Iran at the FIFA World Cup

Iran have appeared in the FIFA World Cup on six occasions: in 1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018 and 2022. They are yet to progress from the group stages.^[1]^[2]

In March 2025, they qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup following a 2–2 home draw against Uzbekistan in the third round of AFC qualification and will make a seventh finals appearance.^[3]

Record at the FIFA World Cup qualification

As of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification - 1 March 2026

Rank	Team	Part	M	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Points
1	Mexico	17	189	121	41	27	453	134	+319	404
2	Australia	16	177	106	44	27	445	132	+313	362
3	South Korea	16	167	105	44	18	339	98	+241	359
4	Iran	12	162	103	39	20	351	101	+250	348
5	Costa Rica	18	197	98	51	48	334	191	+141	345
6	Argentina	15	171	98	44	29	293	145	+148	338
7	Japan	16	154	96	29	29	359	94	+265	317
8	Netherlands	20	143	95	28	20	356	105	+251	313
9	Brazil	14	145	90	37	18	304	92	+212	307
10	Saudi Arabia	13	154	89	38	27	288	116	+172	305
11	Uruguay	18	190	84	53	53	262	198	+64	305
12	England	18	130	92	27	11	336	70	+266	303
13	Spain	20	131	92	27	12	312	83	+229	303
14	Portugal	22	155	87	36	32	304	153	+151	297
15	Belgium	21	149	86	30	31	331	154	+177	294

Record at the FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup finals record										FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Not a FIFA member									No qualification
1934										Not a FIFA member
1938										Not a FIFA member
1950	Did not enter									Did not enter
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974	Did not qualify									8	5	1	2	9	6
1978	First round	14th	3	0	1	2	2	8	Squad	12	10	2	0	20	3
1982	Withdrew									Withdrew
1986	Disqualified									Disqualified
1990	Did not qualify									6	5	0	1	12	5
1994	Did not qualify									11	5	3	3	23	13
1998	Group stage	20th	3	1	0	2	2	4	Squad	17	8	6	3	57	17
2002	Did not qualify									14	9	3	2	36	9
2006	Group stage	25th	3	0	1	2	2	6	Squad	12	9	1	2	29	7
2010	Did not qualify									14	5	8	1	15	9
2014	Group stage	28th	3	0	1	2	1	4	Squad	16	10	4	2	30	7
2018		18th	3	1	1	1	2	2	Squad	18	12	6	0	36	5
2022		26th	3	1	0	2	4	7	Squad	18	14	1	3	49	8
2026	qualified									16	11	4	1	35	12
2030	To be determined									To be determined
2034	To be determined									To be determined
Total	First round	6/26	18	3	4	11	13	31	—	162	103	39	20	351	101

Argentina 1978

Group 4

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Peru	3	2	1	0	7	2	+5	5	Advance to second round
2	Netherlands	3	1	1	1	5	3	+2	3	Advance to second round
3	Scotland	3	1	1	1	5	6	−1	3
4	Iran	3	0	1	2	2	8	−6	1

Source: FIFA

3 June 1978

16:45 ART

Netherlands	3–0	Iran
Rensenbrink 40' (pen.), 62', 78' (pen.)	Report

Estadio Ciudad de Mendoza, Mendoza

Attendance: 33,431

Referee: Alfonso González Archundia (Mexico)

7 June 1978

16:45 ART

Scotland	1–1	Iran
Eskandarian 43' (o.g.)	Report	Danaeifard 60'

Estadio Chateau Carreras, Córdoba

Attendance: 7,938

Referee: Youssou N'Diaye (Senegal)

11 June 1978

16:45 ART

Peru	4–1	Iran
Velásquez 2' Cubillas 36' (pen.), 39' (pen.), 79'	Report	Rowshan 41'

Estadio Chateau Carreras, Córdoba

Attendance: 21,262

Referee: Alojzy Jarguz (Poland)

France 1998

Group F

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Germany	3	2	1	0	6	2	+4	7	Advance to knockout stage
2	FR Yugoslavia	3	2	1	0	4	2	+2	7	Advance to knockout stage
3	Iran	3	1	0	2	2	4	−2	3
4	United States	3	0	0	3	1	5	−4	0

