apr 1994– Oct 1994	4	1	2	1
Hassan Habibi		Mar 1994- Oct 1995	0	0	0	0
Mohammad Mayeli Kohan		Mar 1995– Nov 1997	40	24	10	6	Third place at 1996 Asian Cup
Valdeir Vieira		Nov 1997 - Dec 1997	3	0	2	1	Qualification to 1998 FIFA World Cup
Tomislav Ivić		Jan 1998 - May 1998	5	1	2	2
Jalal Talebi		May 1998 - Aug 1998	4	1	0	3	Iran's historical first win at the FIFA World Cup
Mansour Pourheidari		Sep 1998 - Feb 2000	19	10	6	3	Gold Medal at 1998 Asian Games
Jalal Talebi		Mar 2000 - Oct 2000	20	13	5	3	Quarterfinals at 2000 Asian Cup, Winner of 2000 WAFF Championship
Ademar Braga		Nov 2000 - Feb 2001	3	3	0	0
Miroslav Blažević		Mar 2001 - Nov 2001	19	10	4	5
Branko Ivanković		Feb 2002 - Sep 2002	9	4	3	2
Homayoun Shahrokhi		Feb 2003 - Sep 2003	6	2	1	3
Branko Ivanković		Oct 2003 - Jul 2006	41	28	6	7	Winner of 2004 WAFF Championship, Third place at 2004 Asian Cup, Qualification to 2006 FIFA World Cup
Amir Ghalenoei		16 Jul 2006 -Sep 2007	21	13	7	1	Quarterfinals at 2007 Asian Cup
Mansour Ebrahimzadeh		Jan 2008 - 7 Mar 2008	3	0	3	0
Ali Daei		3 Mar 2008 - 8 Mar 2009	24	15	6	3	Winner of 2008 WAFF Championship
Erich Rutemöller (temp)		29 Mar 2009 - 5 Apr 2009	1	0	1	0
Mohammad Mayeli Kohan		6 Apr 2009– 21 Apr 2009	0	0	0	0
Afshin Ghotbi		22 Apr 2009 -	4	1	2	1

[edit] Coaching Staff

Head Coach	Afshin Ghotbi
Assistant Coach	Piet Buter
Goalkeeping Coach	Abe Knoop
Technical staff	Kianoosh Mostaghimi
Advicer	Morteza Mohasses
Physiotherapist	Jan Langalon
Team Doctors	Dr. Parham Khanlari and Dr. Shahab
Team Manager	Mansour Pourheidari

[edit] Players

[edit] Current squad

Iran's 27 players for the friendly against China and the World Cup Qualifier against North Korea.
Ali Karimi, Hossein Kaebi, Mehdi Mahdavikia, Vahid Hashemian have reportedly been forced into "retirement" because of their wearing green wrist bands in their final World Cup 2010 qualification match against South Korea. The green wrist bands were a sign of support to those protesting the hotly contested presidential election in Iran. ^[22]

[edit] Previous squads

[edit] World Cups

• World Cup 2006 squad
• World Cup 1998 squad
• World Cup 1978 squad

[edit] Asian Cups

• Asian Cup 2007 squad
• Asian Cup 2004 squad
• Asian Cup 2000 squad
• Asian Cup 1996 squad
• Asian Cup 1992 squad

See also Category:Iran international footballers

[edit] Most capped players

As of January 31, 2008^[update], the players with the most caps for Iran are:

