Persian Gulf Pro League

This article is about the top division in men's Iranian football. For top division in women's Iranian football, see Kowsar Women Football League.
Persian Gulf Pro League
لیگ برتر خلیج فارس
crest
Organising bodyFootball League Organization
Founded2 November 2001; 23 years ago
CountryIran
ConfederationAFC
Number of teams16
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toAzadegan League
Domestic cup(s)Hazfi Cup
Iranian Super Cup
International cup(s)AFC Champions League Elite
AFC Champions League Two
Current championsPersepolis (16th title)
(2023–24)
Most championshipsPersepolis (16 titles)
Most appearancesJalal Hosseini (494)
Top goalscorerReza Enayati (149 goals)
TV partners
Iraqiya Sports
WebsiteIranLeague.ir
Current: 2024–25 Persian Gulf Pro League

The Persian Gulf Pro League (Persian: لیگ برتر خلیج فارس, Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs), formerly known as the Iran Premier League (Persian: لیگ برتر ایران, Lig-e bartar-e Irân), is the top men's professional football division of the Iranian football league system. It is controlled by the FFIRI and is contested by 16 teams over a 30-matchday period.

Each year, its top team becomes the Iranian football champion, and the two lowest finishers are relegated to Azadegan League.

Since 2013, the league comprises 16 teams. The winner of the Persian Gulf Pro League along with the Hazfi Cup champion automatically qualify for the AFC Champions League Elite group stages. The third of the Persian Gulf Pro League is qualified for the AFC Champions League Elite Play-off round. The bottom two teams in the league are relegated to Azadegan League. In the past, the format and number of teams were changed for various times.

History

[edit]
See also: Iranian football league system

To the turn of the millennium the Iranian Football Federation decided to create a new professional football league. In 2001, the Iran Pro League was founded as the new top-level football league in Iran.[1] After the Iran Pro League was established as the professional football league of Iran, Azadegan League was declared as the second-highest league in the Iranian football league system.[1] The Iran Pro League comprised 14 clubs until the 2003–04 season.

Persian Gulf Pro League champions
Season Champions Runners-up
2001–02 Persepolis Esteghlal
2002–03 Sepahan PAS Tehran
2003–04 PAS Tehran Esteghlal
2004–05 Foolad Zob Ahan
2005–06 Esteghlal PAS Tehran
2006–07 Saipa Esteghlal Ahvaz
2007–08 Persepolis Sepahan
2008–09 Esteghlal Zob Ahan
2009–10 Sepahan
2010–11 Esteghlal
2011–12 Tractor
2012–13 Esteghlal
2013–14 Foolad Persepolis
2014–15 Sepahan Tractor
2015–16 Esteghlal Khuzestan Persepolis
2016–17 Persepolis Esteghlal
2017–18 Zob Ahan
2018–19 Sepahan
2019–20 Esteghlal
2020–21 Sepahan
2021–22 Esteghlal Persepolis
2022–23 Persepolis Sepahan
2023–24 Esteghlal

The first winner of the Iran Pro League was Persepolis, who beat Esteghlal by one point on the final match day. Esteghlal Rasht and East Azerbaijan's club Tractor had been relegated to the Azadegan League. Tractor took eight years to return to Iran's highest division

The runner-up of the 2002–03 season, PAS Tehran, became the Iranian football champion of the 2003–04 Iran Pro League. It was the last Iranian championship for PAS Tehran. PAS Tehran's professional football team was dissolved in 2007..

In 2004, the number of teams was increased from 14 to 16 teams. Foolad of Ahvaz became the first champion from Khuzestan Province. In the 2005–06 Iran Pro League Esteghlal celebrated their first championship since 2001. Shamoushak Noshahr and Shahid Ghandi (today known as Tarbiat Yazd) relegated to Azadegan League.

Persian Gulf Cup

[edit]
See also: Persian Gulf naming dispute

On 12 August 2006, the Iranian Football Federation decided to give the league another name.[2] Since then, the league had been primarily known in Iran as Persian Gulf Cup (PGC). The Football Federation decided this to promote the Persian naming. The name of the Persian Gulf has been disputed by some Arab countries since the 1960s due to political and ethnic differences between Iran and Arab countries. The football Federation decided also to change the logo of the league. The final logo was selected from over 130 designs and unveiled on 14 November 2006.[3] Saipa won the 2006–07 Persian Gulf Cup. Until 2007 six different teams won the league title successively. A foreign player became the league's top goal scorer. Nigerian striker Daniel Olerum scored 17 goals in 27 matches for Aboomoslem. The winner of only two seasons before, Foolad, had to relegated to Azadegan League.

