The Persian Gulf Pro League, formerly known as the Iran Premier League, is the top men's professional football division of the Iranian football league system. It is controlled by the FFIRI and is contested by 16 teams over a 30-matchday period.
Esteghlal Football Club (Persian: باشگاه فوتبال استقلال; commonly known as Esteghlal, is the oldest Iranian professional football club based in Tehran that competes in the Persian Gulf Pro League. The club was founded in 1945 as 'The Cyclists' and was known as Tâj between 1949 and 1979. The club is part of the multisport club Esteghlal Athletic and Cultural Company of Iran They were the first team to reach 1,000 points in Persian Gulf Pro League.
Yahya Golmohammadi is an Iranian former footballer and coach who currently coaches Persian Gulf Pro League club Foolad. He is one of only eleven Iranians to score in a World Cup and he is the oldest player to score on his first World Cup start, doing so for Iran in 2006 against Mexico. His position was usually the central defender. He was a member of Iranian national football team and played most of his career in Persepolis. He previously managed some big clubs in Iran, including: Persepolis, Naft Tehran, Zob Ahan, Tractor Sazi and Padideh.
Mohammad Nosrati is an Iranian football coach and former player. He is the current head coach of the Pars Jonoubi Jam team in the Azadegan League. Mohammad Nosrati is a former player of the Iranian national football team and has played in the 2006 World Cup. He is a member of club teams, Tehran Pass, Persepolis, Al-Nasr, Traktor, Peykan, Gostaresh foolad, Naft Tehran،mashin sazi ،Iran's national team goal scorer against Bahrain and promotion to the 2006 World Cup،And has a record of winning the 2002 Asian Under-23 Games in Busan
The Azadegan League, also known as League 1, is the second highest division of professional football in Iran. It was the top-level football league in Iran from its foundation in 1991 until 2001, when the Persian Gulf Pro League was established.
Tractor Cultural Sports Economic Club, 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 League. The club was founded in 1970 by the Iran Tractor Manufacturing Company.
Iranian football's 2nd division is the third-highest football division overall in the Iranian football league system. Before 2001, the 2nd division league was the second-highest division in the national football league system. However, it was changed to third-highest division when Iran's football structure officially became professional.
Parviz Mazloomi is a former Iranian footballer who is the team manager of the Esteghlal. He played for Esteghlal and Tractor Sazi in the 1970s and 1980s. He also managed many clubs such as Saba Battery, Sanat Naft, Aboumoslem, Mes Kerman and Esteghlal. He was also head coach of Iran B team in 2007 West Asian Football Federation Championship which won the title.
Naft Tehran Football Club is an Iranian football club based in Tehran, Iran. They competed in the Persian Gulf Pro League. They were owned by the National Iranian Oil Company previously. Naft Tehran was founded in 1950 and played in the Takhti Stadium until 2018.
The 2011–12 season was the Tractor Sazi Football Club's 4th season in the Iran Pro League, their 3rd consecutive season in the top division of Iranian football, and their 41st year in existence as a football club. They also competed in the Hazfi Cup, where they were eliminated in the Round of 32 by Shahrdari Yasuj.
The 2013 Hazfi Cup Final was the 26th final since 1975. The match was the Iran's El-classico between Persepolis and Sepahan. This was the clubs' second meeting in the final where Sepahan won 4–2 over Persepolis in the penalties in 2006. The match was also the last match of Persepolis captain Mehdi Mahdavikia, a former Iran national football team and Hamburg SV midfielder. Sepahan won Persepolis for another time in penalties and crowned their 4th domestic cup title. Sepahan was qualified for the group stage of the 2014 AFC Champions League.
The 2013–14 Persian Gulf Cup was the 31st season of Iran's Football League and 13th as Iran Pro League since its establishment in 2001. Esteghlal were the defending champions. The season featured 14 teams from the 2012–13 Persian Gulf Cup and two new teams promoted from the 2012–13 Azadegan League: Esteghlal Khuzestan and Gostaresh both as champions. The league started on 24 July 2013 and ended on 11 April 2014. Foolad won the Pro League title for the second time in their history. Tractor Sazi's Karim Ansarifard's was the top scorer with 14 goals.
The 2014 Hazfi Cup Final was the 27th final since 1975. The match was between Mes Kerman and Tractor which Tractor won the match 1–0, with Saeid Daghighi scored in the 51st minute. Tractor qualified for the group stage of the 2015 AFC Champions League as the winner of the tournament.
The 2014–15 Persian Gulf Pro League was the 32nd season of Iran's Football League and 14th as Persian Gulf Pro League since its establishment in 2001. Foolad were the defending champions. The season featured 13 teams from the 2013–14 Persian Gulf Cup and three new teams promoted from the 2013–14 Azadegan League: Padideh as champions, Naft Masjed Soleyman and Paykan. The league started on 1 August and ended on 15 May 2015. Sepahan won the Pro League title for the fifth time in their history.
The 2014–15 Hazfi Cup was the 28th season of the Iranian football knockout competition. Tractor Sazi was the defending champion but was eliminated by Padideh in the quarter-finals. The competition started on 1 September 2014 and ended on 1 June 2015. Zob Ahan won their third title, defeating Naft Tehran in the final.
The 2015–16 Hazfi Cup was the 29th season of the Iranian football knockout competition. Zob Ahan Isfahan was the defending champion. The competition started on 27 August 2015 and the final was played on 29 May 2016.
Zob Ahan won the tournament for the second time in a row after defeating Esteghlal in the final.
The 2016–17 Persian Gulf Pro League was the 34th season of Iran's Football League and 16th as Persian Gulf Pro League since its establishment in 2001. Esteghlal Khuzestan were the defending champions. The season featured 13 teams from the 2015–16 Persian Gulf Pro League and three new teams promoted from the 2015–16 Azadegan League: Paykan as champions, Machine Sazi and Sanat Naft. The league started on 25 July 2016 and ended on 4 May 2017. Persepolis won the Pro League title for the third time in their history.
The 2016 Hazfi Cup Final was the 29th final since 1975. The match was an wonderful for both teams to get a chance to clinch a title after a good season. Zob Ahan was the defending champion in the competition, if they won it would their first time in the club history to win any competition back-to-back. Zob Ahan had the lead but Esteghlal equalized it at the second half. There was nothing to separate the two teams in the extra-time, Esteghlal lost to Zob Ahan in penalties. Zob Ahan qualified for the group stage of the 2017 AFC Champions League. Esteghlal also went to the play-offs for AFC Champions League because of their third position at the league.
The 2016–17 Hazfi Cup was the 30th season of the Iranian football knockout competition. Zob Ahan Isfahan, the defending champions, were eliminated by Tractor Sazi in the semi-final in extra time. The competition started on 12 September 2016, and the final was played on 11 May 2017. Naft Tehran defeated Tractor Sazi in the final, earning their first title.
The 2017–18 Hazfi Shield Cup was the 31st season of the Iranian football knockout competition. The competition begin in August 2017 and the final was played on May 3, 2018. Mehdi Sharifi, then center forward for Persian side Tractor SC was the Cup's top scorer with five goals. The Cup was won by Esteghla FC in a 1–0 victory over Khooneh Be Khooneh. The final's only goal was scored by Mame Thiam, an Esteghlal forward in the 35' minute of the game. This was Esteghlal seventh Hazfi Cup title.
