Iran national under-23 football team

Iran national under-23 football team, also known as Iran U-23 or Iran Olympic Team; represents Iran in international football competitions in Olympic Games, Asian Games and AFC U-22 Asian Cup, as well as any other under-23 international football tournaments. It is controlled by the Iran Football Federation.

Iran under-23
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Team Melli Omid (The Hope National Team)
AssociationFFIRI
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
CaptainHossein Hosseini
Home stadiumAzadi Stadium
FIFA codeIRN
First colours
Second colours
First international
 Iran 2–1 Kuwait 
(Kuwait City, Kuwait; 3 December 1977)[1]
Biggest win
 Iran 10–0 Afghanistan 
(Busan, South Korea; 28 September 2002)
Biggest defeat
 Iran 2–6 Japan Japan
(Tehran, Iran; 9 February 2001)
AFC U-23 Championship
Appearances4 (first in 2013)
Best resultQuarter-finals (2016)
Asian Games
Appearances6 (first in 2002)
Best result Gold Medal (2002)

History

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The winner of the gold medal at the 2002 Asian Games, the team was prepared to defend its championship title at the football tournament of the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar. Despite a suspension by FIFA, preventing Iran to enter any international football competition,[2] the Iran under-23 team was given special permission to participate in the Asian Games,[3] where they won the bronze medal.

Wild cards

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Football at the Asian Games has required that under-23 players enter the competitions, but they have allowed three over-age players can be included in the squad. Iran used three players, known as the "Wild cards", in three versions of the games in 2002, 2006, 2010 And 2022:

Competition Wild card 1 Wild card 2 Wild card 3
2002 Asian Games Ali Daei (C) Yahya Golmohammadi Ebrahim Mirzapour (GK)
2006 Asian Games Hassan Roudbarian (C/GK) Arash Borhani Jalal Hosseini
2010 Asian Games Mehdi Rahmati (C/GK) Gholamreza Rezaei
2022 Asian Games Hossein Hosseini (C/GK) Amir Arsalan Motahari

Results and fixtures

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Legend

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2021

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25 October 2021 (2021-10-25) 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification Iran   4–0     Nepal Dushanbe, Tajikistan
16:00 UTC+5
Report Stadium: Pamir Stadium
Attendance: 250
Referee: Suhaizi Shukri
28 October 2021 (2021-10-28) 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification Lebanon   0–2   Iran Dushanbe, Tajikistan
16:00 UTC+5
Report Stadium: Pamir Stadium
Attendance: 450
Referee: Tejas Nagvenkar
31 October 2021 (2021-10-31) 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification Iran   3–2   Tajikistan Dushanbe, Tajikistan
16:00 UTC+5
Report
Stadium: Pamir Stadium
Attendance: 7,200
Referee: Kim Woo-sung

2022

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1 June 2022 (2022-06-01) 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup Iran   1–1   Qatar Tashkent, Uzbekistan
18:00 UTC+5
Report
Stadium: Pakhtakor Stadium
Referee: Yusuke Araki (Japan)
4 June 2022 (2022-06-04) 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup Turkmenistan   2–1   Iran Tashkent, Uzbekistan
18:00 UTC+5
Report
Stadium: Milliy Stadium
Attendance: 539
Referee: Alex King (Australia)
7 June 2022 (2022-06-07) 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan   1–1   Iran Qarshi, Uzbekistan
22:00 UTC+5
Report
  • Yousefi   62'
Stadium: Markaziy Stadium
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)

