Iran women's national football team
The Iran women's national football team (recognized as IR Iran by FIFA) represents Iran in international women's football around the world, and is controlled by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI). The FFIRI official in charge of women's football is Seyyedeh Shohreh Mousavi.
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| Nickname(s) | Team Melli Baanovaan ("The Ladies National Team") | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Confederation | AFC (Asia) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sub-confederation | CAFA (Central Asia) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach | Maryam Azmoon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Captain | Zahra Ghanbari | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top scorer | Zahra Ghanbari (13)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home stadium | Ararat Stadium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIFA code | IRN | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIFA ranking | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current | 67 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest | 48 (September 2008) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lowest | 144 (December 2007) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First international | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(Amman, Jordan; 23 September 2005) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Biggest win | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(Amman, Jordan; 3 September 2007) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Biggest defeat | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(Bangkok, Thailand; 8 July 2009) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Asian Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2022) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result | Group stage (2022) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAFA Championship | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 2 (first in 2018) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result | Runners-up (2018, 2022) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History
The first Iranian women's national team was established by Taj Tehran Football Club.[3][4][5] The Iranian women's national team has a long history, with a women's Perspolis FC team dating back to 1976.[6][7] Refounded in 2005, the team reached second place at the 2005 West Asian Football Federation Women's Championship in Amman, Jordan held in September and October 2005.
In May 2006, the women's team hosted their first foreign visitors when a club from Berlin, Germany called BSV Al-Dersimspor played out a 2–2 draw in Ararat Stadium, Tehran.
The team won second place again at the 2007 and 2011 West Asian Football Federation Women's Championship.[8]
Iran were briefly banned by FIFA from international competition in 2011 for wearing hijabs. This caused Iran to forfeit its bid to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics.[9][10] The ban was lifted in 2012.[11]
In 2015 there were reports that eight players on the team were males awaiting sex change operations.[12][13]
Iran qualified for their first ever AFC Women's Asian Cup when they won against Jordan on penalties in the qualifiers for the 2022 edition to be hosted in India.[14] In Iran's historic debut, Iran impressed by holding India goalless, but following India's withdrawal due to COVID-19 pandemic, Iran's only point was lost, and thus Iran was left vulnerable to China and Chinese Taipei, losing 0–7 and 0–5 in process and was eliminated as the worst third-placed team.
Team image
Nicknames
The Iran women's national football team have been known or nicknamed as the "Team Melli Baanovaan (The Ladies National Team)".
Kit suppliers
The table below shows the history of kit supplier for the Iranian national football team.
| Kit supplier | Period | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2019–2022 | ||
| 2022–present |
Home stadium
Iran plays their home matches on the Ararat Stadium.
Attendance of women in football matches
On 9 November 2018 Fatma 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.[15]
In September 2019 it was reported that Iranian female football star Sahar Khodayari, dubbed the "blue girl", died after self-immolating in front of a court in Tehran when she found out she could face a two year sentence for attempting to enter a football stadium to watch her team play.[16]
Results and fixtures
The following is a list of matches in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
- Legend
Win Draw Lose Fixture
2022
| 8 July 2022 2022 CAFA Women's Championship | Kyrgyzstan | 0–1 | | Dushanbe, Tajikistan |
| 19:00 UTC+5 | Report | Behesht |
