Zob Ahan Esfahan Football Club (, Bâšgâh-e Futbâl-e Zobâhan-e 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

Early years (1969–1980) 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) 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) 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. This feat was repeated in the 2008–09 Hazfi Cup, when the club beat Rah Ahan to re-claim the title after 6 years. 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.

2010 AFC Champion League 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 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

In the 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 One of Zob Ahan's nicknames is Sabzpoushan ("The Greens", ), 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

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

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

First-team squad

Out on loan

Notable players 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 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 CupPlayers 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

# Name Nat Career in Zob Ahan Captaincy ShirtNum 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 2000–072012–14 2003–07 Mohammad Salsali 2004–14 2007–14 Mehdi Rajabzadeh 2003–072010–112012–18 2014–18 Ghasem Haddadifar 2003–2021 2018–2021 Masoud Ebrahimzadeh 2018–2023 2021–2023

Club officials

IPL managers

Only IPL matches are counted.

Last updated 10 August 2021. NameNatFromToRecordPWDLWin %Final positionNasser HejaziJul 2001Dec 20012086440%3rd (until week 20)Bahram AtefDec 2001Jul 2002623333.4%(01–02) 6thSamvel DarbinyanJul 2002May 20035221112040%(02-03) 8th (03-04) 4thRasoul KorbekandiMay 2003Jun 20079039262543.4%(04-05) 2nd, (05-06) 6th, (06-07) 8thZoran ĐorđevićJun 2007Oct 20071034330%17th (until week 10)Bijan ZolfagharnasabOct 2007May 200824811533.4%(07-08) 6thMansour EbrahimzadehJul 2008Jun 201213462482446.3%(08-09) 2nd,(09-10) 2nd,(10–11) 3rd,(11-12) 6thRasoul KorbekandiJun 2012Oct 20121131727.3%15th (until week 11)Farhad KazemiOct 2012Jul 201323610726%(12–13) 14thMahmoud YavariJun 2013Jul 2013211050%Win in the Relegation play-offsLuka BonačićJul 2013Jan 201420371015%14th (until week 20)Mojtaba TaghaviJan 2014Feb 2014714214.3%15th (until week 27)Firouz KarimiFeb 2014Jun 2014430175%(13–14) 13thYahya GolmohammadiJun 2014Sep 20166726261538.8%(14–15) 4th(15–16) 6th(16–17) 14th (until week 7)Mojtaba HosseiniSep 2016Jun 201723117547.8%(16–17) 4thAmir GhalenoeiJun 2017Jun 2018301510550.0%(17-18) 2ndOmid NamaziJun 2018Nov 20181125418.1%(18–19) 11th (until week 11)Alireza MansourianNov 2018Dec 20193510141136.8%(18-19) 6th(19–20) 11th (until week 16)Miodrag RadulovićJan 2020Jun 2020521240%(19–20) 11th (until week 21)Luka Bonačić Jun 2020Aug 2020922522.2%(19–20) 12thRahman RezaeiSep 2020Feb 2021151866.6%(20–21) 14th (until week 15)Mojtaba HosseiniMar 2021Aug 20211233625%(20–21) 14thMehdi TartarAug 2021Present301071330%(21–22) 7th

Current coaching staff Source: Position Name Head coach Abdollah VeisiAssistant coaches Hossein Pashaei Mohammad Salsali Mohammad Nouri Goalkeeping coach Hossein InanlouFitness coach Amir JamaliAnalyst Kianoush ForouzeshPhysiotherapist Abbas Moradi Behzad MoradiDoctor Amir Hossein SharifianpourLogistics Mahmoud MehruyanTeam Manager Mahmoud YazdkhastiB team Head Coach Mehdi RajabzadehMedia Officer Ehsan Baeedi

Chairpersons Chairperson Tenure Mohammad Mehdi TaghizadehJuly 1969 – July 1977 Mostafa GhaneiJuly 1977 – February 1979 Asghar NilchianMay 1979 – May 1984 Fazollah OmranianMay 1984 – May 1988 Heydar TaheriMay 1988 – May 1992 Nematollah ZargarMay 1992 – June 1996 Alireza ShogiJune 1996 – June 2004 Saeed AzariJune 2004 – June 2009 Asghar DaliliJune 2009 – August 2011 Khosro EbrahimiAugust 2011 – September 2013 Saeed AzariSeptember 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 For details on seasons, see List of Zob Ahan F.C. seasons

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

{|class="wikitable" !Season ! League ! Position !Hazfi Cup !ACL ! Notes |- |align=center|1973–74 | rowspan="6" align="center" |Takht Jamshid Cup |align=center|10th |align=center rowspan=2|Not held |rowspan=17|did not qualify |rowspan=5| |- |align=center|1974–75 |align=center|11th |- |align=center|1975–76 |align=center|9th |align=center|1/8 Final |- |align=center|1976–77 |align=center|15th |align=center|1/16 Final |- |align=center|1977–78 |align=center|8th |align=center rowspan=5|Not held |- |align=center|1978–79 |align=center|N/A |align=center|did not finish |- |align=center|1981–82 |align=center|Isfahan's 2nd Division | style="text-align:center; background:#dfd;"|1st |align=center|Promoted |- |align=center|1983–84 | rowspan="3" align="center" |Isfahan League |align=center|3rd |rowspan=4| |- |align=center|1984–85 |align=center|2nd |- |align=center|1991–92 |align=center|5th |align=center| |- |align=center|1993–94 | rowspan="2" align="center" |Azadegan League |align=center|4th |align=center|1/8 Final |- |align=center|1994–95 | style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;" |8th |align=center|1/16 Final |align=center|Relegated |- |align=center|1995–96