IR Iran's all-time FIFA World Cup statistics

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In this continuously-updated article, we take a look at IR Iran's all-time FIFA World Cup statistics.

All-time record across 7 FIFA World Cup appearances (1978–2026)

Confederation	AFC
Best FIFA World Cup achievement	Group stage (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022)
FIFA World Cup appearances (inc 2026)	7 (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026)
First FIFA World Cup	1978 (group stage)
Most recent FIFA World Cup	2022 (group stage)
Current sequence of successive qualifications (inc 2026)	4 (since 2014)
FIFA World Cup hosts	N/A

Record by tournament

Year - Host	Result	Head coach	Top scorer	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD
1930 - URU	Did not participate
1934 - ITA	Did not participate
1938 - FRA	Did not participate
1950 - BRA	Did not participate
1954 - SUI	Did not participate
1958 - SWE	Did not participate
1962 - CHI	Did not participate
1966 - ENG	Did not participate
1970 - MEX	Did not participate
1974 - FRG	Did not qualify
1978 - ARG	Group stage	Heshmat Mohadjerani, IRN	Iraj Danaeifard, Hassan Rowshan (1)	3	0	1	2	2	8	-6
1982 - ESP	Did not participate
1986 - MEX	Did not participate
1990 - ITA	Did not qualify
1994 - USA	Did not qualify
1998 - FRA	Group stage	Jalal Talebi, IRN	Hamid Estili, Mehdi Mahdavikia (1)	3	1	0	2	2	4	-2
2002 - JPN/KOR	Did not qualify
2006 - GER	Group stage	Branko Ivankovic, CRO	Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh, Yahya Golmohammadi (1)	3	0	1	2	2	6	-4
2010 - RSA	Did not qualify
2014 - BRA	Group stage	Carlos Queiroz, POR	Reza Ghoochannejhad (1)	3	0	1	2	1	4	-3
2018 - RUS	Group stage	Carlos Queiroz, POR	Karim Ansarifard (1)	3	1	1	1	2	2	0
2022 - QAT	Group stage	Carlos Queiroz, POR	Mehdi Taremi (2)	3	1	0	2	4	7	-3
OVERALL RECORD				18	3	4	11	13	31	-18

P = Played · W = Won · D = Drawn · L = Lost · F = Goals for · A = Goals against · GD = Goal difference

All-time World Cup record

Phase	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
Overall	18	3	4	11	13	31	-18
Group stage	18	3	4	11	13	31	-18
Knockout phase	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

GF = Goals for · GA = Goals against · GD = Goal difference

General team records

Biggest win	2-0: vs Wales (group stage, 25/11/2022)
Biggest defeat	2-6: vs England (group stage, 21/11/2022)
Highest scoring draw	1-1: three times, most recently, vs Portugal (group stage, 25/06/2018)
Highest scoring match	8 goals: England 6-2 IR Iran (group stage, 21/11/2022)
Most goals scored in a match	2 goals: three times, most recently, 2-0 vs Wales (group stage, 25/11/2022)
Most goals conceded in a match	6 goals: 2-6 vs England (group stage, 21/11/2022)
Most goals scored at a FIFA World Cup	4: 2022 (3 matches)
Fewest goals scored at a FIFA World Cup	1: 2014 (3 matches)
Most goals conceded at a FIFA World Cup	8: 1978 (3 matches)
Fewest goals conceded at a FIFA World Cup	2: 2018 (3 matches)

Streaks

Successive wins	1: three times, most recently, 25/11/2022
Successive defeats	3: 25/06/1998 - 17/06/2006
Successive draws	2: 21/06/2006 - 16/06/2014
Successive matches without a defeat	2: 21/06/2006 - 16/06/2014
Successive matches without a win	7: 25/06/1998 - 25/06/2014
Successive matches with a goal scored	3: 25/06/2018 - 25/11/2022
Successive matches without scoring	2: 16/06/2014 - 21/06/2014
Successive clean sheets	1: three times, most recently, 25/11/2022

