Zob Ahan Esfahan F.C.

Association football club in Isfahan, Iran

Football club

Zob Ahan

Full name| Zob Ahan Esfahan Football Club
Nickname(s)| Gandos (The Marsh Crocodiles)

Founded| 6 July 1969; 54 years ago (1969-07-06)
Ground| Foolad Shahr Stadium
Capacity| 15,000[1]
Owner| Isfahan Steel Company
Chairman| Nima Nakisa[2]
Head Coach| Mohammad Rabiei
League| Persian Gulf Pro League
2022–23| Persian Gulf Pro League, 9th
Website| Club website

Home colours

Away colours

|

Current season

Zob Ahan Esfahan Football Club (Persian: باشگاه فرهنگى ورزشى ذوب‌آهن اصفهان, Bâšgâhé Futbâlé Zobâhané Esfahân) is an Iranian football club based in Fuladshahr, Iran. It competes in the Persian Gulf Pro League. The team is sponsored by the Isfahan Steel Company, which also goes by the name Zob Ahan. The club's main rival is fellow Isfahani team Sepahan, which is sponsored by the rival steel mill Mobarakeh Steel Company.

Zob Ahan club also has a basketball team, sponsored by the same Isfahan Steel Company, which is one of the teams in the Iranian Super League.

In the 2010 AFC Champions League. Zob Ahan finished as runners-up losing 3–1 to South Korean club Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma in the final.

Zob Ahan has won the Hazfi Cup on four occasions (2002–03, 2008–09, 2014–15 and 2015–16) and have finished as runners-up one time (2000–01). The club has also finished as League runners-up three times (2004–05, 2008–09 and 2009–10) and has won the Iranian Super Cup once (2016).

## Club history[edit]

### Early years (1969–1980)[edit]

Mohammad Ali Taghizadeh Farahmand established the club in 1969. They entered the Takht Jamshid Cup in 1973 and end season in the 10th place. They promoted to the quarterfinals of the Hazfi Cup in 1976. Their best results in Takht Jamshid Cup was earned in 1977–78 in the 8th place.

### Azadegan League (1980–2001)[edit]

The team has participated in the highest division of the Iranian league system since 1973, except for the 1995 season when they played in the 2nd division. After Iranian Revolution in 1979, Takht Jamshid Cup was suspended due to Iran–Iraq War. After the end of the war, league began again in the title of Azadegan League. They were once again promoted to the 1st division the year after.

### PGPL (2001–present)[edit]

Zob Ahan currently play in the IPL starting from 2001. The club's first honor, remains the winning of the Hazfi Cup in 2003, after defeating the Shiraz-based team Moghavemat Sepasi in the finals.[3] This feat was repeated in the 2008–09 Hazfi Cup, when the club beat Rah Ahan to re-claim the title after 6 years.[3] The club made its first appearance in the AFC Champions League in 2004, as the winners of the 2003 Hazfi Cup, but were eliminated in the group stages.

Having missed out on winning their first-ever domestic league title in the 2008–09 season, Zobahan were one of the title contenders once again in the 2009–10 season. However, at the end, they had to settle for second place once again after finishing six points behind their city rivals Sepahan. They also lost their grip on the Hazfi Cup after a shock 0–2 loss to a second-division side Gostaresh Foulad in the semi-finals.[4]

#### 2010 AFC Champion League[edit]

In the 2010 AFC Champions League Zob Ahan finished first on the group stage that included FC Bunyodkor, Al-Wahda and Al-Ittihad. By finishing first they qualified for the first time for the Knockout stages. On the Round of 16 they draw country neighbours Mes Kerman winning 1–0. The club then qualified to the quarter-finals and were drawn with title holders Pohang Steelers, Zob Ahan won 2–1 at home and draw 1–1 on Korea, knocking-out the title holders. Zob Ahan played against Saudi powerhouse Al Hilal which they won 1–0 at home, and won 1–0 on Saudi Arabia leading the club to an Asian Champions League final where they face Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma. On 13 November, in the final Zob Ahan lost 1–3 to Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma. Zob Ahan couldn't be the champions on their 2nd Asian Champions League participation always being under-dogs. The following year the club made it to the quarter-finals but lost to Korean club Suwon Samsung Bluewings.

