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 Iran national football team, recognised by FIFA as IR Iran, represents Iran in international senior football and is governed 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.
Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan Sport Club, commonly known as Sepahan, is an Iranian sports club based in Isfahan. It is best known for their football section that play in the Persian Gulf Pro League, the highest tier of Iranian football league system.
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 an 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 .esteghlal kon dorosh They were the first team to reach 1,000 points in Persian Gulf Pro League.
The AFC Champions League Elite 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. The federation has been a member of FIFA since 1948 and a member of the Asian Football Confederation since 1958.
The Azadi Stadium, opened as the Aryamehr Stadium, is an all-seater football stadium in Tehran, Iran. The stadium was designed by Abdol Aziz Mirza Farman-Farmaian Architects and Associates (AFFA) with other parts of the sports complex based on plans by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, an American architectural, urban planning, and engineering firm. It was inaugurated on 17 October 1971 by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran; it is currently self-owned by Esteghlal and Persepolis. It is also the home stadium of the Iran national football team. It has a capacity of 78,116 spectators, as the result of conversion to all-seater stadium. The stadium is part of the larger Azadi Sport Complex.
Hazfi Cup formerly known as Pahlavi Cup is an Iranian knockout football competition held annually by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran.
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 the 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 won 3 titles.
Paykan Football Club is a football team based in Tehran, Iran. The team is sponsored by Iran's main automobile manufacturer Iran Khodro and is named after one of its older products; the Paykan car. Paykan F.C. is the football club of the multisport Paykan Sport Club which also includes basketball and volleyball teams.
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 Iranian football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for football clubs in Iran.
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). The Iran women's team played its first international match in May 1971 against Italy and first FIFA international in September 2005 against Syria.
The Iranian Futsal Super League, is a professional futsal league competition for clubs located at the highest level of the Iranian futsal league system founded in 2003.
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.
Aluminium Arak Football Club, commonly known as Aluminium Arak, is an Iranian football club based in Arak, Markazi, that competes in the Persian Gulf Pro League. The club was founded as PAS Arak Football Club in 2001. The club is part of Aluminium Arak Sport and Cultural Club.
The Iran national under-17 football team, more commonly known as Nojavanan, is controlled by the Iran Football Federation and represents Iran in international under-17 football competitions.