2023

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14 June 2023 (2023-06-14) 2023 WAFF U-23 Championship Iran   3–1   Syria Karbala, Iraq
19:45 UTC+3
Stadium: Karbala Stadium
16 June 2023 (2023-06-16) 2023 WAFF U-23 Championship Palestine   1–1   Iran Karbala, Iraq
19:45 UTC+3
Stadium: Karbala Stadium
20 June 2023 (2023-06-20) 2023 WAFF U-23 Championship Finals Iran   1–1 (4–5 pen.)   Iraq Baghdad, Iraq
20:00 UTC+3 Goudarzi   31' Abdullah   45+3' Stadium: Al-Madina Stadium
Penalties
Y. Salmani  
Fallah  
Irankhah  
M. Ghorbani  
Hashemnejad  
  K. Mohammed
  Tahseen
  Abdullah
  M. Mohammed
  Maknzi
6 September 2023 (2023-09-06) 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification Iran   3–0   Hong Kong Tashkent, Uzbekistan
17:00 UTC+5
Stadium: Lokomotiv Stadium (Tashkent)
9 September 2023 (2023-09-09) 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification Afghanistan   0–4   Iran Tashkent, Uzbekistan
17:00 UTC+5
Stadium: Lokomotiv Stadium (Tashkent)
12 September 2023 (2023-09-12) 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification Uzbekistan   1–0   Iran Tashkent, Uzbekistan
19:00 UTC+5
Stadium: JAR Stadium (Tashkent)
19 September 2023 (2023-09-19) 2022 Asian Games Iran   0–0   Saudi Arabia Hangzhou, China
19:30 UTC+8 Stadium: Linping Sports Centre Stadium(Hangzhou)
21 September 2023 (2023-09-21) 2022 Asian Games Vietnam   0–4   Iran Hangzhou, China
19:30 UTC+8
Stadium: Linping Sports Centre Stadium(Hangzhou)
Referee: Mohammed Ahmed Al-Shammari (Qatar)
24 September 2023 (2023-09-24) 2022 Asian Games Mongolia   0–3   Iran Hangzhou, China
19:30 UTC+8
Stadium: Linping Sports Centre Stadium(Hangzhou)
Attendance: 8,692
Referee: Thoriq Alkatiri (Indonesia)
27 September 2023 (2023-09-27) 2022 Asian Games Thailand   0–2   Iran Hangzhou, China
19:30 UTC+8
Stadium: Shencheng
Attendance: 9,410
Referee: Nazmi Nasaruddin (Malaysia)
1 October 2023 (2023-10-01) 2022 Asian Games Iran   0–1   Hong Kong Hangzhou, China
19:30 UTC+8
Stadium: Shencheng
Attendance: 10,198
Referee: Kim Hee-gon (South Korea)

Coaching staff

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Current coaching staff

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As of 05 September 2023
Position Name
Head coach   Eurico Pinhal
Assistant coaches   Javad Manafi
  Mohammad Hassan Rajabzadeh
  Meisam Rezapour
  Milton Mendes
Goalkeeping coach   Mohammad Amin Sanayaei
Fitness coach   Salar Amini
analyzer   Majid Karimi
Team Supervisor   Mehran Farghani
Physiotherapist
Team doctor
Team manager   Habib Kashani

Manager history

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Players

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Current squad

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The following 22 players were called up for the 2022 Asian Games.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Club
1 1GK Hossein Hosseini* (1992-06-30) 30 June 1992 (age 32)   Esteghlal
1GK Alireza Rezaei (1999-12-11) 11 December 1999 (age 24)   Nassaji
1GK Sina Saeidifar (2001-04-12) 12 April 2001 (age 23)   Esteghlal

2 2DF Saman Touranian (2001-12-12) 12 December 2001 (age 22)   Esteghlal
3 2DF Hossein Goudarzi (2001-05-04) 4 May 2001 (age 23)   Shams Azar
4 2DF Saman Fallah (2001-05-12) 12 May 2001 (age 23)   Gol Gohar
14 2DF Amir Jafari (2002-01-18) 18 January 2002 (age 22)   Gol Gohar
2DF Sina Shahabbasi (2001-04-14) 14 April 2001 (age 23)   Foolad
2DF Majid Nasiri (2000-05-14) 14 May 2000 (age 24)   Mes
2DF Mohammad Reza Bordbar (2004-08-26) 26 August 2004 (age 20)   Malavan