#### Dark years[edit]

After the 2011 Champions League, a 6th place league finish in 2012 meant that the club failed to retain its spot in the Champions League. The following year, the club finished 14th in the league, narrowly avoiding relegation through a play-off. Fan attendance started to dip and Zob Ahan had another sub par year in the 2013–14 Iran Pro League season, finishing 13th, changing three managers during the course of the season and again narrowly avoiding relegation.

#### Resurrection under Golmohammadi and Hosseini[edit]

Zob Ahan players celebrating Hazfi Cup title in 2015

In summer of 2014 Zob Ahan announced Yahya Golmohammadi as the club's new manager. After a poor start to the season, Zob Ahan when on a six match unbeaten run which placed them 6th in week 23. On 5 December 2015 Zob Ahan defeated Persepolis 2–1 in the Hazfi Cup semi-final to advance to the final for the fourth time in club history. On 15 May 2015 after a 0–0 draw against Padideh, Zob Ahan finished fourth and returned to the AFC Champions League after five years. Zob Ahan also won their third Hazfi Cup title after defeating Naft Tehran 3–1 in the final.

On 23 February 2016 Zob Ahan won its first match AFC Champions League since 2011, defeating Lekhwiya of Qatar 1–0. Zob Ahan qualified for the Round of 16 of the AFC Champions League on 20 April 2016 after defeating Saudi club Al Nassr 3–0 in match day 5. However, Zob Ahan were defeated 3–1 on aggregate by Emirati club Al Ain in the Round of 16. Zob Ahan once again qualified for the final of the 2016 Hazfi Cup to defend their crown against Esteghlal. Zob Ahan defeated Esteghlal in penalties and won the Hazfi Cup for the fourth time in the club's history. Zob Ahan won the Iranian Super Cup after beating Esteghlal Khuzestan 4–2 in extra time. This was the first trophy that Zob Ahan won in Foolad Shahr Stadium.

In the beginning of the 2016–17, after poor results, Golmohammadi was fired as manager of the team and was replaced by Assistant coach Mojtaba Hosseini. Hosseini led Zob Ahan to the semi-finals of the Hazfi Cup, where they lost to Tractor.

## Colours and crest[edit]

One of Zob Ahan's nicknames is Sabzpoushan ("The Greens", Persian: سبز پوشان), stemming from their traditional kit, which is predominantly green. From the foundation of the club, the common home kit includes a green shirt, black or white shorts, and white or yellow socks. White and black colours are also seen in the kit. The away kit of the club is commonly with a white background.

## Stadium and facilities[edit]

Main article: Foolad Shahr Stadium

The home stadium of the club is Foolad Shahr Stadium located in Fooladshahr, Isfahan. The stadium had 20,000 capacity but was renovated to hold about 30,000 people in 2011. The stadium was built in 1998.

## Rivalries[edit]

Main article: Esfahan derby

Zob Ahan is part of the Esfahan derby or Naghsh-e-Jahan derby. The Esfahan derby goes back to the 1970s, when Zob Ahan and Sepahan faced each other in Takht Jamshid Cup seasons (1974/75, 1975/76, 1976/77, 1977/78). Their rivalry resumed in the 1990s when they faced each other in Azadegan League seasons (1993/94, 1996/97, 1997/98) and from then on the two met each other twice a year.

