| AFC | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Short name | FFIRI |
| Founded | 1920; 105 years ago (1920)[1] |
| Headquarters | Tehran,Iran |
| FIFA affiliation | 1948 |
| AFC affiliation | 1958[2] |
| CAFA affiliation | 2015 |
| President | Mehdi Taj[3] |
| Website | www |
TheFootball Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI;Persian:فدراسیون فوتبال جمهوری اسلامی ایران,Fadrasion fotbal Jamehori Eslami Iran) is the governing body forfootball inIran. It was founded in 1920.[4] The federation has been a member ofFIFA since 1948 and a member of theAsian Football Confederation since 1958.[citation needed]
In 2001, Iran were founding members of theWest Asian Football Federation, along withIraq,Jordan,Lebanon,Palestine, andSyria.[citation needed]
On 23 November 2006, the federation was suspended byFIFA,[5] due to government interference in football matters. FIFA rules decree that a national football federation should remain autonomous from the national government. However, on 17 December 2006, the ban was lifted and a new Transitory Board was composed.
During the2009 Iranian election protests, seven members of theIran national football team were initially reported to have been banned for life by the federation for wearing green armbands in support of theIranian Green Movement.[6]
Iran women's national football team was briefly suspended by FIFA from international competition in 2011 for being required by the federation to wear headscarves.[7][8]
In 2014, Iran joined theCentral Asian Football Association.[citation needed]
In 2015, the federation banned players from the men's national team due toconscription problems.[9][10]
In August 2017, the federation bannedMasoud Shojaei andEhsan Hajsafi from the national team after they played against the Israeli clubMaccabi Tel Aviv in theUEFA Europa League.[11]
On 9 November 2018Fatma Samoura, Secretary General of International Federation of Football Association FIFA said she would ask Iranian government to end ban on women's entry to sport stadiums.[12] On 7 August 2019,Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, prosecutor general of Iran, supporting the ban, said that it should not concern FIFA, if women in Iran can enter sports stadiums or not.[13] However, after continuous pressure from FIFA,IRNA deputy Sports Minister Jamshid Taghizadeh said, women would be allowed to enterAzadi Stadium to watch the men'sWorld Cup 2022 qualifier match between Iran andCambodia in October.[14] However, in March 2022, Iranian women were again banned from entering the stadium for a World Cup qualifier.[15]
During the2022 FIFA World Cup as well as the2023 AFC Asian Cup, the Iranian government and federation reportedly sent paid members of theBasij andIRGC tocheer for the team in the stands and to counter protesters.[16][17]
In April 2024, goalkeeperHossein Hosseini was summoned, suspended, and fined by the Iranian federation for hugging a female fan.[18][19][20] In October 2024,Zahra Ghanbari was suspended and forced to apologize by the Iranian federation for "improper hijab" during a goal celebration at the2024–25 AFC Women's Champions League.[21] In December 2024, defenderRamin Rezaeian was summoned by the federation as well after hugging a female fan.[22]
| Organization | Affiliation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FIFA | since 1948; 77 years ago (1948) | — |
| AFC | since 1958; 67 years ago (1958) | — |
| WAFF | 2001–2014; 13 years | Founding member |
| CAFA | since 2015; 10 years ago (2015) |
| Presidency[24] | President | Took office | Left office | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ali Kani | 1947 | 1950 | Runners-up of1951 Asian Games |
| 2 | Hedayatollah Gilanshah | 1950 | 1952 | Commander ofImperial Iranian Air Force (1952) |