3MF Mohammad Hossein Eslami (2001-04-13) 13 April 2001 (age 23)   Zob Ahan
3MF Omid Hamedifar (2000-08-19) 19 August 2000 (age 24)   Esteghlal
3MF Mohammad Khodabandelou (1999-09-07) 7 September 1999 (age 25)   Persepolis
3MF Mohammad Omri (2000-03-11) 11 March 2000 (age 24)   Malavan
3MF Yasin Salmani (2002-02-27) 27 February 2002 (age 22)   Persepolis
3MF Gholamreza Sabet Imani (2000-04-06) 6 April 2000 (age 24)   Paykan
3MF Fardin Yousefi (2000-10-13) 13 October 2000 (age 24)   Zob Ahan
3MF Mehdi Mamizadeh (2000-04-15) 15 April 2000 (age 24)   Gol Gohar
3MF Mohammad Reza Ghobeishavi (2000-01-24) 24 January 2000 (age 24)   Foolad

4FW Amir Arsalan Motahari* (1993-03-10) 10 March 1993 (age 31)   Tractor
11 4FW Aria Barzegar (2002-10-10) 10 October 2002 (age 22)   Nassaji

* Over-aged player

The following 24 players were called up for the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Club
1 1GK Mohammad Reza Khaledabadi (2001-04-30)30 April 2001 (aged 22)   Esteghlal
12 1GK Sina Saeidifar (2001-04-12)12 April 2001 (aged 22)   Shams Azar
22 1GK Payam Parsa (2002-07-22)22 July 2002 (aged 20)   Sanat Naft

2 2DF Saman Touranian (2001-12-12)12 December 2001 (aged 21)   Esteghlal
3 2DF Hossein Goudarzi (2001-05-04)4 May 2001 (aged 22)   Shams Azar
4 2DF Daniel Airy (2003-10-26)26 October 2003 (aged 19)   Zob Ahan
5 2DF Amin Hazbavi (2003-05-06)6 May 2003 (aged 20)   Al Sadd
13 2DF Aria Yousefi (2002-04-22)22 April 2002 (aged 21)   Sepahan
14 2DF Amir Jafari (2002-01-18)18 January 2002 (aged 21)   Gol Gohar
17 2DF Mohammad Mehdi Ahmadi (2001-01-10)10 January 2001 (aged 22)   Persepolis
21 2DF Sina Ghasemi (2004-03-17)17 March 2004 (aged 19)   KIA
23 2DF Mohammadreza Bordbar (2004-08-26)26 August 2004 (aged 18)   Malavan
2DF Saman Fallah (2001-05-12)12 May 2001 (aged 22)   Gol Gohar

6 3MF Alireza Bavieh (2002-08-21)21 August 2002 (aged 20)   Foolad
8 3MF Mohammad Javad Hosseinnejad (2003-10-26)26 October 2003 (aged 19)   Sepahan
10 3MF Yasin Salmani (captain) (2001-12-20)20 December 2001 (aged 21)   Persepolis
11 3MF Aria Barzegar (2002-11-10)10 November 2002 (aged 20)   Nassaji
16 3MF Mohammad Ghorbani (2001-05-21)21 May 2001 (aged 22)   Sepahan
18 3MF Ali Asghar Sadeghi (2001-02-01)1 February 2001 (aged 22)   Mes Rafsanjan
19 3MF Ali Pourdara (2001-11-21)21 November 2001 (aged 21)   Kuwait

7 4FW Mohammadhossein Eslami (2001-04-13)13 April 2001 (aged 22)   Zob Ahan
9 4FW Allahyar Sayyadmanesh (2001-06-20)20 June 2001 (aged 21)   Hull City
15 4FW Mohammad Taha Tabatabaei (2002-05-02)2 May 2002 (aged 21)   Saipa
20 4FW Mehdi Hashemnejad (2001-10-27)27 October 2001 (aged 21)   Tractor

Previous squads

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AFC U-23 Asian Cup
Asian Games

Honours

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Continental

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  Gold Medal (1): 2002
  Bronze Medal (1): 2006
4th place (1): 2010

U-23 teams were favoured by AFC and the IOC since 2002 Asian Games.The Senior team competed in the games before 2002.