## Players[edit]

### First-team squad[edit]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

| No. | Pos. | Nation  | Player

|
|
|

1  | GK |  IRN | Parsa JafariU25
2  | DF |  IRN | Amir Hossein Sedghi
3  | DF |  IRN | Hamed Noormohammadi
4  | DF |  IRN | Mohammad Ghoreishi
5  | MF |  IRN | Pouya Pourali
6  | DF |  IRN | Nader Mohammadi
7  | DF |  IRN | Masoud Ebrahimzadeh (Captain)
10  | MF |  IRN | Sajjad Ashouri
11  | MF |  IRN | Kamal Kamyabinia
14  | DF |  IRN | Arman Akvan
15  | MF |  IRN | Ebrahim Reza Zadeh
16  | DF |  IRN | Arman Ghasemi
18  | MF |  IRN | Amir Mohammad LoftpourU23
22  | GK |  IRN | Soheil MirlohiU23
23  | DF |  IRN | Amirhossein Jeddi
24  | DF |  IRN | Mehran Derakhshan Mehr
| No. | Pos. | Nation  | Player

|
|
|

29  | MF |  IRN | Mehdi GoudarziU21
26  | MF |  IRN | Karar AzariU21
28  | MF |  IRN | Mehran NafariU23
29  | MF |  IRN | Pouya MokhtariU21
33  | GK |  IRN | Habib Far Abbasi
36  | DF |  IRN | Jalal MaddahiU21
60  | MF |  IRN | Edris RahmaniU21
61  | MF |  IRN | Mohammad Soltani MehrU25
66  | FW |  IRN | Saeid Bagherpasanad
70  | FW |  IRN | Bahman Salari
77  | FW |  IRN | Saman Nariman Jahan
80  | FW |  IRN | Mohammad Hossein EslamiU23
88  | MF |  IRN | Sajjad Jafari
90  | MF |  IRN | Rouhollah Seifollahi
99  | MF |  IRN | Mohammad Reza Soleimani
-- | MF |  IRN | Mohammad Javad Mohammadi

* U21 = Under 21 Player
* U23 = Under 23 Player
* U25 = Under 25 Player

For recent transfers, see List of Iranian football transfers summer 2022.

### Retired numbers[edit]

See also: Retired numbers in association football

No.  | Player  | Position  | Zob Ahan debut  | Last match  | ref

|
|
|
|
|

30  |  Mehdi Rajabzadeh | AM | June 2003  | 15 May 2018  | [5]

On 18 June 2018, the club decided to retire the squad number 30 in memory of Mehdi Rajabzadeh.

## Notable players[edit]

This list of former players includes those who received international caps while playing for the team, made significant contributions to the team in terms of appearances or goals while playing for the team, or who made significant contributions to the sport either before they played for the team, or after they left. It is clearly not yet complete and all inclusive, and additions and refinements will continue to be made over time.

### Famous Players[edit]

For notable players see List of Zob Ahan F.C. players.
For details on former players see Category:Zob Ahan Esfahan F.C. players.

### Players on international cups[edit]

Cup  | Players

|

1978 FIFA World Cup |  Rasoul Korbekandi
1996 AFC Asian Cup |  Ali Akbar Ostad-Asadi
1998 FIFA World Cup |  Ali Akbar Ostad-Asadi
2007 AFC Asian Cup
|  Mehdi Rajabzadeh
2011 AFC Asian Cup |  Shahab Gordan
Ghasem Haddadifar
Mohammad Reza Khalatbari
Farshid Talebi
2014 FIFA World Cup |  Ghasem Haddadifar
2018 FIFA World Cup |  Mohammad Rashid Mazaheri

### Club captains[edit]

#  | Name  | Nat  | Career in
Zob Ahan  | Captaincy  | Shirt
Num

|
|
|
|
|

| Rasoul Korbekandi |  | 1969–80  | 1970–80  |

| Mahmood Ebrahimzadeh |
| 1976–86  | 1980–86  |

| Rahman Rezaei |  | 1996–01  | 1997–00  |

| Ali Akbar Ostad-Asadi |  | 1995–03  | 2000–03  |

| Sepehr Heidari |  | 2000–07
2012–14  | 2003–07  |

| Mohammad Salsali |  | 2004–14  | 2007–14  |

| Mehdi Rajabzadeh |  | 2003–07
2010–11
2012–18  | 2014–18  |

| Ghasem Haddadifar |  | 2003–2021  | 2018–2021  |

| Masoud Ebrahimzadeh |  | 2018–2023  | 2021–2023  |

## Club officials[edit]

### IPL managers[edit]

Main article: List of Zob Ahan F.C. managers

Only IPL matches are counted.

