Iran national football team - Definition and Overview

Iran

Iran_FA.gif Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname	-
Association	I.R. Iran F.F.
Coach	Branko Ivankovich, (2003-)
Most caps	Ali Daei (134)
Top scorer	Ali Daei (103)
Home colours 　 Away colours
First International Afghanistan 0 - 0 Iran (Kabul, Afghanistan; January 1, 1941)
Largest win Iran 19 - 0 Guam (Tabriz, Iran; November 24, 2000)
Worst defeat Turkey 6 - 1 Iran (Istanbul, Turkey; May 28, 1950) South Korea 5 - 0 Iran (Tokyo, Japan; May 28, 1958)
World Cup
Appearances	2 (First in 1978)
Best result	Round 1, 1978 and 1998
AFC Asian Cup
Appearances	10 (First in 1968)
Best result	Winners, 1968, 1972, 1976

The Iran national football team is the national team of Iran and is controlled by the Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation and is one of the strongest teams in Asia. It recorded their first win in the World Cup finals in 1998, 2-1 against the USA. Iran won the Asian Cup three times in a row (1968, 1972, 1976) and have finished third four times.

World Cup record

• 1930 to 1970 - Did not enter
• 1974 - Did not qualify
• 1978 - Round 1
• 1982 - Withdrew
• 1986 - Disqualified for refusal to play at neutral sites
• 1990 - Did not qualify
• 1994 - Did not qualify
• 1998 - Round 1
• 2002 - Did not qualify

Asian Cup record

• 1956 - Did not enter
• 1960 - Did not qualify
• 1964 - Did not enter
• 1968 - Champions
• 1972 - Champions
• 1976 - Champions
• 1980 - Third place
• 1984 - Fourth place
• 1988 - Third place
• 1992 - Round 1
• 1996 - Third place
• 2000 - Quarterfinals
• 2004 - Third place

Current Squad

Goalkeepers

• 1-Ebrahim Mirzapour- Foulad Khuzestan
• 21-Mehdi Rahmati- Sepahan Esfahan
• 22-Hassan Roudbarian- Paas Tehran

Defenders

• 4-Yahya GolMohammadi- Persepolis Tehran
• 5-Rahman Rezaei- FC.Messina,Italy
• 19-Jalal Kameli Mofrad-Foulad Khuzestan
• 20-Mohammad Nosrati-Paas Tehran
• 18-Ali Badaavi- Foulad Khuzestan
• 13-Hossein Kaebi-Al-Saad, Qatar
• 27-Sattar Zar'e- Bargh Shiraz
• Ebrahim Taghipour-Esteghlal Ahwaz

Midfielders

• 6-Javad Nekounam - Pas Teheran
• -Moharram Navidkia - VFL.Bochum,Germany
• 22-Ali-Reza Nikbakht Vahdedi - Esteghlal Teheran
• 7-Hamed Kavianpour- Persepolis Tehran
• Mehdi Amirabadi - Esteghlal Tehran
• 17-Iman Mobali - Foulad Khuzestan
• 15-Farzad Majidi-Esteghlal Tehran
• Ferydoon Zandi-FC.Kaiserslautern, Germany
• 26-Mohammad Alavi-Foulad Khuzestan

Strikers

• 10-Ali Daei - Saba Battery Tehran
• 9-Vahid Hashemian - FC.Bayern Munich, Germany
• 8-Ali Karimi - Al Ahly, UAE
• 2-Mehdi Mahdavikia - Hamburger SV, Germany
• Farhad Majidi - Al Wasl, UAE
• Reza Enayati - Esteghlal Teheran
• 14-Arash Borhani- Paas Tehran
• 11-Khodadad Azizi- Paas Tehran
• Javad Kazemian- Persepolis Tehran

External links

• RSSSF archive of results 1941-1998 (http://www.rsssf.com/tablesi/iran-intres.html)
• RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers (http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/iran-recintlp.html)
• RSSSF archive of coaches 1941- (http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/iran-coach.html)