โ† The 48 Nations
Group GAsia
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ท

Iran

Team Melli

Capital
Tehran
Confederation
Asia
Population
~88 million
Languages
Persian (Farsi)
World Cups
7th appearance
Best result
Group stage

The Anthem

National Anthem of the Islamic Republic of Iran

โ€œUpward on the horizon rises the Eastern Sunโ€ฆโ€

Adopted in 1990; one of several anthems Iran has had through its modern history.

โ–ถ Listen on YouTube โ†—

The Legends

Names that echo

Ali Daei

Forward ยท 1990sโ€“2000s

For years the all-time leading scorer in men's international football, with 100+ goals.

Mehdi Mahdavikia

Winger ยท 1990sโ€“2000s

Bundesliga flyer and scorer in Iran's famous 1998 win over the USA.

Sardar Azmoun

Forward ยท 2010sโ€“20s

'The Iranian Messi'; a prolific modern marksman.

Fun Facts

Worth knowing

  1. 01

    Ali Daei was the first male footballer to reach 100 international goals โ€” a record that stood for nearly two decades.

  2. 02

    Iran is the most successful Asian nation in World Cup qualifying history.

  3. 03

    Persian carpets, poetry and cuisine make Iran one of the cultural cradles of the wider region.

At the World Cup

The story so far

Asia's qualifying powerhouse, Iran has reached the World Cup repeatedly without yet escaping the group โ€” though it has produced some of the tournament's most charged fixtures.

โ—
1998

A politically charged win

Iran beat the USA 2-1 in one of the most politically loaded matches in World Cup history, the teams exchanging flowers before kickoff.

Group Stage

Their three fixtures