The Iran and Saudi Arabia national football teams are sporting rivals 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" and 8th in Goal.com's "Football's 10 Greatest International Rivalries".
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 and their matches have been "always tight, tense and furiously competitive".
The countries also have had chronic political tensions in the last decades. (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. 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.
Iranian football fans take most pleasure in defeating Saudi Arabia, alongside Bahrain, whose players used to wave Saudi Arabian flags when they defeated Iran 3–1 during their 2002 World Cup qualification. For several Iranian fans, regional political rivalries also affect who they support on the field, according to Aljazeera.
In 2016, clubs from Saudi Arabia refused to play in Iran during the 2016 AFC Champions League and vice versa. Consequently, the matches between the two countries were played in neutral venues for the next 7 years.
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.
Matches Source: # Date Competition Home team Score Away team Goals (home)Goals (away)Venue—Not a full FIFA international24 August 19751976 Olympics qualification3–0Mazloomi ; Khorshidi Amjadieh Stadium, Tehran17 January 19771978 World Cup qualification0–3Mazloomi ; Roshan Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh2Iran played the match with reserve players.22 April 19772–0Yousefi ; Sharifi Hafezieh Stadium, Shiraz313 December 19841984 Asian Cup1–1 ()Saudi Arabia won 5–4 on penalties.Shahin Bayani Shahrokh Bayani National Stadium, Singapore415 December 19881988 Asian Cup1–0Abdullah Qatar SC Stadium, Doha528 October 19931994 World Cup qualification4–3Al-Jaber ; Mehalel ; Al-Mousa; ; Falatah Fonounizadeh ; Manafi Khalifa Stadium, Doha611 December 19961996 Asian Cup0–3Daei ; Bagheri ; Azizi Al-Maktoum Stadium, Dubai718 December 19960–0 ()Saudi Arabia won 4–3 on penalties. Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi819 September 19971998 World Cup qualification1–1Bagheri Al-Shahrani Azadi Stadium, Tehran924 October 19971–0Al-Muwalid King Fahd Stadium, Riyadh1024 August 20012002 World Cup qualification2–0Daei , Azadi Stadium, Tehran1128 September 20012–2Al-Waked ; Al-Yami Daei ; Dinmohammadi Prince Abdullah al-Faisal Stadium, Jeddah126 September 20082010 World Cup qualification1–1Harthi Nekounam King Fahd Stadium, Riyadh1328 March 20091–2Shojaei Hazazi ; Al-Muwallad Azadi Stadium, Tehran1412 December 20122012 WAFF ChampionshipBoth teams competed in the tournament with reserve players.0–0 Al-Sadaqua Walsalam Stadium, Kuwait City
Statistics TeamBest win145541913+6144551319-6
Matches held in Iran 4Matches held in neutral venue 8Matches held in Saudi Arabia 4Total matches16
Top scorers Rank Player Goals1 Ali Daei 42 Mehdi Fonounizadeh 2 Karim Bagheri 2 Gholamhossein Mazloomi 2 Majed Abdullah 23 Various players 1
See also Iran–Iraq football rivalry Iran–Saudi Arabia relations Iraq–Saudi Arabia football rivalry Iranian Arabs
References