Football sports rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia
The Iran and Saudi Arabia national football teams are sporting rivals [ 1] who have played each other since 1975.
The game has been ranked 9th in Bleacher Report 's "International Football's 10 Most Politically-Charged Football Rivalries"[ 2] and 8th in Goal.com's "Football's 10 Greatest International Rivalries".[ 3]
Iran and Saudi Arabia team have had 15 matches so far, all have been competitive, and they have never played a friendly match . The first match was played on 24 August 1975, with Iran defeating Saudi Arabia 3–0.
The two have long battled for West Asian supremacy[ 3] and their matches have been "always tight, tense and furiously competitive".[ 1]
The countries also have had chronic political tensions in the last decades.[ 4] (see Iran–Saudi Arabia relations )
The rivalry has been expanded into club matches as well. For example, after the Saudi Arabian national team's away win in March 2009, Saudi players sword-danced in front of 100,000 angry Iranian fans in Azadi Stadium . When Zob Ahan eliminated Al-Hilal in the 2010 AFC Champions League semi-final, Iranian players mocked the dance in front of Saudi fans.[ 5]
When Persepolis was scheduled to play away at Ittihad in the 2011 AFC Champions League , Saudi immigration authorities forced Iranian players to be fingerprinted and irises scanned upon their arrival at Jeddah airport . The Iranians refused to do so and were held at the airport for 8 hours.[ 4]
Iranian football fans take most pleasure in defeating Saudi Arabia , alongside Bahrain ,[ 6] whose players used to wave Saudi Arabian flags when they defeated Iran 3–1 during their 2002 World Cup qualification .[ 7] For several Iranian fans, regional political rivalries also affect who they support on the field, according to Aljazeera.[ 8]
In 2016, clubs from Saudi Arabia refused to play in Iran during the 2016 AFC Champions League and vice versa.[ 9] [ 10] [ 11] Consequently, the matches between the two countries were played in neutral venues for the next 7 years.[ 12]
Following the improvement of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced on 4 September 2023 that matches between the national and club sides of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) and the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) will take place on a home-and-away basis.[ 13] [ 14] [ 15]
Source :[ 16] [ 17]
#
Date
Competition
Home team
Score
Away team
Goals (home)
Goals (away)
Venue
—[ a]
24 August 1975
1976 Olympics qualification
Iran
3–0
Saudi Arabia
Mazloomi 12' , 83' ; Khorshidi 63'
Amjadieh Stadium , Tehran
1
7 January 1977
1978 World Cup qualification
Saudi Arabia
0–3
Iran
Mazloomi 16' , 78' ; Roshan 62'
Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium , Riyadh
2[ b]
22 April 1977
Iran
2–0
Saudi Arabia
Yousefi 10' ; Sharifi 84'
Hafezieh Stadium , Shiraz
3
13 December 1984
1984 Asian Cup
Saudi Arabia
1–1
(a.e.t. )[ c]
Iran
Shahin Bayani 88' (o.g. )
Shahrokh Bayani 43'
National Stadium, Singapore
4
15 December 1988
1988 Asian Cup
Saudi Arabia
1–0
Iran
Abdullah 16'
Qatar SC Stadium , Doha
5
28 October 1993
1994 World Cup qualification
Saudi Arabia
4–3
Iran
Al-Jaber 21' ; Mehalel 27' ; Al-Mousa ; 47' ; Falatah 74'
Fonounizadeh 43' , 52' ; Manafi 90'
Khalifa Stadium , Doha
6
11 December 1996
1996 Asian Cup
Saudi Arabia
0–3
Iran
Daei 12' ; Bagheri 37' ; Azizi 47'
Al-Maktoum Stadium , Dubai
7
18 December 1996
Iran
0–0
(a.e.t. )[ d]
Saudi Arabia
Sheikh Zayed Stadium , Abu Dhabi
8
19 September 1997
1998 World Cup qualification
Iran
1–1
Saudi Arabia
Bagheri 64'
Al-Shahrani 32'
Azadi Stadium , Tehran
9
24 October 1997
Saudi Arabia
1–0
Iran
Al-Muwalid 88'
King Fahd Stadium , Riyadh
10
24 August 2001
2002 World Cup qualification
Iran
2–0
Saudi Arabia
Daei 54' (p ) , 64'
Azadi Stadium , Tehran
11
28 September 2001
Saudi Arabia
2–2
Iran
Al-Waked 20' ; Al-Yami 59'
Daei 42' ; Dinmohammadi 84'
Prince Abdullah al-Faisal Stadium , Jeddah
12
6 September 2008
2010 World Cup qualification
Saudi Arabia
1–1
Iran
Harthi 29'
Nekounam 81'
King Fahd Stadium , Riyadh
13
28 March 2009
Iran
1–2
Saudi Arabia
Shojaei 64'
Hazazi 79' ; Al-Muwallad 87'
Azadi Stadium , Tehran
14
12 December 2012
2012 WAFF Championship [ e]
Iran
0–0
Saudi Arabia
Al-Sadaqua Walsalam Stadium , Kuwait City
^ Not a full FIFA international
^ Iran played the match with reserve players.