Stadium: Republic Central Stadium Referee: Anna Sidorova (Uzbekistan) |
| 14 July 2022 2022 CAFA Women's Championship | Iran | 5–0 | | Dushanbe, Tajikistan |
| 22:00 UTC+5 |
|
Report | Stadium: Republic Central Stadium Referee: Resul Mammedov (Turkmenistan) |
| 17 July 2022 2022 CAFA Women's Championship | Iran | 4–0 | | Dushanbe, Tajikistan |
| 19:00 UTC+5 |
|
Report | Stadium: Republic Central Stadium Referee: Nodira Mirzoeva (Tajikistan) |
| 20 July 2022 2022 CAFA Women's Championship | Uzbekistan | 1–0 | | Dushanbe, Tajikistan |
| 19:00 UTC+5 |
|
Report | Stadium: Republic Central Stadium Referee: Malika Kadyrova (Kyrgyzstan) |
2023
| 5 April 2023 2024 AFC Olympic Qualifiers Round 1 | Iran | 1–0 | | Yangon, Myanmar |
| 16:00 UTC+6:30 |
|
Report | Stadium: Thuwunna Stadium Attendance: 880 Referee: Yang Shu-ting (Chinese Taipei) |
| 8 April 2023 2024 AFC Olympic Qualifiers Round 1 | Myanmar | 1–1 | | Yangon, Myanmar |
| 16:00 UTC+6:30 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Thuwunna Stadium |
| October 2023 2024 AFC Olympic Qualifiers–Round 2 | TBD | v | |
| October 2023 2024 AFC Olympic Qualifiers–Round 2 | | v | TBD |
| October 2023 2024 AFC Olympic Qualifiers–Round 2 | TBD | v | |
Head-to-head record
- As of 5 April 2022, after the match against
Myanmar.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Confederation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | +9 | AFC | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | +12 | AFC | |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 10 | −7 | UEFA | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | −7 | AFC | |
| 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 12 | −8 | AFC | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | AFC | |
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | AFC | |
| 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 15 | +1 | AFC | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | AFC | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | AFC | |
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 | +18 | AFC | |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | −4 | AFC | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | −3 | AFC | |
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | +20 | AFC | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | −8 | AFC | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | AFC | |
| 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 1 | +33 | AFC | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 16 | −14 | AFC | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | AFC | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | AFC | |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | AFC | |
| 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 17 | −15 | AFC | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 13 | −11 | AFC | |
| Total | 68 | 28 | 9 | 31 | 159 | 122 | +37 |
Coaching staff
Current coaching staff
- As of 14 June 2022
| Position | Name | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Head coach | ||
| Assistant coach | ||
| Technical manager | ||
| Supervisor |
Manager history
Shahrzad Mozafar (2005-2010)
Maryam Irandoost (2010–2012)[17]
Helena Costa (2012–2014)[18]
Mahnaz Amirshaghaghi (2014–2016)
Maryam Azmoon (2016–2020)
Maryam Irandoost (2021–2022)[17]
Maryam Azmoon (2022–present)
Players
Current squad
The following 22 players were called up for the 2024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament#Group B.[19]
Caps correct as of 12 January 2022.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Zahra Khajavi | 8 February 1999 | 12 | 0 | ||
| GK | Samira Mohammadi | 14 June 1992 | 0 | 0 | ||
| GK | Raha Yazdani | 22 June 1987 | 2 | 0 | ||
| DF | Zeinab Abbaspour | 24 June 2003 | 3 | 0 | ||
| DF | Fatemeh Amineh Borazjani | 3 June 1997 | 19 | 0 | ||
| DF | Hadis Basatshir | 13 September 1997 | 6 | 0 | ||
| DF | Behnaz Taherkhani | 22 May 1995 | 20 | 3 | ||
| DF | Sepideh Nozhati | 28 November 1998 | 0 | 0 | ||
| DF | Fatemeh Shaban | 4 November 2002 | 11 | 2 | ||
| MF | Shabnam Behesht | 30 December 1998 | 12 | 1 | ||
| MF | Samaneh Chahkandi | 28 March 1989 | 20 | 4 | ||
| MF | Zahra Ghanbari (captain) | 4 March 1992 | 21 | 16 | ||
| MF | Fatemeh Makhdoumi | 14 February 2001 | 9 | 1 | ||
| MF | Melika Mohammadi | 28 March 2000 | 9 | 0 | ||
| MF | Asma Nazari Pakdel | 28 October 2000 | 0 | 0 | ||
| MF | Sahar Ramezani | 24 February 1993 | 0 | 0 | ||
| MF | Shaghayegh Rouzbahan | 6 December 1994 | 11 | 1 | ||
| MF | Sana Sadeghi | 12 June 2000 | 13 | 0 | ||
| MF | Mohadeseh Zolfi | 16 January 2005 | 5 | 1 | ||
| FW | Hajar Dabbaghi | 22 March 1999 | 20 | 6 | ||
| FW | Afsaneh Chatrenoor | 14 April 1998 | 18 | 4 | ||
| FW | Negin Zandi | 20 January 2004 | 7 | 1 | ||
Recent call-ups
The following players have been called up to the squad in the past 2 years.