Regional

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  Winners (1): 2015
  Runners-up (1): 2023
  Champions (1): 1997.
  Runners-up (1): 2002.
  3rd place (1): 2005.

Other

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Competitive record

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Olympic Games

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Summer Olympic Games Record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
19081988 See Iran national team See Iran national team
  1992 Did not qualify 8 5 2 1 19 6
  1996 4 2 1 1 9 4
  2000 4 1 1 2 3 6
  2004 6 3 0 3 22 9
  2008 6 1 2 3 6 7
  2012 4 1 1 2 1 5
  2016 8 5 0 3 21 9
  2020 6 3 2 1 9 4
  2024 3 2 0 1 7 1
  2028 To be determined To be determined
  2032
Total 0/7 46 21 9 16 90 50

AFC U-23 Asian Cup

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AFC U-23 Asian Cup record Qualification record
Year Result GP W D* L GS GA Squad GP W D L GS GA
  2014 Group Stage 3 1 1 1 6 5 Squad 5 4 1 0 13 2
  2016 Quarter-finals 4 2 0 2 6 7 Squad 4 3 0 1 15 2
  2018 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 2 3
  2020 Group stage 3 1 1 1 3 3 Squad 3 2 1 0 6 1
  2022 3 0 2 1 3 4 Squad 3 3 0 0 9 2
  2024 Did not qualify 3 2 0 1 7 1
  2026 To be determined
Total 4/5 13 4 4 5 18 19 20 15 2 3 52 11
*Denotes draws which include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Asian Games

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Asian Games record
Year Round PLD W D L GS GA Squad
1951 to 1998 See Iran national team
  2002 Champions 6 4 2 0 16 2 Squad
  2006 Third Place 6 4 1 1 10 6 Squad
  2010 Fourth Place 7 5 0 2 14 8 Squad
  2014 Group Stage 2 0 1 1 2 5 Squad
  2018 Round of 16 4 1 1 2 3 4 Squad
  2022 Quarter-finals 5 3 1 1 9 1 Squad
  2026 To be determined
  2030
  2034
Total 5/5 30 17 6 7 54 26

WAFF U-23 Championship

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WAFF U-23 Championship record
Year Result GP W D L GS GA
  2015 Champions 4 3 1 0 8 3
  2021 Not a WAFF member
  2022
  2023 Runners-up[a] 4 1 3 0 5 3
Total 2/4 8 4 4 0 13 6
  1. ^ Not a WAFF member, participated as invitee.

West Asian Games

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West Asian Games record
Year Round PLD W D L GS GA
  1997 Champions 4 3 1 0 8 4
  2002 Runners-up 4 1 3 0 5 4
  2005 Third place 4 3 1 0 10 2
Total 3/3 12 7 5 0 23 10

Islamic Solidarity Games

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Islamic Solidarity Games record
Year Round PLD W D L GS GA
  2005 See Iran B national team
  2010 Cancelled
  2013 Did not enter
  2017
  2021 Group Stage[a] 3 0 0 3 0 9
  2025 To be determined
Total 1/4 3 0 0 3 0 9
  1. ^ Iran withdrew before the start of the tournament. However, all results were announced as 3–0 in favor of Iran's opponents.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "اولین تیم امید تاریخ (عکس) :: ورزش سه" (in Persian). Varzesh3. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  2. ^ "FIFA suspends Iran Football Federation". FIFA. Archived from the original on 2 January 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2006.
  3. ^ "FIFA President announces temporary lifting of Iran ban". the-AFC.com. Archived from the original on 23 June 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2006.
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