Persepolis players celebrating winning 2017–18 season

Before the start of the 2007–08 season the number of teams was increased from 16 to 18 teams. The professional football team of PAS Tehran was also dissolved before the start of the season. Instead of PAS Tehran a new club was founded in Hamadan and named PAS Hamedan. In 2008, Saba Battery was also moved from Tehran to Qom. Since then, the club is known as Saba Qom. The championship of the 2007–08 season was decided on the last matchday. Persepolis defeated Sepahan. Sanat Naft and Shirin Faraz (today known as Rahian Kermanshah) relegated to Azadegan League. The next season was dominated by Esteghlal and the two surprising teams Zob Ahan and Mes Kerman. Zob Ahan was the leading team after 75 minutes on matchday 34, before they lost their match against Foolad due to three conceded goals in the last 15 minutes with 1–4. Payam Mashhad had to relegated alongside Bargh Shiraz and Damash.

The 2009–10 Persian Gulf Cup was dominated by the two Isfahan based clubs Sepahan and Zob Ahan. Ultimately Sepahan won the league. Sepahan repeated their success by winning the 2010–11 and 2011–12 Persian Gulf Cup. Esteghlal won the 2012–13 Persian Gulf Cup and became for the eight time in their history the Iranian champion.

The League was scaled down from 18 to 16 teams before the beginning of the next season. Foolad won the 2013–14 Persian Gulf Cup. Foolad saved their championship after they defeated Gostaresh Foulad away .

Persian Gulf Pro League

[edit]
Esteghlal Khuzestan celebrate their championship in 2016.

The league changed its name from Persian Gulf Cup to Persian Gulf Pro League in 2014. The Iranian Football Federation decided also to change the logos of the Persian Gulf Pro League and of the Azadegan League. The 2014–15 Persian Gulf Pro League was embossed by a championship battle between Sepahan, Tractor and Naft Tehran. Furthermore, there were strange events in the stadium, including a lot of misinformation and disturbed telecommunication. Although Sepahan secured their title with a 2–0 victory over Saipa, thousands of Tractor supporters celebrated on the pitch, believing that they won the league for the first time in club's history.[4][5]

Also the 2015–16 Persian Gulf Pro League was not decided until the last matchday. Esteghlal Khuzestan won the league in front of Persepolis and Esteghlal.[6] Persepolis missed their opportunity winning the league after eight years. However, Persepolis dominated the next season and won the 2016–17 Persian Gulf Pro League.[7] Persepolis football team claimed the Iran Professional League (IPL) and repeated the title in 2017-18 Season. The Following Season Persepolis again were champion for three times in a row.

Format

[edit]

In the past, the number of teams was changed at various times. Since 2013, the league comprises 16 teams. Over the course of a season, which runs annually from July to the following May, each team plays twice against the others in the league, once at home and once away, resulting in each team competing in 30 games in total. Three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. The teams are ranked in the league table by points gained, then goal difference, then goals scored and then their head-to-head record for that season.

At the end of the season, the club with the most points becomes the Iranian champion. Currently, the Champions, the Runners Up and the Hazfi Cup champions qualify automatically for the group phase of the AFC Champions League, while the third-place team enters the AFC Champions League at the Play-off round. The bottom two teams are relegated to Azadegan League. Furthermore, all teams in the Persian Gulf Pro League can participate in the Hazfi Cup.

