Iran–Saudi Arabia football rivalry


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 of their matches 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". Another fissure between the two is religion. While Iran is the spiritual homeland of Shia Islam, Saudi Arabia is a country with a Sunni Islam majority. These two religious sects form a minority in the other country.
The countries also have had chronic political tensions in the last decades.
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.

Matches

#DateCompetitionHome teamScoreAway teamGoals Goals Venue
124 August 19751976 Olympics qualification'
3–0
Mazloomi ; Khorshidi Amjadieh Stadium, Tehran
27 January 19771978 World Cup qualification
0–3
'Mazloomi ; Roshan Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh
322 April 19771978 World Cup qualification'
2–0
Yousefi ; Sharifi Hafezieh Stadium, Shiraz
413 December 19841984 Asian Cup'
1–1
Shahin Bayani Shahrokh Bayani National Stadium, Singapore
515 December 19881988 Asian Cup'
1–0
Abdullah Qatar SC Stadium, Doha
628 October 19931994 World Cup qualification'
4–3
Jaber ; Mehalel ; Mousa; ; Falatah Fonounizadeh ; Manafi Khalifa Stadium, Doha
711 December 19961996 Asian Cup
0–3
'Daei ; Bagheri ; Azizi Al-Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
818 December 19961996 Asian Cup
0–0
' Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
919 September 19971998 World Cup qualification
1–1
Bagheri Shahrani Azadi Stadium, Tehran
1024 October 19971998 World Cup qualification'
1–0
Muwallid King Fahd Stadium, Riyadh
1124 August 20012002 World Cup qualification'
2–0
Daei, 64' Azadi Stadium, Tehran
1228 September 20012002 World Cup qualification
2–2
Waked ; Yami Daei ; Dinmohammadi Prince Abdullah al-Faisal Stadium, Jeddah
136 September 20082010 World Cup qualification
1–1
Harthi Nekounam King Fahd Stadium, Riyadh
1428 March 20092010 World Cup qualification
1–2
Shojaei Hazazi ; Muwallad Azadi Stadium, Tehran
1512 December 20122012 WAFF Championship
0–0
 Al-Sadaqua Walsalam Stadium, Kuwait City

Statistics

Matches held in Iran5
Matches held in neutral venue6
Matches held in Saudi Arabia4
Total matches15

Top scorers