Iran–Saudi Arabia football rivalry

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Iran–Saudi Arabia rivalry
(Asian El Clasico)
LocationAsia (AFC)
West Asia (WAFF)
Central Asia (CAFA)
Teams Iran
 Saudi Arabia
First meeting24 August 1975
(49 years ago)
Iran 3–0 Saudi Arabia
Olympics qualification
Latest meeting9 December 2012
Saudi Arabia 0–0 Iran
WAFF Championship
Statistics
Meetings total16
Most winsIran (5)
Top scorerIran Ali Daei (4)
All-time recordIran: 5
Draw: 6
Saudi Arabia: 4
Largest victoryIran 3–0 Saudi Arabia
Olympics qualification
(24 August 1975)
Saudi Arabia 0–3 Iran
World Cup qualification
(7 January 1977)

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.

Origins

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

Al-Hilal in the 2010 AFC Champions League semi-final, Iranian players mocked the dance in front of Saudi fans.[5]
When
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]

Matches

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
Roshan
62'
Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh
2[b] 22 April 1977 Iran 
2–0
  Saudi Arabia
Yousefi 10'; Sharifi
84' 		Iran 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' Singapore 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
Mehalel 27'; Al-Mousa; 47'; Falatah
74' 		Fonounizadeh 43', 52'; Manafi 90' Qatar 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 United Arab Emirates Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
8 19 September 1997 1998 World Cup qualification Iran 
1–1
  Saudi Arabia Bagheri 64'
Al-Shahrani
32' 		Iran 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' Iran Azadi Stadium, Tehran
11 28 September 2001 Saudi Arabia 
2–2
  Iran
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' 		Iran Azadi Stadium, Tehran
14 12 December 2012 2012 WAFF Championship[e] Iran 
0–0
  Saudi Arabia Kuwait Al-Sadaqua Walsalam Stadium, Kuwait City
  1. ^ Not a full FIFA international
  2. ^ Iran played the match with reserve players.
  3. penalties
    .
  4. penalties
    .
  5. ^ Both teams competed in the tournament with reserve players.

Statistics

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Best win
 Iran 14 5 5 4 19 13 +6 3–0
 Saudi Arabia 14 4 5 5 13 19 -6 4–3
Matches held in Iran 4
Matches held in neutral venue 8
Matches held in Saudi Arabia 4
Total matches 16

Top scorers

Rank Player Goals
1 Iran Ali Daei 4
2 Iran Mehdi Fonounizadeh 2
Iran Karim Bagheri 2
Gholamhossein Mazloomi
 2
Saudi Arabia Majed Abdullah 2
3 Various players 1

See also

References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Peters, Jerrad (October 15, 2014). "International Football's 10 Most Politically-Charged Football Rivalries". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Duerden, John. "Asia awaits neighbourly rivalry". ESPN. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  7. ^ Sundaresan, Keeshaanan (October 11, 2011). "Bad memories will motivate us to defeat Bahrain, says Iran skipper Javad Nekounam". Goal.com. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  8. ^ "Iran: Football World Cup, female fans and Saudi Arabian rivalry".
  9. ^ "Saudi, Iran dispute forces Champions League schedule switch". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  10. ^ "AFC delays Saudi, Iran Champions League matches". ESPN.com. 2016-01-25. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  11. ^ "Decisions following AFC Competitions Committee meeting". the-AFC. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  12. ^ McKirdy, Euan (2016-03-16). "Saudi, Iranian teams head to neutral grounds". CNN. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  13. ^ "Saudi Arabian FF and FFIRI matches to be played home-and-away". Asian Football Confederation. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  14. ^ "Saudi and Iranian clubs to resume home-and-away matches, AFC confirms". Arab News. 2023-09-04. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  15. ^ "'Historic move': Saudi football clubs to play in Iran as travel ban lifted". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  16. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
    . Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  17. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
    . Retrieved November 21, 2014.
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