Abadan is a city in the Central District of Abadan County, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. The city is in the southwest of the county. It lies on Abadan Island. The island is bounded in the west by the Arvand waterway and to the east by the Bahmanshir outlet of the Karun River, 53 kilometres (33 mi) from the Persian Gulf, near the Iran–Iraq border. Abadan is 140 km from the provincial capital city of Ahvaz.
Ali Daei is an Iranian football manager and former professional footballer. A striker, he was the captain of the Iranian national team between 2000 and 2006. He played in the German Bundesliga for Arminia Bielefeld, Bayern Munich and Hertha Berlin. He is regarded as one of the greatest Iranian footballers of all time as well as one of the greatest footballers from Asia.
The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second oldest continental football championship in the world after Copa América. The winning team becomes the champion of Asia and until 2015 qualified for the FIFA Confederations Cup.
The Iran national football team, recognised by FIFA as IR Iran, represents Iran in international senior football and is controlled by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI).
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.
Mashhad, also spelled Mashad, was the capital of Persia during the Afsharid dynasty by Nader Afshar and now is the second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about 900 kilometres from Tehran. In the Central District of Mashhad County, it serves as the capital of Razavi Khorasan Province, the county, and the district. It has a population about 3,400,000, which includes the areas of Mashhad Taman and Torqabeh.
Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan Sport Club, commonly known as Sepahan, are an Iranian sports club based in Isfahan, best known for their association football branch that play in the Persian Gulf Pro League, the highest tier of Iranian football.
The Persian Gulf Pro League, formerly known as the Iran Premier League, is the highest division of professional football in Iran. 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 Tehran that competes in the Persian Gulf Pro League. 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. They were the first team to reach 1,000 points in Persian Gulf Pro League.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal in most countries/territories in Asia. It has 47 members. The Asian Ladies Football Confederation (ALFC) was the section of AFC who managed women's association football in Asia. The group was independently founded in April 1968 in a meeting involving Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. In 1986 ALFC merged with AFC.
Carlos Manuel Brito Leal de Queiroz is a Portuguese football manager. He has served as the manager of his native Portugal's national team, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Iran, Colombia, Egypt and Qatar, leading South Africa (2002), Portugal (2010) and Iran to the FIFA World Cup. At club level, he has also managed Sporting CP, the New York/New Jersey Metrostars in Major League Soccer and Spanish club Real Madrid. He also had two spells as Alex Ferguson's assistant manager at English club Manchester United.
The AFC Champions League 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 in Asian football, played by the national league champions of their national associations.
The Bahrain national football team represents Bahrain in international football and is controlled by the Bahrain Football Association, which was founded in 1951 and joined FIFA in 1966. They have never reached the World Cup, but have twice come within one match of doing so. Bahrain won the FIFA's most improved team award in 2004, and finished fourth in the 2004 Asian Cup, beating Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals but losing to Japan in the semi-finals 4–3. Bahrain then lost to Iran in the third-place match, thus finishing in fourth place overall. Bahrain had a golden year in 2019, winning both the WAFF Championship and the Arabian Gulf Cup for the first time, under the stewardship of Hélio Sousa.
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.
Hazfi Cup is an Iranian knockout football cup competition held annually by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran.
Iran national under-23 football team, also known as Iran U-23 or Iran Olympic Team; represents Iran in international football competitions in Olympic Games, Asian Games and AFC U-22 Asian Cup, as well as any other under-23 international football tournaments. It is controlled by the Iran Football Federation.
The Iran women's national football team, nicknamed the Lionesses, represents Iran in international women's football around the world, and is controlled by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI). Iran played its first international match in September 2005 against Syria.
Iran national under-20 football team represents Iran in international football competitions in AFC U-19 Championship and FIFA U-20 World Cup, as well as any other under-20 international football tournaments. It is controlled by the Iran Football Federation.
Swedish Iranians or Swedish Persians consist of people of Iranian nationality who have settled in Sweden, as well as Swedish residents and citizens of Iranian heritage. As of 2019, there were 80,136 residents of Sweden born in Iran, as well as 40,883 born in Sweden with at least one Iranian-born parent.