Last updated 10 August 2021.

Name  | Nat  | From  | To  | Record

|
|
|
|

P | W | D | L | Win % | Final Position
Nasser Hejazi |  | Jul 2001  | Dec 2001  | 20 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 40% | 3rd (until week 20)
Bahram Atef |  | Dec 2001  | Jul 2002  | 6 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 33.4% | (01-02) 6th
Samvel Darbinyan |  | Jul 2002  | May 2003  | 52 | 21 | 11 | 20 | 40% | (02-03) 8th (03-04) 4th
Rasoul Korbekandi |  | May 2003  | Jun 2007  | 90 | 39 | 26 | 25 | 43.4% | (04-05) 2nd, (05-06) 6th, (06-07) 8th
Zoran Đorđević |  | Jun 2007  | Oct 2007  | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 30% | 17th (until week 10)
Bijan Zolfagharnasab |  | Oct 2007  | May 2008  | 24 | 8 | 11 | 5 | 33.4% | (07-08) 6th
Mansour Ebrahimzadeh |  | Jul 2008  | Jun 2012  | 134 | 62 | 48 | 24 | 46.3% | (08-09) 2nd,
(09-10) 2nd,(10–11) 3rd,
(11-12) 6th
Rasoul Korbekandi |  | Jun 2012  | Oct 2012  | 11 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 27.3% | 15th (until week 11)
Farhad Kazemi |  | Oct 2012  | Jul 2013  | 23 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 26% | (12-13) 14th
Mahmoud Yavari |  | Jun 2013  | Jul 2013  | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50% | Win in the Relegation play-offs
Luka Bonačić |  | Jul 2013  | Jan 2014  | 20 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 15% | 14th (until week 20)
Mojtaba Taghavi |  | Jan 2014  | Feb 2014  | 7 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 14.3% | 15th (until week 27)
Firouz Karimi |  | Feb 2014  | Jun 2014  | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 75% | (13-14) 13th
Yahya Golmohammadi |  | Jun 2014  | Sep 2016  | 67 | 26 | 26 | 15 | 38.8% | (14–15) 4th
(15–16) 6th
(16–17) 14th (until week 7)
Mojtaba Hosseini |  | Sep 2016  | Jun 2017  | 23 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 47.8% | (16–17) 4th
Amir Ghalenoei |  | Jun 2017  | Jun 2018  | 30 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 50.0% | (17-18) 2nd
Omid Namazi |  | Jun 2018  | Nov 2018  | 11 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 18.1% | (18–19) 11th (until week 11)
Alireza Mansourian |  | Nov 2018  | Dec 2019  | 35 | 10 | 14 | 11 | 36.8% | (18-19) 6th
(19–20) 11th (until week 16)
Miodrag Radulović |  | Jan 2020  | Jun 2020  | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 40% | (19–20) 11th (until week 21)
Luka Bonačić |  | Jun 2020  | Aug 2020  | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 22.2% | (19–20) 12th
Rahman Rezaei |  | Sep 2020  | Feb 2021  | 15 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 6.6% | (20–21) 14th (until week 15)
Mojtaba Hosseini |  | Mar 2021  | Aug 2021  | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 25% | (20–21) 14th
Mehdi Tartar |  | Aug 2021  | Present | 30 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 30% | (21–22) 7th

#### Current coaching staff[edit]

Source:[6]

Position  | Name

|

Head coach |  Mehdi Tartar
Assistant coaches |  Hossein Pashaei
Mohammad Salsali
Mohammad Nouri
Goalkeeping coach |  Hossein Inanlou
Fitness coach |  Amir Jamali
Analyst |  Kianoush Forouzesh
Physiotherapist |  Abbas Moradi
Behzad Moradi
Doctor |  Amir Hossein Sharifianpour
Logistics |  Mahmoud Mehruyan
Team Manager |  Mahmoud Yazdkhasti
B team Head Coach |  Mehdi Rajabzadeh
Media Officer |  Ehsan Baeedi

