Iran Profile
Iran is an ancient civilization with a history of 4000 to 5000 years, known as Persia. Located in West Asia, it belongs to the Middle East, bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan in the east, Bordering Turkmenistan in the northwest, Bordering Azerbaijan and Armenia in the northwest, Turkey and Iraq in the west, the Caspian Sea in the north- and the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea in the south, with a land area of about 1.645 million square kilometers, ranking 17th in the world.
Iran is a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, the economy is dominated by the oil extraction industry, for the world's oil and gas power, oil exports are the economic lifeline, oil production capacity and oil exports are ranked fourth and second in the world, respectively.
There are 81.65 million people in Iran, 66% Persians, 25% Azerbaijanis, 5% Kurds, and the rest are Arabs, Turkmen and other minorities. The official language is Persian. Islam is the state religion, with 98.8 per cent of the population embracing Islam, of which 91 per cent are Shia and 7.8 per cent are Sunni.
Iran national team
The Iranian men's national football team was founded in 1920 and joined FIFA in 1948 and is managed by the Iranian Football Association. Iran is one of the traditional asian powerhouses, known as the "Persian Iron Horse", winning three consecutive championships in the 1968, 1972 and 1976 Asian Cups, in addition to four third places.
The Iranian national team has participated in the World Cup finals five times, in 1978, 1998, 2006, 2014 and 2018, and the 2022 Qatar World Cup is the sixth time that the Iranian national team has participated in the World Cup finals.
The best ranking is 14th in 1978, when he first participated in the World Cup. In the round of 32 of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, the Iranian national team is divided into Group B, and the national teams in the same group are England, the United States and Wales.
In the latest edition of the FIFA rankings, Iran ranks first in Asia and 23rd in the world.
The latest Iranian national team squad
Head coach: Skosic
In February 2020, he was appointed to take over the Iranian national team, leading the team to a win rate of 83%.
In the 886 days he coached Iran, he led the team to 18 games. His coaching record is 15 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses, with a winning percentage of 83% and an unbeaten rate of 89%. During this period, Iran scored a total of 42 goals, all of which were 2.33 goals per game, conceding 8 goals, averaging just 0.4 per game, including 12 clean sheets against opponents. Such a record set a new record in the history of the Iranian national team. In official matches, Iran, led by Skosic, only lost to South Korea on the road.
Striker:
Number 9: Mehdi Taremi
Number 20: Sardar Azmoun
Number 10: Karim Ansarifad
Midfielder:
Number 24: Milad Sarrak
Number 14: Saman Gudos
Number 17: Ali Gorizadeh
Number 8: Ahmed Nuralahi
Number 16: Mahdi Torabi
Number 11: Wahid Amiri
Number 6: Saeed Ezatorahi
Number 7: Arileza Jahan Bakshi
Fullback:
Number 21: Omid Nora Afkan
Number 19: Majid Husseini
Number 13: Kanani Mohammed Hossin
Number 3: Ethan Haji Safi
Number 2: Sadheh Moharami
Number 4: Sojay Harizade
Number 5: Milad Muhammadi
Goalkeeper:
Number 22: Amir Abezade
Number 1: Arireza Beranwande
A well-known player in the Iranian national team
Beranwand
born 22 September 1992 in Khorramabad, Iran) is an Iranian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Boa Vista F.C. in Portugal.
The world record holder for the farthest hand throw (the farthest hand throwing distance of 61.26 meters, is the world record holder, and can even directly assist teammates to score, also known as the "Kirin Arm"), the best player in Asia in world cup history.
Haji Safi
Born on February 25, 1990 in Kashan, he plays as a defender and captain of the Iranian national team.
Haji Safi, who was only 1.76 meters tall, although not tall, inherited the strong physique of the Persians. His foot skills are quite good, his feet are average, he has good dribbling ability and small skills in ball control on the wing, and his physical strength is also quite abundant, he can single-handedly cover the entire left corridor of the team, and often throws powerful sideline balls. His ability to cooperate with his teammates and run positions is also very prominent, and he is resolute in inserting and breaking through, often bursting into the penalty area with the ball to score goals, and even grabbing points in front of the goal.
Taremi
Born on 18 July 1992, he plays as a striker and currently plays for FC Porto in the Portuguese Premier League.
In the 2022 World Preliminary Round of 12 in the Asian Zone, Taremi contributed 4 goals and 2 assists, and was named the top scorer of the round of 12.
This season, Taremi played 32 games in the Portuguese Premier League's traditional giants Porto with 20 goals and 12 assists; For the national team, Taremi scored eight goals in a total of 13 games in the 2022 World Cup.
In the 2021-22 season, Taremy was named to the Best Team of the Portuguese Premier League. He was the first Iranian player to win the Portuguese league and the ninth Iranian player to win the Europa League.
Jahanbachsh
A striker, he currently plays for Feyenoord F.C. in the Eredivisie and has made 50 appearances for the Iranian national team, scoring 7 goals.
Azmoun
Born 1 January 1995 in Gombard, Iran, he plays as a striker and currently plays for Bayer Leverkusen F.C. in the Bundesliga. Tall, but good at carrying the ball, and at the same time has the impact of a physically strong center, he has been falsely rumored by Chinese fans as "Iran Messi".
Iran national team 2022 WORLD Cup fixtures (group stage)
- 21 November 21: England vs Iran
- 25th November, 18:00 Wales vs Iran
- November 30th, 3:00 Iran vs. USA
A star in the history of the Iranian national team
Ali Dei
Most Valuable Player and Top Scorer at the 1994 Asian Games; In the 1996 Asian Cup, he won the top scorer with 8 goals and became the top scorer of the FIFA Committee of History and Statistics with 20 international goals of that year; He has been awarded Iran's Footballer of the Year several times and has been elected Asian Footballer of the Year.
Hochdad Aziz
Asian Footballer of the Year 1996. He was a meritorious player who helped Iran reach the 1998 World Cup in France.
Nekonan
Born on 7 September 1980 in Iran, he plays as a defender for Osasuna F.C. in the Spanish Football League, where he was the first Iranian player to land in La Liga.
Nekonan has represented Iran in 2 World Cups and 4 Asian Cups, made 151 appearances for Iran, scored 39 goals, and is a veritable midfield leader of Iran.