Number of teams Period
14 2001–02 until 2003–04
16 2004–05 until 2006–07, since 2013–14
18 2007–08 until 2012–13
[edit]
Logo since 2014–present

Ranking

[edit]
Main article: AFC Club Competitions Ranking

Updated on 7 December 2021.(Source)

Ranking Member Association Club Points 100%
2021[8] 2020[9] Mvmt Region 2018[10] 2019[11] 2020[a] 2021[12] Total
1 3 Rise +2 1 (W) Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia 10.000 26.350 0.000 20.950 57.300 100.000
2 6 Rise +4 1 (E) South Korea South Korea 18.350 13.600 22.750 54.700 95.462
3 2 Fall –1 2 (E) Japan Japan 13.850 21.800 17.875 53.525 93.412
4 5 Rise +1 2 (W) Iran Iran 18.850 11.500 14.225 44.575 77.792
5 4 Fall –1 3 (W) Qatar Qatar 19.850 15.900 7.300 43.050 75.131
6 10 Rise +4 4 (W) Uzbekistan Uzbekistan 9.400 9.000 18.671 37.071 64.696

Clubs (2023–24)

[edit]
class=notpageimage|
Locations of all 45 current and former Persian Gulf Pro League teams
Team Location Stadium Capacity
Aluminium Arak Imam Khomeini 12,500
Esteghlal Tehran Azadi 78,116
Esteghlal Khuzestan Ahvaz Ghadir 38,900
Foolad Foolad Arena 30,655
Gol Gohar Sirjan Sirjan Qassem Soleimani 8,000
Havadar Tehran Shahid Dastgerdi 8,250
Malavan Bandar-e Anzali Sirous Ghayeghran 8,000
Mes Rafsanjan Rafsanjan Shohadaye Mes 10,000
Nassaji Mazandaran Ghaemshahr Vatani 27,700
Paykan Shahr-e Qods Shahr-e Qods 18,000
Persepolis Tehran Azadi 78,116
Sanat Naft Abadan Takhti Abadan 8,000
Sepahan Isfahan Naghsh-e-Jahan 75,000
Shams Azar Qazvin Sardar Azadegan 15,000
Tractor Tabriz Yadegar-e Emam 66,833
Zob Ahan Fooladshahr Fooladshahr 20,000

Champions

[edit]
See also: List of Iranian football champions

Persian Gulf Pro League

Club Winners Runners-up Winning seasons
Persepolis
9
3
 2001–02, 2007–08, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2022–23, 2023–24
Sepahan
5
4
 2002–03, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2014–15
Esteghlal
4
6
 2005–06, 2008–09, 2012–13, 2021–22
Foolad
2
0
 2004–05, 2013–14
PAS Tehran
1
2
 2003–04
Saipa
0
 2006–07
Esteghlal Khuzestan 2015–16
Zob Ahan
0
4
 –
Tractor
3
Esteghlal Ahvaz
1

Total

Club Winners Runners-up Winning seasons
Persepolis
16
10
 1971–72, 1973–74, 1975–76, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2007–08, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2022–23, 2023–24
Esteghlal
9
11
 1970–71, 1974–75, 1989–90, 1997–98, 2000–01, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2012–13, 2021–22
PAS Tehran
5
5
 1976–77, 1977–78, 1991–92, 1992–93, 2003–04
Sepahan
4
 2002–03, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2014–15
Saipa
3
0
 1993–94, 1994–95, 2006–07
Foolad
2
0
 2004–05, 2013–14
Esteghlal Khuzestan
1
 2015–16
Zob Ahan
0
4
 –
Tractor
3
Bahman
2
Homa
1
Esteghlal Ahvaz

