Iran–Saudi Arabia football rivalry
The Iran and Saudi Arabia national football teams are sporting rivals[1] who have played each other since 1975.
| Location | Asia West Asia Central Asia |
|---|---|
| Teams |  Iran Saudi Arabia |
| First meeting | 24 August 1975 (48 years ago) Iran 3–0 Saudi Arabia Olympics qualification |
| Latest meeting | 9 December 2012 Saudi Arabia 0–0 Iran WAFF Championship |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 16 |
| Most wins | Iran - 6 |
| Top scorer | Ali Daei (4) |
| All-time record | Iran: 6 Draw: 6 Saudi Arabia: 4 |
| Largest victory | Iran 3–0 Saudi Arabia Olympics qualification (24 August 1975) Saudi Arabia 0–3 Iran World Cup qualification (7 January 1977) |
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 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.[9]
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.[10]
Matches
Statistics
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Best win |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iran | 16 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 19 | 13 | +6 | 3–0 |
| Saudi Arabia | 16 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 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 | Ali Daei | 4 |
| 2 | Mehdi Fonounizadeh | 2 |
| Karim Bagheri | 2 | |
 Gholamhossein Mazloomi | 2 | |
| Majed Abdullah | 2 | |
| 3 | Various players | 1 |
References
- "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.
- 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.
- 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".
- "AFC Champions League football matches delayed over Saudi-Iran tension | GulfNews.com". gulfnews.com. Archived from the original on 2016-01-25.
- "Saudi Arabian FF and FFIRI matches to be played home-and-away". Asian Football Confederation. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
- 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.
