An ever-present at the AFC Asian Cup since first hosting the tournament in 1968 Iran claimed their spot in the tournament after winning Group B ahead of Kuwait, Lebanon and Thailand.

Team Melli have plenty of pedigree in the AFC Asian Cup, having won three consecutive titles in 1968, 1972 and 1976.

Iran were then helmed by legendary manager Heshmat Mohajerani who not only took his country to their third AFC Asian Cup in 1976 and in that same year a quarter-final appearance in the Montreal Olympics, but also led the national side to their first ever appearance at the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina.

Since those glory years, Iran proved unable to match the achievements of Mohajerani’s men, crashing out in the AFC Asian Cup semi-finals on five occasions.

It also took two decades before the Middle Eastern giants returned to the World Cup, playing a part in the tournament in 1998, backed by the goals of their Bundesliga star and Iranian icon Ali Daei.

While Iran can also boast an appearance at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, in recent AFC Asian Cup campaigns they have repeatedly come unstuck against fellow Asian powerhouses South Korea.

In four consecutive tournaments since the 2000 AFC Asian Cup in Lebanon, Iran have encountered the Koreans at the first knockout stage and won just the one encounter – in 2004 when they went on to finish third overall.

Now led by former Real Madrid and Portugal national team manager Carlos Queiroz, Iran secured a place in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, topping their qualification group in the process, for their fourth appearance at the finals.

Skippered by evergreen Javad Nekounam who is nearing 150 caps, and with exciting new call-ups to the team that include attacking stars Ashkan Dejagah and Reza Ghoochannejhad who ply their trade in Europe’s top divisions, the AFC Asian Cup’s all-time top-scoring team have the ability to match their former glory and will surely be a side to be feared.

Coach:  Carlos Queiroz (Portugal). Queiroz coached his home country through an under-achieving 2010 World Cup, where a 7-0 rout of North Korea masked some major Portuguese failings. They  failed to score in three other matches — against Ivory Coast, Brazil and a testy 1-0 second-round loss to eventual champion Spain. Queiroz, the former Real Madrid coach and assistant to Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, was fired once European Championship qualifiers began following the World Cup but he has  resurfaced — and flourished — in Tehran. On Queiroz’s watch, Iran won its final Asian qualifying group, has advanced to the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia and is currently the top Asian team in FIFA’s rankings.

Fast Facts 

Population: 76 million
FIFA ranking: 38
Ranking among Asian nations: 1
Year of first attempt: 1968
Previous attempts: 12
Best finish: Champions 1968, 1972, 1976
Qualified: top of Group B
Players to watch: Reza Ghoochannejhad (Standard Liege, Belgium), Ashkan Dejagah (Fulham, England), Andranik Teymourian (Esteghlal, Iran), Javad Nekounam (Esteghlal, Iran)

Iran @ AFC Asian Cup

Players records