Source: FIFA

14 June 1998

17:30

FR Yugoslavia	1–0	Iran
Mihajlović 72'	(Report)

Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne

Attendance: 30,600

Referee: Alberto Tejada (Peru)

21 June 1998

21:00

United States	1–2	Iran
McBride 87'	(Report)	Estili 40' Mahdavikia 84'

Stade Gerland, Lyon

Attendance: 39,100

Referee: Urs Meier (Switzerland)

25 June 1998

21:00

Germany	2–0	Iran
Bierhoff 50' Klinsmann 57'	(Report)

Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier

Attendance: 29,800

Referee: Epifanio González (Paraguay)

Germany 2006

Group D

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Portugal	3	3	0	0	5	1	+4	9	Advance to knockout stage
2	Mexico	3	1	1	1	4	3	+1	4	Advance to knockout stage
3	Angola	3	0	2	1	1	2	−1	2
4	Iran	3	0	1	2	2	6	−4	1

Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria

11 June 2006

18:00

Mexico	3–1	Iran
Bravo 28', 76' Zinha 79'	(Report)	Golmohammadi 36'

FIFA WM Stadion Nürnberg, Nuremberg

Attendance: 41,000

Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy)

17 June 2006

15:00

Portugal	2–0	Iran
Deco 63' Ronaldo 80' (pen.)	(Report)

FIFA WM Stadion Frankfurt, Frankfurt

Attendance: 48,000

Referee: Éric Poulat (France)

21 June 2006

16:00

Iran	1–1	Angola
Bakhtiarizadeh 75'	(Report)	Flávio 60'

Zentralstadion, Leipzig

Attendance: 38,000

Referee: Mark Shield (Australia)

Brazil 2014

Group F

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Argentina	3	3	0	0	6	3	+3	9	Advance to knockout stage
2	Nigeria	3	1	1	1	3	3	0	4	Advance to knockout stage
3	Bosnia and Herzegovina	3	1	0	2	4	4	0	3
4	Iran	3	0	1	2	1	4	−3	1

Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria

16 June 2014

16:00 UTC−3

Iran	0–0	Nigeria
	Report

Arena da Baixada, Curitiba

Attendance: 39,081

Referee: Carlos Vera (Ecuador)

21 June 2014

13:00 UTC−3

Argentina	1–0	Iran
Messi 90+1'	Report

Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte

Attendance: 57,698

Referee: Milorad Mažić (Serbia)

25 June 2014

13:00 UTC−3

Bosnia and Herzegovina	3–1	Iran
Džeko 23' Pjanić 59' Vršajević 83'	Report	Ghoochannejhad 82'

Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador

Attendance: 48,011

Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (Spain)

Russia 2018

Group B

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Spain	3	1	2	0	6	5	+1	5	Advance to knockout stage
2	Portugal	3	1	2	0	5	4	+1	5	Advance to knockout stage
3	Iran	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	4
4	Morocco	3	0	1	2	2	4	−2	1

Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

15 June 2018

18:00 MSK (UTC+3)

Morocco	0–1	Iran
	Report	Bouhaddouz 90+5' (o.g.)

Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg

Attendance: 62,548

Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey)

20 June 2018

21:00 MSK (UTC+3)

Iran	0–1	Spain
	Report	Costa 54'

Kazan Arena, Kazan

Attendance: 42,718

Referee: Andrés Cunha (Uruguay)

25 June 2018

21:00 MSK (UTC+3)

Iran	1–1	Portugal
Ansarifard 90+3' (pen.)	Report	Quaresma 45'

Mordovia Arena, Saransk

Attendance: 41,685

Referee: Enrique Cáceres (Paraguay)

Qatar 2022

Simultaneous to the Mahsa Amini protests in Iran, the team declined to sing the national anthem prior to their match with England.^[4] Prior to the match, captain Ehsan Hajsafi, said that the team support protestors.^[4]

Group B

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	England	3	2	1	0	9	2	+7	7	Advanced to knockout stage
2	United States	3	1	2	0	2	1	+1	5	Advanced to knockout stage
3	Iran	3	1	0	2	4	7	−3	3
4	Wales	3	0	1	2	1	6	−5	1

Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

21 November 2022

16:00

England	6–2	Iran
Bellingham 35' Saka 43', 62' Sterling 45+1' Rashford 71' Grealish 90'	^{[Report 1]}	Taremi 65', 90+13' (pen.)

Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan

Attendance: 45,334

Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)

25 November 2022

13:00

Wales	0–2	Iran
	^{[Report 2]}	Cheshmi 90+8' Rezaeian 90+11'

Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan

Attendance: 40,875

Referee: Mario Escobar (Guatemala)

29 November 2022

22:00

Iran	0–1	United States
	^{[Report 3]}	Pulisic 38'

Al Thumama Stadium, Doha

Attendance: 42,127

Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain)

United States/Mexico/Canada 2026

Group G

Pos	Team v t e	Qualification
1	Belgium	Advance to knockout stage
2	Egypt	Advance to knockout stage
3	Iran	Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4	New Zealand

First match(es) will be played: June 15, 2026. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

June 15, 2026

6:00 p.m. UTC−7

Iran	Match 15	New Zealand
	^{[Report 4]}

SoFi Stadium, Inglewood

June 21, 2026

12:00 p.m. UTC−7

Belgium	Match 39	Iran
	^{[Report 5]}

SoFi Stadium, Inglewood

June 26, 2026

8:00 p.m. UTC−7

Egypt	Match 63	Iran
	^{[Report 6]}

Lumen Field, Seattle

Political and security concerns

In the lead-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Iran’s participation has been discussed in the context of political and security-related challenges involving the United States as one of the host countries. FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated that Iran would participate in the tournament and emphasized that sport should remain separate from politics. However, concerns were raised regarding potential restrictions on entry for individuals associated with the Iranian delegation, with U.S. officials stating that while the national team itself would be allowed to compete, persons with alleged ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) could face visa and security restrictions. Although Iran’s participation was previously uncertain due to security concerns, reports indicate that the team is expected to take part in the tournament, and preparations have continued accordingly.^[5]^[6]^[7]

By match

#	World Cup	Round	Opponent	Score	Result	Iran scorer(s)
1	1978	Group 4	Netherlands	0–3	L
2			Scotland	1–1	D	Danaeifard 60'
3			Peru	1–4	L	Rowshan 41'
4	1998	Group F	FR Yugoslavia	0–1	L
5			United States	2–1	W	Estili 40', Mahdavikia 84'
6			Germany	0–2	L
7	2006	Group D	Mexico	1–3	L	Golmohammadi 36'
8			Portugal	0–2	L
9			Angola	1–1	D	Bakhtiarizadeh 75'
10	2014	Group F	Nigeria	0–0	D
11			Argentina	0–1	L
12			Bosnia and Herzegovina	1–3	L	Ghoochannejhad 82'
13	2018	Group B	Morocco	1–0	W	Bouhaddouz 90+5' (o.g.)
14			Spain	0–1	L
15			Portugal	1–1	D	Ansarifard 90+3' (pen.)
16	2022	Group B	England	2–6	L	Taremi 65', 90+13' (pen.)
17			Wales	2–0	W	Cheshmi 90+8', Rezaeian 90+11'
18			United States	0–1	L
19	2026	Group G	New Zealand
20			Belgium
21			Egypt

Records

Most appearances

Rank	Player	Matches	World Cups
1	Ehsan Hajsafi	9	2014 and 2018 and 2022
2	Alireza Jahanbakhsh	8	2014 and 2018 and 2022
3	Karim Ansarifard	6	2014 and 2018 and 2022
	Mehdi Taremi	6	2018 and 2022
	Sardar Azmoun	6	2018 and 2022
	Morteza Pouraliganji	6	2018 and 2022
	Majid Hosseini	6	2018 and 2022
	Mehdi Mahdavikia	6	1998 and 2006
	Andranik Teymourian	6	2006 and 2014
10	Ali Daei	5	1998 and 2006
	Javad Nekounam	5	2006 and 2014
	Masoud Shojaei	5	2006 and 2014 and 2018