#	Name	DOB	Club	Caps (goals)
Goalkeepers
1	Mehdi Rahmati	Feb 2, 1983 (age 25)	Mes	00300 (0)
12	Vahid Talebloo	May 26, 1982 (age 26)	Esteghlal	00100 (0)
-	Rahman Ahmadi	July 30, 1980 (age 28)	Sepahan	0000 (0)
Defenders
3	Khosro Heydari	Sep 14, 1983 (age 26)	Esteghlal	00200 (0)
4	Jalal Hosseini	Feb 3, 1982 (age 26)	Saipa	00230 (2)
5	Hadi Aghili	Jan 15, 1981 (age 28)	Sepahan	00230 (4)
6	Mohammad Nosrati	10 January 1982 (age 27)	Al-Nasr	00560 (4)
13	Hossein Kaebi	23 Dec 1985 (age 23)	Saipa	00740 (2)
-	Alireza Mohammad	Jul 14, 1981 (age 28)	Persepolis	00100 (0)
Midfielders
2	Mehdi Mahdavikia	June 24, 1977 (age 31)	Eintracht Frankfurt	001060 (13)
6	Javad Nekounam	September 7, 1980 (age 28)	Osasuna	001000 (24)
7	Ferydoon Zandi	Apr 26, 1979 (age 30)	Alki	002400 (3)
8	Ali Karimi	November 8, 1978 (age 30)	Persepolis	001090 (35)
11	Mehrzad Madanchi	Jan 10, 1985 (age 24)	Al-Nasr	002900 (6)
14	Andranik Teymourian	March 6, 1983 (age 26)	Fulham	003100 (2)
15	Pejman Nouri	July 13, 1980 (age 28)	Persepolis	00800 (2)
18	Masoud Shojaei	June 9, 1984 (age 24)	Osasuna	00180 (1)
-	Javad Kazemian	April 23, 1981 (age 28)	Ajman	00360 (1)
Strikers
9	Vahid Hashemian	July 21, 1976 (age 32)	Bochum	00450 (13)
10	Arash Borhani	Sept 14, 1983 (age 25)	Esteghlal	00250 (8)
17	Mohammad Reza Khalatbari	Sep 14, 1983 (age 25)	Zob Ahan	00700 (0)
#	Name	Career	Caps	Goals
1	Ali Daei	1993–2006	149	109
2	Ali Karimi*	1998–Present	111	35
3	Mehdi Mahdavikia*	1996–Present	111	12
4	Javad Nekounam*	2000–Present	98	24
5	Karim Bagheri*	1993–Present	86	50
6	Hamid Reza Estili	1990–2000	82	12
7	Javad Zarincheh	1987–2000	80	1
8	Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh	1987–1998	79	0
9	Ali Parvin	1970–1980	76	13
10	Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht*	2000–present	74	14

The records are collected based on data from FIFA and RSSSF.
* denotes a player still playing or available for selection.

[edit] Top goalscorers As of January 31, 2008[update], the players with the most goals for Iran are: # Name Career Goals Caps 1 Ali Daei 1993–2006 109 149 2 Karim Bagheri* 1993–present 50 86 3 Ali Karimi* 1998–present 36 111 4 Javad Nekounam* 2000–present 24 100 5 Gholam Hossein Mazloomi 1969–1977 19 40 = Farshad Pious 1984–1994 19 34 6 Ali Asghar Modir Roosta 1990–1998 18 32 7 Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht* 2000–present 14 74 8 Mehdi Mahdavikia* 1996–present 13 111 = Ali Parvin 1970–1980 13 76 = Hassan Rowshan 1974–1980 13 39 = Vahid Hashemian* 1998–present 13 41 9 Parviz Ghelichkhani 1964–1977 12 64 The records are collected based on data from FIFA and RSSSF. *denotes a player still playing or available for selection.

[edit] Iran World Cup captains

#	Player	World Cup Played As A Captain	Caps
1	Ali Parvin	Argentina 1978	76
2	Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh	France 1998	79
3	Ali Daei	Germany 2006	149

[edit] See also

• Football in Iran
• Iran national futsal team
• Iran national under-23 football team
• Iran women's national football team

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Website of IR Iran Football Federation
• RSSSF archive of results 1941-
• RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers
• Iran's archive of results and elo rating points