Knockout records

Round by round WL record *ties won or lost

N/A

Extra time matches

N/A

Penalty shoot-outs

W0 L0

Player records

Most FIFA World Cup participations

3 - Karim Ansarifard (2014, 2018, 2022)

3 - Ehsan Hajisafi (2014, 2018, 2022)

3 - Alireza Jahanbakhsh (2014, 2018, 2022)

3 - Masoud Shojaei (2006, 2014, 2018)

Most FIFA World Cup matches

9 - Ehsan Hajisafi (3-2014; 3-2018; 3-2022)

8 - Alireza Jahanbakhsh (3-2014; 3-2018; 2-2022)

6 - Karim Ansarifard (1-2014; 3-2018; 2-2022)

6 - Sardar Azmoun (3-2018; 3-2022)

6 - Majid Hosseini (3-2018; 3-2022)

6 - Mehdi Mahdavikia (3-1998; 3-2006)

6 - Morteza Pouraliganji (3-2018; 3-2022)

6 - Mehdi Taremi (3-2018; 3-2022)

6 - Andranik Timotian (3-2006; 3-2014)

5 - Seven players

Most FIFA World Cup goals scored

2 - Mehdi Taremi (2-2022)

1 - Karim Ansarifard (1-2018)

1 - Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh (1-2006)

1 - Roozbeh Cheshmi (1-2022)

1 - Iraj Danaeifard (1-1978)

1 - Hamid Estili (1-1998)

1 - Reza Ghoochannejhad (1-2014)

1 - Yahya Golmohammadi (1-2006)

1 - Mehdi Mahdavikia (1-1998)

1 - Ramin Rezaeian (1-2022)

1 - Hassan Rowshan (1-1978)

Most FIFA World Cup tournaments with a goal

1 - 11 players

Youngest player to make an appearance at a FIFA World Cup

20y 261d - Hossein Kaebi vs Mexico (11/06/2006)

20y 309d - Alireza Jahanbakhsh vs Nigeria (16/06/2014)

20y 325d - Mehdi Mahdavikia vs Yugoslavia (14/06/1998)

21y 152d - Mehrzad Madanchi vs Mexico (11/06/2006)

21y 262d - Saeid Ezatolahi vs Spain (20/06/2018)

Youngest goalscorer at a FIFA World Cup

20y 332d - Mehdi Mahdavikia vs USA (21/06/1998)

23y 9d - Hassan Rowshan vs Peru (11/06/1978)

26y 278d - Reza Ghoochannejhad vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (25/06/2014)

27y 88d - Iraj Danaeifard vs Scotland (07/06/1978)

28y 83d - Karim Ansarifard vs Portugal (25/06/2018)

Oldest player to make an appearance at a FIFA World Cup

37y 92d - Ali Daei vs Angola (21/06/2006)

35y 90d - Yahya Golmohammadi vs Portugal (17/06/2006)

34y 306d - Nader Khani vs Germany (25/06/1998)

34y 6d - Masoud Shojaei vs Morocco (15/06/2018)

33y 291d - Javad Nekounam vs Bosnia Herzegovina (25/06/2014)

Oldest goalscorer at a FIFA World Cup

35y 84d - Yahya Golmohammadi vs Mexico (11/06/2006)

32y 249d - Ramin Rezaeian vs Wales (25/11/2022)

31y 81d - Hamid Estili vs USA (21/06/1998)

30y 126d - Mehdi Taremi vs England (21/11/2022)

29y 124d - Rouzbeh Cheshmi vs Wales (25/11/2022)

Most consecutive appearances with a goal

1 - 11 players

Most goals in a match

2 - Mehdi Taremi vs England (2022, group stage)

Hat-tricks

N/A

Fastest goal scored

36' - Yahya Golmohammadi vs Mexico (2006, group stage)

41' - Hassan Rowshan vs Peru (1978, group stage)

41' - Hamid Estili vs USA (1998, group stage)

Most clean sheets (GK)

1 - Alireza Beiranvand (1-2018)

1 - Alireza Haghighi (1-2014)

1 - Hossein Hosseini (1-2022)