Most goals

Rank	Player	Goals	World Cups
1	Mehdi Taremi	2	2022
2	Iraj Danaeifard	1	1978
	Hassan Rowshan	1	1978
	Hamid Estili	1	1998
	Mehdi Mahdavikia	1	1998
	Yahya Golmohammadi	1	2006
	Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh	1	2006
	Reza Ghoochannejhad	1	2014
	Aziz Bouhaddouz (Morocco; own goal)	1	2018
	Karim Ansarifard	1	2018
	Rouzbeh Cheshmi	1	2022
	Ramin Rezaeian	1	2022

Head-to-head record

Opponent	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Angola	1	0	1	0	1	1	+0	000.00
Argentina	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1	000.00
Bosnia and Herzegovina	1	0	0	1	1	3	−2	000.00
England	1	0	0	1	2	6	−4	000.00
Germany	1	0	0	1	0	2	−2	000.00
Mexico	1	0	0	1	1	3	−2	000.00
Morocco	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100.00
Netherlands	1	0	0	1	0	3	−3	000.00
Nigeria	1	0	1	0	0	0	+0	000.00
Peru	1	0	0	1	1	4	−3	000.00
Portugal	2	0	1	1	1	3	−2	000.00
Scotland	1	0	1	0	1	1	+0	000.00
Spain	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1	000.00
United States	2	1	0	1	2	2	+0	050.00
Wales	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	100.00
FR Yugoslavia	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1	000.00
Total	18	3	4	11	13	31	−18	016.67

References

^ O'Callaghan, Eoin (20 June 2018). "Great Satan 1-2 Iran: the most politically charged match in World Cup history". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
^ "تاریخچه حضور ایران در جام جهانی" [History of Iran at the FIFA World Cup] (in Persian). 11 October 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
^ "Iran qualifies for 2026 World Cup, Australia close". 25 March 2025.
^ ^a ^b "Iran players decline to sing national anthem". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
^ "No Fifa plan for Italy to replace Iran at World Cup". 23 April 2026. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
^ "US says Iran can play at 2026 World Cup but bars those with 'IRGC ties'". 24 April 2026. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
^ "Marco Rubio says Iran is welcome at 2026 World Cup – with a catch". 24 April 2026. Retrieved 2 May 2026.

Reports

^
- "England vs Iran | First stage | FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- "Post match summary report – Group B – England v IR Iran" (PDF). FIFA. 21 November 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 April 2026. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
^
- "Wales vs Iran | First stage | FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- "Post match summary report – Group B – Wales v IR Iran" (PDF). FIFA. 25 November 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 April 2026. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
^
- "Iran vs United States | First stage | FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- "Post match summary report – Group B – IR Iran v USA" (PDF). FIFA. 29 November 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 April 2026. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
^ "IR Iran vs New Zealand | First Stage | FIFA World Cup 2026". FIFA. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
^ "Belgium vs IR Iran | First Stage | FIFA World Cup 2026". FIFA. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
^ "Egypt vs IR Iran | First Stage | FIFA World Cup 2026". FIFA. Retrieved May 1, 2026.

External links

Profile at thesoccerworldcups.com
FIFA Match Results for all Stages 1930–2006
FIFA official site

[:1-1] O'Callaghan, Eoin (20 June 2018). "Great Satan 1-2 Iran: the most politically charged match in World Cup history". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 June 2022.

[2] "تاریخچه حضور ایران در جام جهانی" [History of Iran at the FIFA World Cup] (in Persian). 11 October 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022.

[3] "Iran qualifies for 2026 World Cup, Australia close". 25 March 2025.

[:0-4] "Iran players decline to sing national anthem". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2022-11-22.

[11] "No Fifa plan for Italy to replace Iran at World Cup". 23 April 2026. Retrieved 2 May 2026.

[12] "US says Iran can play at 2026 World Cup but bars those with 'IRGC ties'". 24 April 2026. Retrieved 2 May 2026.

[13] "Marco Rubio says Iran is welcome at 2026 World Cup – with a catch". 24 April 2026. Retrieved 2 May 2026.

