Iran–Iraq football rivalry
The Iran and Iraq national football teams are sporting rivals since 1962.[1][2][3]
 | |
| Other names | Iran vs Iraq |
|---|---|
| Location | Asia |
| Teams |  Iran Iraq |
| First meeting | 1 June 1962 (60 years ago) |
| Latest meeting | Iran 1–0 Iraq 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (27 January 2022) |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 31 |
| Most wins | Iran (18) |
| Top scorer | Ali Daei (4) |
| Largest victory | Iran 4–0 Iraq 1964 Olympic qualification (22 March 1964) |
According to The Malay Mail, "Emotions are always high when Iran and Iraq meet on the football pitch".[4]
The most recent match between the two teams was in World Cup qualifier on 27 January 2022 hosted in Iran, where Iran won the game by 0–1.
Origins
The rivalry is not such a football-inspired ill-feeling between the two, but more of geography, religion and history.[1] Iran and Iraq are neighbouring countries, sharing a long history. In contemporary era, especially during the reign of Saddam Hussein, the two countries had bad relations and fought the Iran–Iraq War for 8 years.[2][3]
In 2001, for the first time in decades, an Iran-Iraq match was not held at a neutral venue.[3]
In recent years, Iranian intervention in Iraq has taken a grip among Iraqis as Iran has funded and supported numerous militants inside Iraq and interfered politically. This led to the heated 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers the second phase where a large number of Iraqi protestors were seen celebrating victory over Iran in a 2–1 match.
Major tournament matches
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1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
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2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
| Iran | 3–3 (a.e.t.) | Iraq |
|---|---|---|
Azmoun  24'Pouraliganji 103'Ghoochannejhad 119' |
Report | Yasin 56' Mahmoud 93'Ismail 116' (pen.) |
| Penalties | ||
Hajsafi  Pouraliganji  Nekounam Hosseini Ghafouri Jahanbakhsh Teymourian Amiri |
6–7 | Abdul-Amir Salem Ismail Adnan Mahmoud Kasim Hussein Shaker |
2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
| Iraq | 2–1 | Iran |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
|
2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
| Iraq | 0–3 | Iran |
|---|---|---|
|
Matches
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- Not a full FIFA international
- Iraq won on penalties.
- Iran competed in the tournament with its B team squad.
- Played behind closed-doors.
Statistics
Overall
| Iran | 18 wins |
| Iraq | 6 wins |
| Draws | 7 draws |
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ali Daei | 4 |
| 2 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Hamid Shirzadegan | 3 |
| Hossein Kalani | 3 | |
| Sardar Azmoun | 3 | |
| 3 | Various players | 2 |
References
- Duerden, John. "Asia awaits neighbourly rivalry". ESPN. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
- Montague, James (January 13, 2011). "Pitch Warfare: Iran face Iraq in soccer grudge match". CNN. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- "Iran-Iraq classic rivalry". Iran Daily. No. 4924. November 5, 2014. p. 11.
- Montague, James (January 22, 2015). "Iran vs Iraq: Quarter-final clash reignites decades-old rivalry". The Malay Mail. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
- Panahi, Majeed (7 August 2014). "Iran – International Matches". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- Courtney, Barrie (21 January 2011). "Iraq – List of International Matches". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved November 21, 2014.