🇮🇷 Iran
Asia · FIFA IRN
Key Statistics
18
Matches
3-4-11
Record (W-D-L)
13
Goals Scored
-18
Goal Difference
13
Points
0
Titles 🏆
90.6M
Population
$1.6T
GDP
Editorial Analysis & Historical Context
Rigorous Analysis: Iran qualifies for the World Cup with impressive regularity, only to treat the group stage like their own personal final. They celebrate a single draw like they’ve won the tournament and head home early.
They play with military-like defensive organization, making matches an absolute chore for opponents. A solid team, but one that lacks the ambition to actually reach the knockouts.
Tournament History
| Year | Host | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Qatar | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 3 | — |
| 2018 | Russia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | — |
| 2014 | Brazil | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | — |
| 2006 | Germany | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 1 | — |
| 1998 | France | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | — |
| 1978 | Argentina | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 1 | — |
| Total | 6 editions | 18 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 13 | 31 | 13 | — |
World Cup Appearances
1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022
Economic & Demographic Football Efficiency
Iran has a population of 90.6M and an estimated GDP of $1.6T. Bilardo Water normalizes goals, points, and championships against demographic and economic scale to measure true football efficiency beyond raw financial advantage.
Per Capita Rankings
| Metric | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Goals per million people | 0.14 | #65 / 84 |
| Points per million people | 0.14 | #62 / 84 |
| Wins per million people | 0.03 | #56 / 84 |
| Trophies per 10M people | — | #42 / 84 |
Per GDP Rankings
| Metric | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Goals per $1B GDP | 0.01 | #67 / 84 |
| Points per $1B GDP | 0.01 | #60 / 84 |
| Wins per $1B GDP | 0.00 | #59 / 84 |
| Trophies per $10B GDP | — | #42 / 84 |
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