[5] 
"England vs Iran | First stage | FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
"Post match summary report – Group B – England v IR Iran" (PDF). FIFA. 21 November 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 April 2026. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[9] "England vs Iran | First stage | FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[10] "Post match summary report – Group B – England v IR Iran" (PDF). FIFA. 21 November 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 April 2026. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[6] 
"Wales vs Iran | First stage | FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
"Post match summary report – Group B – Wales v IR Iran" (PDF). FIFA. 25 November 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 April 2026. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[12] "Wales vs Iran | First stage | FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[13] "Post match summary report – Group B – Wales v IR Iran" (PDF). FIFA. 25 November 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 April 2026. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[7] 
"Iran vs United States | First stage | FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
"Post match summary report – Group B – IR Iran v USA" (PDF). FIFA. 29 November 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 April 2026. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[15] "Iran vs United States | First stage | FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[16] "Post match summary report – Group B – IR Iran v USA" (PDF). FIFA. 29 November 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 April 2026. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[8] "IR Iran vs New Zealand | First Stage | FIFA World Cup 2026". FIFA. Retrieved May 1, 2026.

[9] "Belgium vs IR Iran | First Stage | FIFA World Cup 2026". FIFA. Retrieved May 1, 2026.

[10] "Egypt vs IR Iran | First Stage | FIFA World Cup 2026". FIFA. Retrieved May 1, 2026.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[Report 1]

[Report 2]

[Report 3]

[Report 4]

[Report 5]

[Report 6]

[5]

[6]

[7]

v t e Iran national football team
General	Football Federation of Iran History Managers Notable matches
Venues	Azadi Stadium (1972–present), Amjadieh Stadium (1942–1972) National Football Camp (training)
Statistics	All-time match results All-time record Records All-time goalscorers
Players	Players (by caps) Captains International players Expatriate players Diaspora players
Goals	Ali Daei
World Cup Finals	Summary 1978 1998 2006 2014 2018 2022 2026
AFC Asian Cup Finals	Summary 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023 2027
Other tournaments	Summer Olympics Asian Games West Asian Championship CAFA Nations Cup ECO Cup LG Cup West Asian Games Afro-Asian Cup of Nations Futsal Confederations Cup Iran Cup Cyrus Cup AFC–OFC Challenge Cup
Culture	Rivalries Iraq Saudi Arabia Political protests Background Women's Futsal Gol Koochik
Senior	Men's results 1941–59 1960–79 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
Other Iran teams	Women's (Results) Men's B Men's U23 Men's U20 Women's U20 Men's U17 Women's U17 Men's futsal Women's futsal Men's beach soccer

v t e Countries at the FIFA World Cup
Team appearances All-time table
AFC	Australia¹ China Indonesia² Iran Iraq Japan Jordan Kuwait North Korea Qatar Saudi Arabia South Korea United Arab Emirates Uzbekistan²
CAF	Algeria Angola Cameroon Cape Verde DR Congo² Egypt Ghana Ivory Coast Morocco Nigeria Senegal South Africa Togo Tunisia
CONCACAF	Canada Costa Rica Cuba Curaçao El Salvador Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Panama Trinidad and Tobago United States
CONMEBOL	Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Paraguay Peru Uruguay
OFC	New Zealand
UEFA	Austria Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic² Denmark East Germany³ England France Germany² Greece Hungary Iceland Israel¹ Italy Netherlands Northern Ireland Norway Poland Portugal Republic of Ireland Romania Russia² Scotland Serbia² Slovakia² Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine² Wales
¹ Have been member of multiple confederations. ² Considered a successor team by FIFA, or have competed under another name(s). ³ Team and national federation no longer exist.

Record at the FIFA World Cup qualification

Record at the FIFA World Cup

Argentina 1978

Group 4

France 1998

Group F

Germany 2006

Group D

Brazil 2014

Group F

Russia 2018

Group B

Qatar 2022

Group B

United States/Mexico/Canada 2026

Group G

Political and security concerns

By match

Records

Most appearances

Most goals

Head-to-head record

See also

References

Reports

External links