### Chairpersons[edit]

Chairperson  | Tenure

|

Mohammad Mehdi Taghizadeh  |

July 1969 – July 1977

Mostafa Ghanei  |

July 1977 – February 1979

Asghar Nilchian  |

May 1979 – May 1984

Fazollah Omranian  |

May 1984 – May 1988

Heydar Taheri  |

May 1988 – May 1992

Nematollah Zargar  |

May 1992 – June 1996

Alireza Shogi  |

June 1996 – June 2004

Saeed Azari |

June 2004 – June 2009

Asghar Dalili  |

June 2009 – August 2011

Khosro Ebrahimi  |

August 2011 – September 2013

Saeed Azari |

September 2013 – August 2019

Javad Mohammadi  |

August 2019 – January 2020

Ahmad Jamshidi  |

January 2020 – September 2020

Javad Mohammadi  |

September 2020 – January 2021

Mojtaba Fereydouni  |

January 2021 – July 2023

Nima Nakisa |

July 2023 – present

## Season-by-season[edit]

For details on seasons, see List of Zob Ahan F.C. seasons

The table below chronicles the achievements of Zob Ahan since 1973.

Season  | League  | Position  | Hazfi Cup | ACL | Notes

|
|
|
|
|

1973–74  | Takht Jamshid Cup | 10th  | Not held | did not qualify |
1974–75  | 11th
1975–76  | 9th  | 1/8 Final
1976–77  | 15th  | 1/16 Final
1977–78  | 8th  | Not held
1978–79  | N/A  | did not finish
1981–82  | Isfahan's 2nd Division | 1st  | Promoted
1983–84  | Isfahan League | 3rd  |
1984–85  | 2nd
1991–92  | 5th  |
1993–94  | Azadegan League | 4th  | 1/8 Final
1994–95  | 8th  | 1/16 Final  | Relegated
1995–96  | 2nd Division | 2nd  | 1/8 Final  | Promoted
1996–97  | Azadegan League | 10th  | 1/8 Final  |
1997–98  | 3rd  | Not held
1998–99  | 12th  | Third Round
1999–00  | 5th  | First Round
2000–01  | 4th  | Final
2001–02  | Iran Pro League | 6th  | Quarterfinal
2002–03  | 8th  | Cup
2003–04  | 4th  | Semi-Final  | First Round
2004–05  | 2nd  | 1/8 Final  | did not qualify
2005–06  | 6th  | 1/8 Final
2006–07  | 8th  | 1/16 Final
2007–08  | 6th  | 1/8 Final
2008–09  | 2nd  | Cup
2009–10  | 2nd  | Semi-Final  | Runner-up
2010–11  | 3rd  | 1/16 Final  | 1/4 Final
2011–12  | 6th  | 1/8 Final  | Play-off
2012–13  | 14th  | 1/4 Final  | did not qualify
2013–14  | 13th  | 1/4 Final
2014–15  | 4th  | Cup
2015–16  | 6th  | Cup | 1/8 Final  | Super Cup
2016–17  | 4th  | Semi-Final  | First Round  |
2017–18  | 2nd  | 1/16 Final  | 1/8 Final
2018–19  | 6th  | 1/16 Final  | 1/8 Final
2019–20  | 12th  | 1/16 Final  | did not qualify
2020–21  | 14th  | 1/16 Final  | did not qualify
2021–22  | 7th  | 1/16 Final  | did not qualify

## Individual records[edit]

Lists of the players with the most caps and top goalscorers for the club, (players in bold signifies current Zob Ahan player). This list includes goals from Iran Premier League.