^ Saudi Arabia won 5–4 on penalties .
^ Saudi Arabia won 4–3 on penalties .
^ Both teams competed in the tournament with reserve players.
Matches held in Iran
4
Matches held in neutral venue
8
Matches held in Saudi Arabia
4
Total matches
16
^ a b "Saudi Arabia VS Iran: Launch pad for Saudi reign" . FIFA.com . October 28, 1993. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved November 21, 2014 .
^ Peters, Jerrad (October 15, 2014). "International Football's 10 Most Politically-Charged Football Rivalries" . Bleacher Report . Retrieved November 21, 2014 .
^ a b Staunton, Peter (November 17, 2010). "Football's 10 Greatest International Rivalries; Argentina - Brazil, Portugal - Spain, Algeria - Egypt, Japan - South Korea And More" . Goal.com . Retrieved November 21, 2014 .
^ a b Dorsey, James M. "Iranian bid for FIFA tournament takes tension with the Gulf to the soccer pitch" . Al Arabiya . Retrieved 19 May 2011 .
^ صعود مقتدرانه ذوبآهن به فينال ليگ قهرمانان آسيا پاسخی به رقص شمشير سعودیها در تهران ['Zob Ahan's powerful qualification to AFC Champions League final match, a response to Saudi Sword dance in Tehran']. Kayhan (in Persian). No. 19772. October 23, 2010. p. 13.
^ Duerden, John. "Asia awaits neighbourly rivalry" . ESPN . Retrieved November 21, 2014 .
^ Sundaresan, Keeshaanan (October 11, 2011). "Bad memories will motivate us to defeat Bahrain, says Iran skipper Javad Nekounam" . Goal.com . Retrieved November 21, 2014 .
^ "Iran: Football World Cup, female fans and Saudi Arabian rivalry" .
^ "Saudi, Iran dispute forces Champions League schedule switch" . USA TODAY . Retrieved 2024-04-20 .
^ "AFC delays Saudi, Iran Champions League matches" . ESPN.com . 2016-01-25. Retrieved 2024-04-20 .
^ "Decisions following AFC Competitions Committee meeting" . the-AFC . Retrieved 2024-04-20 .
^ McKirdy, Euan (2016-03-16). "Saudi, Iranian teams head to neutral grounds" . CNN . Retrieved 2024-04-20 .
^ "Saudi Arabian FF and FFIRI matches to be played home-and-away" . Asian Football Confederation. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023 .
^ "Saudi and Iranian clubs to resume home-and-away matches, AFC confirms" . Arab News . 2023-09-04. Retrieved 2024-04-20 .
^ " 'Historic move': Saudi football clubs to play in Iran as travel ban lifted" . Al Jazeera . Retrieved 2024-04-20 .
^ Courtney, Barrie (3 April 2009). "Saudi Arabia - List of International Matches" . Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation . Retrieved November 21, 2014 .
^ Panahi, Majeed (7 August 2014). "Iran - International Matches" . Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation . Retrieved November 21, 2014 .
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