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.
The Persian Gulf Pro League, formerly known as the Iran Pro League, is the highest division of professional football in Iran. It is the top-level football league in Iran since its foundation. Each year, its top team becomes the Iranian football champion, and the two lowest finishers are relegated to Azadegan League.
Esteghlal Football Club, commonly known as Esteghlal, is an Iranian football club based in capital Tehran that competes in the Persian Gulf Pro League. The first team of the capital of Iran, the club was founded in 1945 as The Cyclists and previously known as Tâj between 1949 and 1979. The club is part of the multisport club Esteghlal of Iran Athletic and Cultural Company .Esteghlal is the most successful Persian team in Asian competitions. They were the first team to reach 1,000 points in Persian Gulf Pro League.
The Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran is the governing body for football in Iran. It was founded in 1920, and has been a member of FIFA since 1948. It is also a member of the Asian Football Confederation.
Malavan Bandar Anzali Football Club is an Iranian football club based in Bandar-e Anzali, Iran. It currently won Iran's second football league, the Azadegan League and came back to Persian Gulf Pro League after they were relegated in 2015–16 season. The team is known to have some of the most passionate fans in Iranian football, and is one of the successful teams that is not based in Tehran. This team is one of the most successful Iranian teams in the Hazfi Cup. Malavan has reached the Hazfi Cup final 7 times and has 3 titles.
Arash Borhani is a retired Iranian football player and coach. He is the all-time top goal scorer of Esteghlal and also the second all-time top goal scorer in Iran's Premier Football League. He was the top goal scorer of 2008–09 Iran's Premier Football League. He was also a member of the Iran national football team. Borhani won a bronze medal in 2006 Asian Games with Iran national under-23 football team.
Football Club Nassaji Mazandaran is an Iranian football club based in Qa'em Shahr, Mazandaran. They currently compete in the Persian Gulf Pro League.
Khosro Heydari is a retired Iranian football player who mostly played as a defender for Esteghlal.
Rahiyan Kermanshah Football Club is an Iranian football club based in Kermanshah, Iran and compete in the Azadegan League. The club is in the private ownership of Farman Karimi.
PAS Hamedan Football Club is an Iranian football club based in Hamedan, Iran and compete in the Azadegan League. The club was formed after the dissolution of Pas Tehran in 2007.
The 2008–09 Persian Gulf Cup was the 26th season of Iran's Football League and eighth as Iran Pro League since its establishment in 2001. Persepolis were the defending champions. The season featured 15 teams from the 2007–08 Persian Gulf Cup and two new teams promoted from the 2007–08 Azadegan League: Payam Mashhad as champions and Foolad. Damash replaced Pegah. The league started on 4 August 2008 and ended on 26 April 2009. Esteghlal won the Pro League title for the second time in their history.
The Hazfi Cup 2008–09 is the 22nd staging of Iran's football knockout competition. Esteghlal is the defending champions.
Tehran Provincial League, formerly known as Tehran Clubs Championship, is the premier football league of Tehran Province and is 5th in the Iranian football pyramid after the 3rd Division. It is part of AFC's Vision Asia program.
Saba Qom Football Club was an Iranian football team based in Qom, Iran. The club was dissolved in 2018. The team is a former part of Saba Battery Club, owned by Saba Battery Co., and was moved to Qom in 2007, although they were formerly registered as a team from Tehran playing at Shahid Derakhshan Stadium of Robat Karim.
Esmaeil Sharifat is an Iranian football player, who currently plays for Aluminium Arak of the Persian Gulf Pro League
Persepolis Shomal F.C. is an Iranian football club based in Qaem Shahr, Iran. They are a branch of Persepolis Tehran. They currently compete in the 3rd Division.
Mohammad Ali Ahmadi is an Iranian professional football player, who played for Sepahan in the Iran Pro League.
The UAE Pro League, known for sponsorship reasons as the ADNOC Pro League, is the top professional football league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The first team to win the title was Al Orouba (Sharjah), whilst Al Ain has the record with 14 league titles to their name. Fourteen clubs compete in the League that operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the First Division League.
Soroush Rafiei is an Iranian professional footballer who plays for Persian Gulf Pro League club Persepolis and the Iran national team.
The 2015–16 Persian Gulf Pro League was the 33rd season of Iran's Football League and 15th as Persian Gulf Pro League since its establishment in 2001. Sepahan were the defending champions. The season featured 14 teams from the 2014–15 Persian Gulf Cup and two new teams promoted from the 2014–15 Azadegan League: Siah Jamegan and Esteghlal Ahvaz. The league started on 30 July 2015 and ended on 13 May 2016. Esteghlal Khuzestan won the Pro League title for the first time in their history.