Foreign-based players not yet called up to national team
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DF | Marzieh Feyzi | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| DF | Sara Valad Khani | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| MF | Hananeh Aminghashghay | 14 July 2003 | 0 | 0 | ||
| MF | Mahsa Mehri | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| MF | Kimya Raietparvar Taloukie | 25 August 2000 | 0 | 0 | ||
| MF | Vida Raietparvar Taloukie | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| FW | Hadis Roustareh | 13 August 2003 | 0 | 0 | ||
Captains
- Zahra Ghanbari (20xx–present)
Records
*Active players in bold, statistics as of 1 August 2021.
Most appearances
|
Top goalscorers
|
Honours
Regional
Competitive record
FIFA Women's World Cup
| FIFA Women's World Cup record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | GP | W | D* | L | GF | GA | GD |
| did not enter | |||||||||
| did not qualify | |||||||||
| 2027 | to be determined | ||||||||
| Total | 0/9 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
- *Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
Olympic Games
| Summer Olympics record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| did not enter | ||||||||
| did not qualify | ||||||||
| to be determined | ||||||||
| Total | 0/7 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
AFC Women's Asian Cup
| AFC Women's Asian Cup record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | GP | W | D* | L | GF | GA | GD |
| did not enter | ||||||||
| did not qualify | ||||||||
| Group stage | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | −12 | |
| Total | 1/19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | −12 |
- *Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
Asian Games
| Asian Games record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | GP | W | D* | L | GF | GA | GD |
| did not enter | ||||||||
| to be determined | ||||||||
| Total | 0/8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
WAFF Women's Championship
| WAFF Women's Championship record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Pld | W | D | L | GS | GA |
| Runners-up | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 2 | |
| Runners-up | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 2 | |
| Group stage | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | |
| Runners-up | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 7 | |
| did not enter | |||||||
| 2019–onward | Not WAFF member | ||||||
| Total | 4/7 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 58 | 16 |
Malavan F.C. participated at the 2010.
CAFA Women's Championship
| CAFA Women's Championship record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Pld | W | D | L | GS | GA |
| Runners-up | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 3 | |
| Runners-up | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 1 | |
| Total | 2/2 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 26 | 4 |
Iran U-23 team participated at the 2018.
FIFA World Ranking
- As of 26 January 2022, after the match against
Chinese Taipei.
Best Ranking Best Mover Worst Ranking Worst Mover
| Iran's FIFA World Ranking History | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Year | Games Played |
Won | Lost | Drawn | Best | Worst | ||
| Rank | Move | Rank | Move | ||||||
| 67 | 2022 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 70 | 70 | ||
| 70 | 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 70 | ||
See also
References
- @afcasiancup (26 December 2021). "1️⃣3️⃣ x ⚽️ Zahra Ghanbari is 🇮🇷 Team Melli Baanovaan's highest goal-scorer 🔥" – via Instagram.
- "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- "تاریخچه فوتبال زنان در ایران". Archived from the original on 2018-11-09. Retrieved 2016-11-05.
- "آشنایی با تاریخچه فوتبال زنان در ایران". 12 July 2011.
- "تاریخچه فوتبال زنان در ایران | سابقه بازی فوتبال در بین زنان".
- "Best of IR football federation... – Page 9".
- تیم دخترای پرسپولیس
- "UAE triumph in West Asian Women's Championship". 13 October 2011.
- "Iran women's soccer team thwarted by hijab ban". CBS News. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
- "Iran's women soccer team banned from Olympics, because of headscarves". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
- "Lifting of hijab ban in world soccer welcomed". CBC News. 6 March 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
- News.com.au (2015-10-01). "Most players on Iran's women's team are men: official". New York Post. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
- "Eight of Iran women's football team are men, official claims". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2015-10-02. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
- "Iran's Women's Football Team Makes History – Sports news". Tasnim News Agency. 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
- FIFA To Engage With Iran To Lift Ban On Women In Stadiums
- "'Blue girl': Iran's football fan, denied stadium entry, dies". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
- "Maryam Irandoost takes charge of Iran's women's football team". Tehran Times. 4 May 2021.
- "Helena Costa has 'no fear' of coaching men's team". BBC Sport. 22 May 2014.
took charge of their Iranian counterparts side in 2012. She left Iran in September last year.
- "اسامی نهایی بازیکنان تیم ملی فوتبال زنان اعلام شد". Mehr News.
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