5/17/2006
Afshin Afshar, lastkick.com

History

Football was first introduced to Iran in the early 1900s through European embassy workers who organized games amongst each other. The game slowly caught on with the people and Iran had its first ever national match against Afghanistan in 1941 in the Afghani capital of Kabul.

Since then the game’s popularity has risen to unimaginable heights in a country that claims Free Style Wrestling as its national sport.

The turning point in Iranian football’s history arguably came in May 19, 1968 when Iran clinched its first Asian title by defeating Israel 2:1 in Tehran. What followed was what many fans refer to as the Golden Age of the Iranian football. During an eight year span, Iran won two Asian Championships, and one Asian Games title.

Iran narrowly missed Germany 1974 after a home and away playoff encounter with Australia. The Aussies won the first match 3:0 in Sydney, and despite a gallant 2:0 comeback victory, in Tehran, Iran had to stay home.

They got their revenge, however, four years later, when they defeated the Aussies 1:0 home and away and qualified for Argentina 1978.

In Argentina they were grouped with eventual runner-ups Holland, Peru, and Scotland. Awed by all the glitter and the intense atmosphere, the inexperienced Iranians gave up two penalties against Holland in their opening match and lost 3:0. They bounced back and surprised a star studded Scot team in their next match with a 1:1 draw despite conceding an own-goal in the first half. Against Peru, Iran came all out hoping for a victory, only to see their dreams shattered by the experienced and extremely talented Peruvians who consistently caught Iran defenders off position with their precise counter attacking. Iran lost 4:1 conceding two more penalties along the way.

It would be another twenty years before Team Melli reappeared at the world’s biggest stage. A long interruption caused by the 1979 Iranian revolution and a devastating eight year war with Iraq, was a setback from which the country’s football took years to recover.

On the road to France 1998, Iran went through the longest path ever traveled by any participating team!

They finished second in Group A behind Saudi Arabia in the second round of the Asian Qualifiers, forcing a playoff against Japan in Johor Bharu, Malaysia. They lost that match in a heart breaking fashion, giving way to the winner during the extra time after finishing 2:2 in regular time. Incredibly, this was not the end of the road for Team Melli. As destiny had it, they had to face their old rivals, Australia, in the Asia/Oceania playoffs. They tied the first match 1:1 in Tehran, and had to travel to the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the return leg.

The game started ominously for Iran as the Aussies took a 2:0 lead in front of 85,000 strong fans, but Iran miraculously bounced back to tie the game 2:2 and earned a spot in France, thanks to a better away-goal total.
In France they lost their opening match against Yugoslavia 1:0 despite a very respectable performance. They made history in their second match when they earned their first ever World Cup victory against USA, and with it a chance to move on to the next round. A 2:0 defeat at the hands of the Germans however, sealed their fate.

Qualification for Japan/Korea 2002 seemed certain when all Iran needed was a victory against minnows Bahrain in Manama, but that was not to be. Bahrain stunned Iran with a 3:1 victory, eventually forcing Iran into yet another playoff showdown, this time against the Republic of Ireland. Iran lost 2:0 in Dublin, and despite a 1:0 win in Tehran they had to wait another four years.

Country Stats:

IR Iran Football Federation
Date of foundation: 1920
FIFA affiliated since: 1945
Appearances in World Cup Finals: 3 (including 2006)
Best achievements in finals: 3rd place in Group F of France 1998
Other titles: Asian Championships 3 times (1968, 1972, 1976), Asian Games 4 times (1974, 1990, 1998, 2002)

How They Qualified:

Iran had a much smoother qualification path for Germany 2002 as compared to France 1998, when they had to go through a rigorous playoff schedule, and clinch at the expense of Australia thanks to a better away-goal total.

This time around, Iran won Group 1 of Asian Zone Stage 2, although their passage to the next round did not come easy. Along the way they faced a stiff challenge from Jordan that handed them their only stage 2 defeat.

In stage 3, they were grouped with Asian rivals Japan, Bahrain, and Korea DPR. Their goalless draw in the opening match against Bahrain in Manama raised concerns amongst the fans, but they proceeded to win their next four matches and qualified with one game to spare.

Their ticket to Germany was secured with the 1:0 defeat of Bahrain in Tehran. This victory was especially sweet because it was a loss to Bahrain that had cost Iran an automatic passage to Korea/Japan four years earlier.

The Photo is of Team Melli in 1977

Standing from right: Mohammad Reza Adelkhani, Nasrollah Abdollahi, Ghafour Jahani, Nasser Hejazi, Hossein Kazerouni.
Sitting from right: Ebrahim Qassem-pour, Andranik Eskandarian, Mohammad Sadeqi, Ali Parvin, Hassan Roshan, Hassan Nazari.