| 3 | Mohsen Haddad | 1952 | ||
| 4 | Hossein Siasi | 1952 | 1953 | |
| (3) | Mohsen Haddad | 1953 | 1954 | second term |
| (4) | Hossein Siasi | 1954 | second term | |
| (1) | Ali Kani | 1954 | 1955 | second term |
| 5 | Mostafa Salimi | 1955 | 1956 | |
| 6 | Hossein-Ali Mobasher | 1956 | 1958 | |
| 7 | Mostafa Mokri | 1958 | 1960 | |
| 8 | Zabih Khabiri | 1960 | 1961 | |
| 9 | Hossein Soroudi | 1961 | 1962 | |
| (6) | Hossein-Ali Mobasher | 1962 | 1967 | second term qualified to1964 Olympics Runners-up of1966 Asian Games |
| (9) | Hossein Soroudi | 1967 | 1968 | second term |
| (7) | Mostafa Mokri | 1968 | 1972 | second term winner of1968 Asian Cup and1972 Asian Cup qualified to1972 Olympics |
| 10 | Kambiz Atabay | 1972 | 1979 | Presidents of AFC (1 August 1976 - 9 December 1978) qualified to1978 World Cup qualified to1976 Olympics winner of1976 Asian Cup Founder ofTakht Jamshid Cup winner of1974 Asian Games |
| 11 | Naser Noamooz | 1979 | 1980 | first president after Revolution qualified to1980 Olympics but boycotted the event Third place of1980 Asian Cup |
| 12 | Hadi Tavoosi | 1980 | 1981 | |
| 13 | Hossein Abshenasan | 1981 | ||
| 14 | Hossein Raghfar | 1981 | 1982 | youngest president of FFIRI ever at 28 years old[25] |
| (13) | Hossein Abshenasan | 1982 | 1983 | second term |
| 15 | Behrooz Sahabeh | 1984 | ||
| 16 | Nasrollah Sajjadi | 1985 | ||
| 17 | Ali Mohammad Mortazavi | 1986 | 1987 | |
| 18 | Mohammad Reza Pahlavan | 1987 | 1989 | Third place of1988 Asian Cup |
| (11) | Naser Noamooz | 1989 | 1993 | second term winner of1990 Asian Games Founder ofAzadegan League |
| 19 | Mohammad Safizadeh | 1993 | 1994 | |
| 20 | Amir Abedini | 1994 | chairman ofPersepolis (1993—2001) | |
| 21 | Dariush Mostafavi | 1994 | 1997 | Third place of1996 Asian Cup |
| 22 | Mohsen Safaei Farahani | 1997 | 2002 | qualified to1998 World Cup winner of1998 Asian Games and2002 Asian Games Founder ofIran Pro League winner of 1998FIFA Fair Play Award member ofIranian Parliament (2000-2004) |
| 23 | Mohammad Dadkan | 2002 | 2006 | Third place of2004 Asian Cup qualified to2006 World Cup Third place of2006 Asian Games |
| (22) | Mohsen Safaei Farahani | 2006 | 2008 | second term interim, appointed byFIFA |
| 24 | Ali Kafashian | 2008 | 2016[26] | qualified to2014 World Cup 2008 and 2012 Best Asian Football Federation of the Year[27] |
| 25 | Mehdi Taj | 2016[28] | 2019[29] | qualified to2018 World Cup |
| — | Heydar Baharvand (acting) | 2019 | 2021 | |
| 26 | Shahaboddin Azizi Khadem | 2021 | 2022 | qualified to2022 World Cup Dismissal due to incompetence |
| — | Mirshad Majedi (acting) | 2022 | ||
| (25) | Mehdi Taj | 2022 | Present | second and third term |
| # | President | Stability[30] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ali Kafashian | 8 years and 4 months |
| 2 | Kambiz Atabay | 7 years and 6 months |
| 3 | Mehdi Taj | 6 years and 9 months |
| 4 | Mohsen Safaei Farahani | 4 years and 9 months |
| 5 | Mostafa Mokri | 4 years and 6 months |
| 6 | Hossein-Ali Mobasher | 4 years |
| 7 | Naser Noamooz | 3 years and 10 months |
| 8 | Mohammad Dadkan | 3 years and 9 months |
| 9 | Ali Kani | 3 years and 7 months |
|
Head coach:Amir Ghalenoei
Head coach:Reza Enayati
Head coach:Samad Marfavi
Head coach:Hossein Abdi
Head coach:Ali Doustimehr
Head coach:Vahid Shamsaei
Head coach:Ali Sanei
Head coach: Ali Naderi
Head coach:Maryam Azmoon
Head coach:TBD
Head coach:TBD
Head coach:Shadi Mahini
Head coach:TBD
(in Persian)| Olympic sports |
|  |
|---|---|---|
| Non-olympic sports |
| |
| Sub-federations inIFSA | ||
| League competitions | |
|---|---|
| Cup competitions | |
| Defunct competitions | |
| National teams | |
| Lists and categories | |
| |