Preceded by 1964 Israel	Asian Champions 1968 (First title) 1972 (Second title) 1976 (Third title)	Succeeded by 1980 Kuwait
Preceded by Korea Republic  Taiwan	Asian Games Champions 1974 (First title)	Succeeded by Korea DPR Korea Republic
Preceded by Korea Republic	Asian Games Champions 1990 (Second title)	Succeeded by Uzbekistan
Preceded by Uzbekistan	Asian Games Champions 1998 (Third title) 2002 (Fourth title)	Succeeded by Qatar
Preceded by Inaugural Champions	WAFF Champions 2000(First title)	Succeeded by 2002 Iraq
Preceded by 2002 Iraq	WAFF Champions 2004 (Second title) 2007 (Third title) 2008 (Fourth title)	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by Inaugural Champions	ECO Cup Champions 1965 (First title)	Succeeded by 1967 Turkey
Preceded by 1969 Turkey	ECO Cup Champions 1970 (Second title)	Succeeded by 1974 Turkey
Preceded by 1974 Turkey	ECO Cup Champions 1993 (Third title)	Succeeded by Last edition

Olympics Squads Navigation Boxes

v • d • e Iran squad – 1964 Summer Olympics 1 Asli • 2 Amir Asefi • 3 Mirzai • 4 Arab • 5 Habibi • 6 Latifi • 7 Saedi • 8 Jamali • 9 Talebi • 10 Nourian • 11 Khodaparast • 12 Nirlou • 13 Fanai • 14 Esmaili • 15 Mostafavi • 16 Ghelichkhani • 17 Biati Eslam • Coach: Fekri v • d • e Iran squad – 1972 Summer Olympics 1 Ghoflsaz • 2 Ashtiani • 3 Kashani • 4 Halvaei • 5 Kagarjam • 6 Ghelichkhani • 7 Parvin • 8 Jabari • 9 Sadeghi • 10 Iranpak • 11 Shafari • 12 Vafakhah • 13 Ghorab • 14 Khordbin • 15 Lavasani • 16 Azizi • 17 Allahverdi • 18 Monajati • 19 Rashidi • Coach: Ranjbar v • d • e Iran squad – 1976 Summer Olympics 1 Rashidi • 2 Nazari • 3 Eskandarian • 4 Zolfagharnassab • 5 Ghelichkhani • 6 Ghasempour • 7 Parvin • 8 Abdollahi • 9 Nouraei • 10 Rowshan • 11 Khorshidi • 12 Nayebagha • 13 Mazloomi • 14 Mirfakhraei • 15 Jahani • 16 Azizi • 17 Hejazi • Coach: Mohajerani

FIFA World Cup Squads Navigation Boxes

v • d • e Iran squad – 1978 FIFA World Cup 1 Hejazi • 2 Danaeifard • 3 Fariba • 4 Bishkar • 5 Allahverdi • 6 Nayebagha • 7 Parvin • 8 Ghasempour • 9 Sadeghi • 10 Roshan • 11 Ghesghayan • 12 Mavaddat • 13 Teymouri • 14 Nazari • 15 Eskandarian • 16 Nouraei • 17 Jahani • 18 Faraki • 19 Shojaei • 20 Abdollahi • 21 Kazerani • 22 Korbekandi • Coach: Mohajerani v • d • e Iran squad – 1998 FIFA World Cup 1 Abedzadeh • 2 Mahdavikia • 3 Sadavi • 4 Khakpour • 5 Peyrovani • 6 Bagheri • 7 Mansourian • 8 Dinmohammadi • 9 Estili • 10 Daei • 11 Azizi • 12 Nakisa • 13 Latifi • 14 Mohammadkhani • 15 Ostad‑Asadi • 16 Shahroudi • 17 Zarincheh • 18 Hamedani • 19 Seraj • 20 Pashazadeh • 21 Minavand • 22 Broumand • Coach: Talebi v • d • e Iran squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup 1 Mirzapour • 2 Mahdavikia • 3 Bakhtiarizadeh • 4 Golmohammadi • 5 Rezaei • 6 Nekounam • 7 Zandi • 8 Karimi • 9 Hashemian • 10 Daei • 11 Khatibi • 12 Roudbarian • 13 Kaebi • 14 Teymourian • 15 Borhani • 16 Enayati • 17 Kazemian • 18 Navidkia • 19 Sadeghi • 20 Nosrati • 21 Madanchi • 22 Talebloo • 23 Shojaei • Coach: Ivanković