### Most appearances[edit]

As of 6 May 2020  | Name  | Nationality  | position  | total

|
|
|
|

1  | Ghasem Haddadifar |  Iran  | Midfielder | 330
2  | Mehdi Rajabzadeh |  Iran  | Forward | 296
3  | Esmaeil Farhadi |  Iran  | Forward | 280
4  | Rasoul Korbekandi |  Iran  | Goalkeeper | 265
5  | Mohammad Salsali |  Iran  | Defender | 220
6  | Sepehr Heidari |  Iran  | Defender | 175
7  | Ali Akbar Ostad-Asadi |  Iran  | Defender | 164
8  | Mohammad Mansouri |  Iran  | Midfielder | 155
9  | Hassan Ashjari |  Iran  | Defender | 139
10  | Morteza Tabrizi |  Iran  | Forward | 138

### Top Goalscorers[edit]

As of 6 May 2019  Player  | Period  | Appearances in PL  | Goals in PL  | Appearances  | Goals

|
|
|
|
|

1  |  Mehdi Rajabzadeh | 2003–07; 2010–11; 2012–18  | 296  | 93  | 353  | 106
2  |  Morteza Tabrizi | 2013–18  | 138  | 39  | 179  | 53
3  |  Esmaeil Farhadi | 2005–15  | 280  | 44  | 308  | 47
4  |  Mohammad Reza Khalatbari | 2006–11; 2019–  | 129  | 34  | 157  | 43
5  |  Igor Castro | 2008–12  | 121  | 30  | 153  | 42

### Top Scorers by season[edit]

Season  | Player  | Goals

|
|

2001–02  |  Reza Sahebi | 7
2002–03  |  Reza Sahebi  | 6
2003–04  |  Mehdi Rajabzadeh | 9
2004–05  |  Mehdi Rajabzadeh  | 8
2005–06  |  Mehdi Rajabzadeh  | 14
2006–07  |  Mehdi Rajabzadeh  | 17
2007–08  |  Esmaeil Farhadi | 9
2008–09  |  Igor Castro | 16
2009–10  |  Mohammad Reza Khalatbari | 11
2010–11  |  Seyed Mohammad Hosseini | 12
2011–12  |  Mohammad Ghazi | 7
2012–13  |  Mehdi Rajabzadeh  | 8
2013–14  |  Mehdi Rajabzadeh  | 9
2014–15  |  Masoud Hassanzadeh | 9
2015–16  |  Morteza Tabrizi | 7
2016–17  |  Morteza Tabrizi  | 11
2017–18  |  Morteza Tabrizi  | 13
2018–19  |  Amir Arsalan Motahari | 6

## Asian record[edit]

Gordan

Talebi

Ahmadi

Hosseini

Mahini

Kheiri

Haddadifar

Igor Castro

Khalatbari

Rajabzadeh

Ghazi

Zob Ahan's starting line-up Final against Seongnam, 2010 AFC Champions League

### Asian Club Championship / AFC Champions League[edit]

Asian Club Championship / AFC Champions League  Season  | Round  | Rival  | Home  | Away  | Rank/Agg.  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|

2004 | Group stage
(Group A)  |  Pakhtakor | 1–0  | 2–0 | 2  |
Qatar SC | 3–3  | 0–0
Riffa | –  | –
2010 | Group stage
(Group B)  |  Al-Wahda | 1–0  | 1–0 | 1  | Runners-up
Al-Ittihad | 1–0  | 2–2
Bunyodkor | 3–0  | 0–1
Round of 16  |  Mes Kerman | 1–0  | –  | 1–0
Quarter-finals  |  Pohang Steelers | 2–1  | 1–1 | 3–2
Semi-finals  |  Al-Hilal | 1–0  | 0–1 | 2–0
Final  |  Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | –  | –  | 1–3
2011 | Group stage
(Group D)  |  Emirates | 2–1  | 0–1 | 1  |
Al-Shabab | 0–1  | 0–0
Al-Rayyan | 1–0  | 1–3
Round of 16  |  Al-Nassr | 4–1  | –  | 4–1
Quarter-finals  |  Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 1–2  | 1–1 | 2–3
2012 | Qualifying play-off  |  Esteghlal | –  | 2–0 | 2–0 | Not Qualify
2016 | Group stage
(Group B)  |  Lekhwiya | 0–0  | 0–1 | 1  |
Bunyodkor | 5–2  | 0–0
Al-Nassr | 3–0  | 0–3
Round of 16  |  Al-Ain | 0–2  | 1–1 | 1–3
2017 | Group stage
(Group C)  |  Al-Ain | 0–3  | 1–1 | 3  |
Al-Ahli | 1–2  | 2–0
Bunyodkor | 2–1  | 0–2
2018 | Qualifying play-off  |  Aizawl | 3–1  | –  | 3–1  | Qualify
Group stage
(Group B)  |  Al Wahda | 2–0  | 3–0 | 2  |
Lokomotiv | 2–0  | 1–1
Al-Duhail | 0–1  | 3–1
Round of 16  |  Esteghlal | 1–0  | 3–1 | 3–2
2019 | Preliminary round 2  |  Al-Kuwait | 1–0  | –  | 1–0  | Qualify
Qualifying play-off  |  Al-Gharafa | –  | 2–3 | 3–2
Group stage
(Group A)  |  Al-Zawraa | 0–0  | 2–2 | 1  |
Al-Wasl | 2–0  | 1–3
Al-Nassr | 0–0  | 2–3
Round of 16  |  Al-Ittihad | 3–4  | 2–1 | 4–6

