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 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.
The Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran is the governing body for football in Iran. It was founded in 1920. The federation has been a member of FIFA since 1948 and a member of the Asian Football Confederation since 1958.
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.
Seyedmohammadmahdi Seyedsalehi, is a former Iranian football player. He usually played as a striker.
Djelaludin Sharityar is an Afghan footballer who plays as a defender and was the captain of the Afghanistan national football team. He was a member of the national team from 2007 to 2015.
Payam Sadeghian is a retired Iranian footballer.
Hossein Mahini is an Iranian former footballer who played as a defender.
Ali Alipour is an Iranian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Persian Gulf Pro League club Persepolis.
Saeid Ezatolahi Afagh is an Iranian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for club Shabab Al Ahli in UAE Pro League and the Iran national team.
Seyed Peyman Hosseini is an Iranian beach soccer player who plays for Shahriar Sari in the Iran Premier Beach Soccer League. He plays in the goalkeeper position. Hosseini has represented Iran at three FIFA Beach Soccer World Cups.
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. Mehdi Taremi of Persepolis was the top scorer with 16 goals.
Reza Shekari Qezel Qayah is an Iranian footballer who plays for Iranian club Sepahan as a midfielder.
The 2016–17 season is the Esteghlal Football Club's 16th season in the Persian Gulf Pro League, their 23rd consecutive season in the top division of Iranian football, and 71st year in existence as a football club. They also compete in the Hazfi Cup and AFC Champions League.
The 2017–18 Persian Gulf Pro League was the 35th season of Iran's Football League and 17th as Persian Gulf Pro League since its establishment in 2001. Persepolis were the defending champions. The season featured 14 teams from the 2016–17 Persian Gulf Pro League and two new teams promoted from the 2016–17 Azadegan League: Pars Jonoubi Jam as champions and Sepidrood. The league started on 27 July 2017 and ended on 27 April 2018. Persepolis won the Pro League title for the fourth time in their history, a total 11th Iranian title.
Farshad Hashemi is an Iranian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Persian Gulf Pro League club Padideh.
The National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States. The league is in the third tier of American soccer and began play in 2019. NISA initially used a fall-to-spring season format with a winter break but have switched to spring-to-fall which is more common in the United States.