Asian Games Squads Navigation Boxes

v • d • e Iran squad – 1951 Asian Games 1 Aghahassani • 2 Naderi • 3 Araghi • 4 Gholizadeh • 5 Nasiroghli • 6 Afshar Naderi • 7 Afshar Alavi • 8 Fekri • 9 Hajian • 10 Bayati • 11 Azad • 12 Kouzehkanani • 13 Markarian • 14 Masoud-Ansari • 15 Boroumand  • 16 Soroudi • 17 Shakibi • Coach: Sadaghiani v • d • e Iran squad – 1966 Asian Games 1 Asli • 2 Zelli • 3 Ghelichkhani • 4 H. Habibi • 5 Jasemian • 6 G. Habibi • 7 Ranjbar • 8 Talebi • 9 Arab • 10 Farzami • 11 Jabbari • 12 Aminikhah • 13 Eftekhari • 14 Saedi • 15 Esmaeili • 16 Shirzadeghan • 17 Behzadi • 18 Mirzahassan • Coach: Szűcs v • d • e Iran squad – 1974 Asian Games 1 Hejazi • 2 Mavaddat • 3 Rashidi  • 4 Kashani  • 5 Ashtiani • 6 Houshangi • 7 Janmaleki  • 8 Kargar Jam • 9 Masihnia  • 10 Etemadi  • 11 Ghelichkhani  • 12 Jabbari • 13 Sadeghi  • 14 Dastjerdi  • 15 Rowshan  • 16 Jahani  • 17 Adelkhani  • 18 Mazloumi • Coach: O'Farrell v • d • e Iran squad – 1990 Asian Games 1 Abedzadeh • 2 Gholampour • 3 Zarrincheh • 4 Panjali  • 5 Ghayeghran  • 6 Namjoo-Motlagh  • 7 Kermani Moghaddam • 8 Moharrami • 9 Eftekhari  • 10 Naser Mohammadkhani • 11 Pious  • 12 Shahrokh Bayani • 13 Marfavi • 14 Hassanzadeh • 15 Nader Mohammadkhani • 16 Abtahi • 17 Shahin Bayani  • 18 Ansarifard  • 19 Fonounizadeh • Coach: Parvin v • d • e Iran squad – 1998 Asian Games 1 Nakisa • 2 Gholampour • 3 Babaei  • 4 Mohammadkhani  • 5 Zarrincheh  • 6 Khakpour  • 7 Navazi  • 8 Janmaleki  • 9 Hamedani  • 10 Karimi • 11 Yazdani  • 12 Fekri • 13 Mansourian  • 14 Mousavi • 15 Hashemian • 16 Mahdavikia • 17 Daei  • 18 Bagheri  • 19 Khatibi  • 20 Estili • Coach: Pourheidari v • d • e Iran squad – 2002 Asian Games 1 Mirzapour • 2 Rahmati • 3 Yousefi • 4 Azizzadeh • 5 Kaebi • 6 Nikbakht • 7 Nekounam • 8 Lotfi • 9 Amirabadi • 10 Akbarpour • 11 Bayatinia • 12 Kazemian • 13 Badavi • 14 Navidkia • 15 Nosrati • 16 Mobali • 17 Hajizadeh • 18 Kameli Mofrad • 19 Golmohammadi • 20 Daei • Coach: Ivanković v • d • e Iran squad – 2006 Asian Games 1 Roudbarian • 2 Haghighi  • 3 Borhani  • 4 Oladi  • 5 Kolahkaj  • 6 Mohammad Nouri  • 7 Heidari • 8 Yavarzadeh • 9 Zare • 10 Akbari  • 11 Hosseini • 12 Milad Nouri  • 13 Montazeri • 14 Gholamin  • 15 Mahani  • 16 Khorsandi • 17 Chahjouei  • 18 Arzani • 19 Pouladi • Coach: Simões