## Club honours[edit]

### Domestic[edit]

* 1st Division/Persian Gulf Pro League
* Runners-up (4): 2004–05, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2017–18
* Hazfi Cup
* Winners (4): 2002–03, 2008–09, 2014–15, 2015–16
* Runners-up (1): 2000–01
* Super Cup
* Winners (1): 2016

### Continental[edit]

* AFC Champions League
* Runners-up (1): 2010

## Ownership[edit]

The owner of the Zob Ahan FC is Isfahan Steel Company. Company is the first Iranian steel maker opened in late 1960, based close to the cities of Fooladshahr and Zarrinshahr, Isfahan Province.

Zob Ahan-e Esfahan and Iran's first car manufacturer, Iran National (renamed Iran Khodro after the Iranian revolution) were parts of a move from mainly agriculture-based economy toward industrialization by the pre-revolutionary government of Amir Abbas Hoveida.

## References[edit]

1. ^ https://www.iribnews.ir/fa/news/3016305
2. ^ "رسمی: نیما نکیسا، مدیرعامل ذوب‌آهن!". Archived from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
3. ^ a b AFC Champions League[permanent dead link]
4. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2011.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
5. ^ varzesh3. "رجب زاده خداحافظی کرد شماره 30 بایگانی شد". Archived from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2017.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
6. ^ "Profile of Teams". Archived from the original on 18 November 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2019.

## External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zob Ahan Esfahan F.C..

* Official website (in Persian)
* Player statistics

Achievements

Preceded by

Esteghlal F.C.

|  Hazfi Cup Champions
2002–03 | Succeeded by

Sepahan F.C.

Preceded by

Esteghlal F.C.

|  IPL Runner-up
2004–05 | Succeeded by

PAS Tehran

Preceded by

Sepahan F.C.

|  IPL Runner-up
2008–09 | Succeeded by

Holders

Preceded by

Esteghlal F.C.

|  Hazfi Cup Champions
2008–09 | Succeeded by

Perspolis F.C.

Preceded by

Holders

|  IPL Runner-up
2009–10 | Succeeded by

Esteghlal F.C.

Preceded by

Al-Ittihad

|  ACL Runner-up
2010 | Succeeded by

Jeonbuk

Preceded by

Tractor

|  Hazfi Cup Champions
2014–15 | Succeeded by

Holders

Preceded by

Holders

|  Hazfi Cup Champions
2015–16 | Succeeded by

Naft Tehran F.C.

Preceded by

Esteghlal F.C.

|  IPL Runner-up
2017–18 | Succeeded by

Sepahan F.C.

* v
* t
* e

Zob Ahan Esfahan F.C.