Red cards

N/A

Coaches

Most final tournaments

3 - Carlos Queiroz, POR (2014, 2018, 2022)

Most matches

9 - Carlos Queiroz, POR (3-2014; 3-2018; 3-2022)

3 - Branko Ivankovic, CRO (3-2006)

3 - Heshmat Mohadjerani, IRN (3-1978)

3 - Jalal Talebi, IRN (3-1998)

Most matches won

2 - Carlos Queiroz, POR (1-2018; 1-2022)

Youngest coach

42y 153d - Heshmat Mohadjerani vs Netherlands (03/06/1978)

52y 103d - Branko Ivankovic vs Mexico (11/06/2006)

56y 83d - Jalal Talebi vs Yugoslavia (14/06/1998)

Oldest coach

69y 273d - Carlo Queiroz vs USA (29/11/2022)

56y 94d - Jalal Talebi vs Germany (25/06/1998)

52y 113d - Branko Ivankovic vs Angola (21/06/2006)

Penalties taken

Min.	Span	Player	Date	Match	Execution	Reason
90+3'	O2H	Karim Ansarifard	25/06/2018	IRN vs POR	scored	Goal
90+13'	O2H	Mehdi Taremi	21/11/2022	ENG vs IRN	scored	Goal

Penalties faced

Min.	Span	Goalkeeper	Opposition player	Team	Date	Match	Execution
40'	1H	Nasser Hejazi	Rob Rensenbrink	Netherlands	03/06/1978	NED vs IRN	Conceded
79'	2H	Nasser Hejazi	Rob Rensenbrink	Netherlands	03/06/1978	NED vs IRN	Conceded
36'	1H	Nasser Hejazi	Teofilo Cubillas	Peru	11/06/1978	PER vs IRN	Conceded
39'	1H	Nasser Hejazi	Teofilo Cubillas	Peru	11/06/1978	PER vs IRN	Conceded
80'	2H	Ebrahim Mirzapour	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	17/06/2006	POR vs IRN	Conceded
53'	2H	Alireza Beiranvand	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	25/06/2018	IRN vs POR	Saved

Complete World Cup match results

Tournament	Date	Match
1978	03/06/1978	Netherlands 3-0 IR Iran, Group stage (Mendoza-ARG)
1978	07/06/1978	Scotland 1-1 IR Iran, Group stage (Cordoba-ARG)
1978	11/06/1978	Peru 4-1 IR Iran, Group stage (Cordoba-ARG)
1998	14/06/1998	Yugoslavia 1-0 IR Iran, Group stage (Saint-Etienne-FRA)
1998	21/06/1998	USA 1-2 IR Iran, Group stage (Lyon-FRA)
1998	25/06/1998	Germany 2-0 IR Iran, Group stage (Montpellier-FRA)
2006	11/06/2006	Mexico 3-1 IR Iran, Group stage (Nuremberg-GER)
2006	17/06/2006	Portugal 2-0 IR Iran, Group stage (Frankfurt/Main-GER)
2006	21/06/2006	IR Iran 1-1 Angola, Group stage (Leipzig-GER)
2014	16/06/2014	IR Iran 0-0 Nigeria, Group stage (Curitiba-BRA)
2014	21/06/2014	Argentina 1-0 IR Iran, Group stage (Belo Horizonte-BRA)
2014	25/06/2014	Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-1 IR Iran, Group stage (Salvador-BRA)
2018	15/06/2018	Morocco 0-1 IR Iran, Group stage (St. Petersburg-RUS)
2018	20/06/2018	IR Iran 0-1 Spain, Group stage (Kazan-RUS)
2018	25/06/2018	IR Iran 1-1 Portugal, Group stage (Saransk-RUS)
2022	21/11/2022	England 6-2 IR Iran, Group stage (Al Rayyan-QAT)
2022	25/11/2022	Wales 0-2 IR Iran, Group stage (Al Rayyan-QAT)
2022	29/11/2022	IR Iran 0-1 USA, Group stage (Doha (Ad-Dawhah)-QAT)