AFC Asian Cup Squads Navigation Boxes

v • d • e Iran squad – 1976 AFC Asian Cup Winners (2nd Title) GK Rashidi • GK Asgarkhani • DF Nazari • DF Zolfagharnasab • DF Abdollahi • DF Eskandarian • DF Nayebagha • DF Mirfakhrae • MF Parvin • MF Ghelichkhani • MF Ghasempour • MF Sadeghi • MF Azizi • MF Shahbandari • FW Khorshidi • FW Nouraei • FW Mazloomi • FW Rowshan • Coach: Mohajerani v • d • e Iran squad – 1992 AFC Asian Cup GK Abedzadeh • DF Zarincheh • DF Moharrami • DF Hassanzadeh • DF Mohammadkhani • MF Fonoonizadeh • MF Ghayeghran • MF Abtahi • FW Shahmohammadi • FW Kermani-Moghaddam • FW Pious • FW Marfavi • FW Ashoori • MF Bayani • FW Modir Roosta • MF Estili • DF Khakpour • GK Gholampour • GK Ghelich • Coach: Parvin v • d • e Iran squad – 1996 AFC Asian Cup Third Place GK Abedzadeh • DF Saadavi • DF Ostad-Asadi • MF Bagheri • DF Peyrovani • MF Dinmohammadi • MF Mansourian • DF Moharrami  • MF Estili • FW Daei • FW Azizi • MF Mahdavikia • DF Khakpour • DF Falahatzadeh • FW Yousefi • MF Yazdani • MF Mousavi • GK Nakisa • MF Mirzaostovari • MF Minavand • Coach: Mayelikohan v • d • e Iran squad – 2000 AFC Asian Cup MF Mahdavikia • DF Hasheminasab • DF Bakhtiarizadeh • MF Bagheri • MF Kavianpour • MF Hamedani • MF Estili • FW Daei • FW Azizi • GK Broumand • MF Seyed Abbasi • DF Navazi • FW Halali • FW Hashemian • MF Emamifar • MF Yazdani • FW Karimi • DF Rahbarifar • GK Fanaei • GK Vaezi • MF Minavand • DF Mahdavi • Coach: Talebi v • d • e Iran squad – 2004 AFC Asian Cup Third Place 1 Mirzapour • 2 Mahdavikia • 3 Amirabadi • 4 Golmohammadi • 5 Rezaei • 6 Nekounam • 7 Kavianpour • 8 Karimi • 10 Daei • 12 Roudbarian • 13 Kaebi • 14 Borhani • 15 Taghipour • 16 Enayati • 17 Mobali • 18 Badavi • 19 Kameli • 20 Nosrati • 21 Rahmati • 26 Alavi • 27 Zare • 29 Majidi • Coach: Ivanković v • d • e Iran squad – 2007 AFC Asian Cup 1 Roudbarian • 2 Mahdavikia • 3 Sadeghi • 4 Teymourian • 5 Rezaei • 6 Nekounam • 7 Zandi • 8 Karimi • 9 Hashemian • 10 Khatibi • 11 Madanchi • 12 Hosseini • 13 Kaebi • 14 Mobali • 15 Aghili • 16 Enayati • 17 Kazemian • 18 Rajabzadeh • 19 Sadeghi • 20 Nosrati • 22 Talebloo • 24 Shojaei • 30 Rahmati • Coach: Ghalenoei