Team|

* Players
* Current squad
* Managers

Ground|

* Foolad Shahr Stadium

Seasons|

* 2009–10
* 2010–11
* 2011–12
* 2014–15
* 2015–16
* 2016–17
* 2017–18
* 2018–19

Rivalry|

* Naqsh-e jahan derby

Other divisions|

* Basketball

* v
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* e

Zob Ahan Esfahan F.C. - current squad

* 2 Sedghi
* 3 Noormohammadi
* 4 Ghoreishi
* 5 Pourali
* 6 Soltani Mehr
* 7 Ebrahimzadeh
* 9 Khaleghifar
* 10 H.Ebrahimi
* 12 P.Jafari
* 13 Bakhtiari
* 14 Shenani
* 15 Darvishi
* 16 Ghasemi
* 17 Pourhashem
* 19 Panahi
* 21 S.Jafari
* 23 Danaei
* 27 Momeni
* 29 Rostami
* 33 Far Abbasi
* 34 Milad kor
* 39 Ghaderi
* 44 A. Shabani
* 45 Abedi
* 46 TaheriNejad Mehr
* 66 BagherPasand
* 70 Khodadadi
* 71 Sadeghi
* 77 Khodabandelou
* 88 Asadbeigi
* 99 Ashouri
* Manager: Tartar

* v
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* e

Zob Ahan Isfahan F.C. – managers

* Yavari (1969–70)
* Asli (1970–71)
* Hajnasrollah (1971–73)
* Lyadin (1974–78)
* Korbekandi (1983–93)
* Lyadin (1993–95)
* Hejazi (1998–01)
* Atef (2001–02)
* Darbinyan (2002–03)
* Korbekandi (2003–07)
* Đorđević (2007)
* Zolfagharnasab (2007–08)
* Ebrahimzadeh (2008–12)
* Korbekandi (2012)
* Kazemi (2012–13)
* Yavari (2013)
* Bonačić (2013–14)
* Taghavi (2014)
* Karimi (2014)
* Golmohammadi (2014–16)
* Hosseini (2016–17)
* Ghalenoei (2017–18)
* Namazi (2018)
* Mansourian (2018–19)
* Radulović (2020)
* Bonačić (2020)
* Rezaei (2020–21)
* Hosseini (2021)
* Tartar (2021–2023)
* Rabiei (2023–)

* v
* t
* e

Persian Gulf Pro League

2022–23 teams|

* Aluminium Arak
* Esteghlal
* Foolad
* Gol Gohar
* Havadar
* Malavan
* Mes Kerman
* Mes Rafsanjan
* Naft Masjed Soleyman
* Nassaji
* Paykan
* Persepolis
* Sanat Naft
* Sepahan
* Tractor
* Zob Ahan

Former teams|

* Aboumoslem
* Aluminium Hormozgan
* Bargh Shiraz
* Damash
* Esteghlal Ahvaz
* Esteghlal Rasht
* Fajr
* Gahar Zagros
* Gostaresh
* Machine Sazi
* Mes Sarcheshmeh
* Naft Tehran
* Pars Jam
* PAS Hamedan
* Pas Tehran
* Payam Mashhad
* Pegah Gilan
* Rah Ahan
* Saba
* Sepidrood
* Saipa
* Siah Jamegan
* Shahin Bushehr
* Shahrdari Tabriz
* Shahr Khodro
* Shamoushak
* Shirin Faraz
* Steel Azin
* Tarbiat Yazd

Competition|

* Champions
* Iranian league system
* Foreign players

Statistics and awards|

* Winning managers
* Managers
* Top scorers
* all-time
* by season
* Football Awards

Associated competitions|

* Hazfi Cup
* Iranian Super Cup
* Azadegan League
* League 2
* League 3

List of transfers|

* summer 2012
* winter 2012–13
* summer 2013
* winter 2013–14
* summer 2014
* winter 2014–15
* summer 2015
* winter 2015–16
* summer 2016
* winter 2016–17
* summer 2017
* winter 2017–18
* summer 2018
* winter 2018–19
* summer 2019
* winter 2019–20
* summer 2020
* Winter 2020–21
* Summer 2021
* Winter 2021–22
* Summer 2022
* Winter 2022–23
* Summer 2023

*[No.]: Number
*[Pos.]: Position
*[GK]: Goalkeeper
*[DF]: Defender
*[MF]: Midfielder
*[FW]: Forward
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*[e]: Edit this template