v • d • e AFC Asian Cup winners 3 titles  Saudi Arabia (1984 · 1988 · 1996)  Iran (1968 · 1972 · 1976)  Japan (1992 · 2000 · 2004) 2 titles  Korea Republic (1956 · 1960) 1 title  Iraq (2007)  Israel (1964)  Kuwait (1980)
National sports teams of Iran v • d • e
Baseball | Basketball (M, M U19, W) | Boxing | Cricket | Field Hockey (M, W) Football (M, M U23, M U20, M U17, W, Beach) | Futsal (M, W) | Handball (M, W) Rugby Union | Tennis (M, W) | Volleyball (M, M U21, M U19, W) | Water Polo | Wrestling (FS, GR) Olympics | Paralympics | Asian Games

v • d • e Football in Iran Iran Football Federation     League Comp. Pro League Azadegan League (2 groups) 2nd Division (2 groups) 3rd Division (8 groups) Team Melli (M, W) Omid U-23 Javanan U-20 Nojavanan U-17 League system Champions Foreign Players List of clubs List of venues Top Scorers (All-time, Seasons) Cup Competitions Hazfi Cup Super Cup

National football teams of Iran v • d • e
Senior: Men's (Team Melli) (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009) | Women's (Zanân) (2008)  Youth: Men's U23 (Omid) | Men's U20 (Javânân) | Men's U17 (Nojavânân)
v • d • e International football FIFA · World Cup · Confederations Cup · U-20 World Cup · U-17 World Cup · Olympics · Asian Games · All-Africa Games · Pan American Games · Minor Tournaments · World Rankings · Player of the Year · Teams · Competitions · Federations · Codes Asia AFC – Asian Cup Africa CAF – Africa Cup of Nations North America CONCACAF – Gold Cup South America CONMEBOL – Copa América Oceania OFC – Nations Cup Europe UEFA – European Championship Non-FIFA NF-Board – Viva World Cup
v • d • e National football teams of Asia (AFC) Afghanistan · Australia · Bahrain · Bangladesh · Bhutan · Brunei · Cambodia · China PR · Chinese Taipei · Guam · Hong Kong* · India · Indonesia · Iran · Iraq · Japan · Jordan · Korea DPR · Korea Republic · Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Laos · Lebanon · Macau* · Malaysia · Maldives · Mongolia · Myanmar · Nepal · Oman · Pakistan · Palestine · Philippines · Qatar · Saudi Arabia · Singapore · Sri Lanka · Syria · Tajikistan · Thailand · Timor-Leste · Turkmenistan · United Arab Emirates · Uzbekistan · Vietnam · Yemen *FIFA and AFC use Hong Kong and Macau; the EAFF uses Hong Kong, China and Macau, China.
v • d • e 1978 FIFA World Cup finalists Champions Argentina Runners-up Netherlands Third place Brazil Fourth place Italy Eliminated in second round Austria · Peru · Poland · West Germany Eliminated in group stage France · Hungary · Iran · Mexico · Scotland · Spain · Sweden · Tunisia
v • d • e 1998 FIFA World Cup finalists Champions France Runners-up Brazil Third place Croatia Fourth place Netherlands Eliminated in quarter-finals Argentina · Denmark · Germany · Italy Eliminated in round of 16 Chile · England · Mexico · Nigeria · Norway · Paraguay · Romania · FR Yugoslavia Eliminated in group stage Austria · Belgium · Bulgaria · Cameroon · Colombia · Iran · Jamaica · Japan · Korea Republic · Morocco · Scotland · Saudi Arabia · South Africa · Spain · Tunisia · United States
v • d • e 2006 FIFA World Cup finalists Champions Italy Runners-up France Third place Germany Fourth place Portugal Eliminated in quarter-finals Argentina · Brazil · England · Ukraine Eliminated in round of 16 Australia · Ecuador · Ghana · Mexico · Netherlands · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland Eliminated in group stage Angola · Costa Rica · Côte d'Ivoire · Croatia · Czech Republic · Iran · Japan · Korea Republic · Paraguay · Poland · Saudi Arabia · Serbia & Montenegro · Togo · Trinidad and Tobago · Tunisia · United States