All-time Pro League table

[edit]
Pos. Club Seasons Matches Played Wins Draws Losses GF GA Goal Difference Points 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th T4 T7 Debut Since/Last App. Relegated Best
Pos.
1 Esteghlal1 23 702 357 222 123 1035 602 +433 1292 4 6 8 1 1 1 — 19 21 2001–02 2001–02 — 1st
2 Persepolis2 3 4 352 216 134 1002 617 +385 1259 9 3 2 3 2 — 1 17 20 — 1st
3 Sepahan5 328 222 152 1024 641 +383 1203 5 4 3 2 3 1 14 19 — 1st
4 Zob Ahan6 259 239 204 817 710 +107 1015 — 4 1 3 1 6 8 16 — 2nd
5 Foolad 22 668 248 231 189 739 666 +73 975 2 — 3 1 2 2 4 6 14 2008–09 1 1st
6 Tractor7 16 492 207 158 127 632 485 +147 778 — 3 1 5 2 1 1 9 13 2009-10 1 2nd
7 Saipa 20 612 186 217 209 660 701 −41 775 1 — 1 1 — 1 2 3 6 2020–21 1 1st
8 Paykan 19 578 162 188 228 572 694 −122 647 — — — — 1 2 5 — 8 2016–17 4 5th
9 Saba Qom/Saba Battery 13 414 128 159 127 468 459 +9 543 — — 1 2 — 2 1 3 6 2004–05 2016–17 1 3rd
10 Malavan8 15 466 126 157 183 424 542 −118 534 — — — — — 1 2 — 3 2001–02 2022–23 2 7th
11 Fajr Sepasi 13 398 103 146 149 357 434 −77 455 — — — 1 — — — 1 1 2013–14 4th
12 Rah Ahan 11 354 107 114 133 406 421 -15 435 — — — — — — — — — 2015–16 1 8th
13 Sanat Naft 12 372 102 114 156 371 478 −107 420 — — — — — — 1 — 1 2002–03 2016–17 3 7th
14 Mes Kerman 9 294 89 109 96 332 329 +3 376 — — 1 — — 1 1 3 2006–07 2022–23 1 3rd
15 Naft Tehran 8 252 91 88 73 286 258 +28 361 — — 2 — 3 — — 2 5 2010–11 2017–18 3rd
16 Aboomoslem 9 270 83 90 97 296 304 −8 339 — — — 1 2 1 — 1 4 2001–02 2009–10 4th
17 Esteghlal Ahvaz 274 80 78 116 327 402 −75 318 — 1 — — 1 — — 2 2002–03 2015–16 2 2nd
18 Shahr Khodro15 8 240 74 80 86 218 245 −27 294 — — — 1 — 1 — 2 2014–15 2021–22 1 4th
19 PAS Tehran9 6 168 72 59 37 263 181 +82 274 1 2 — — — 4 5 2001–02 2006–07 — 1st
20 Bargh 8 236 60 78 98 252 335 −83 258 — — — — — — 1 — 1 2008–09 1 7th
21 Damash/Pegah/Esteghlal Rasht10 8 248 56 81 111 227 344 −117 248 — — — — — — — 2013–14 4 7th
22 Esteghlal Khuzestan16 6 180 45 68 67 174 220 −46 197 1 — — — — — 1 1 2 2013–14 2023–24 1 1st
23 Gostaresh Foolad 5 150 39 60 51 147 161 −14 177 — — — — — — — — — 2017–18 — 8th
24 Gol Gohar 4 120 45 39 36 137 130 +73 174 — — — 1 1 1 — 1 3 2019–20 2019–20 — 4th
25 Nassaji 5 150 35 61 54 136 174 −38 166 — — — — — — — — — 2018–19 2018–19 — 9th
26 PAS Hamedan 4 136 38 48 50 143 165 −22 162 — — — — 1 — — — 1 2007–08 2010–11 1 5th
27 Naft Masjed Soleyman 6 180 27 75 78 116 216 −100 156 — — — — — — — — — 2014–15 2022–23 8th
28 Mes Rafsanjan 3 90 33 31 26 92 74 +18 130 — — — — 1 1 — — 2 2020–21 2020–21 — 5th
29 Shahin Bushehr 4 132 27 48 57 124 175 −51 129 — — — — — — — — — 2009–10 2019–20 2 13th
30 Aluminium Arak 3 90 23 45 22 65 71 −6 114 — — — — — — 2 — 2 2020–21 2020–21 — 8th
31 Pars Jonoubi Jam 22 38 30 82 87 −5 104 — — — — 1 — — — 1 2017–18 2019–20 1 5th
32 Machine Sazi 4 120 17 39 64 84 163 −79 90 — — — — — — — — — 2016–17 2020–21 2 11th
33 Steel Azin11 2 68 19 23 26 85 112 −27 80 — — — — 1 — — — 1 2009–10 2010–11 1 5th
34 Shamoushak 3 86 16 26 44 66 118 −52 74 — — — — — — — — — 2003–04 2005–06 14th
35 Siah Jamegan 3 90 15 27 48 64 117 −53 72 — — — — — — — — — 2015–16 2017–18 13th
36 Shahrdari Tabriz 2 68 14 29 25 79 98 −19 71 — — — — — — — — — 2010–11 2011–12 12th
37 Havadar 60 15 22 23 42 25 −17 67 — — — — — — — — — 2021–22 2021–22 — 11th
38 Sepidrood 11 17 32 48 92 −44 50 — — — — — — — — — 2017–18 2018–19 1 13th
39 Shams Azar17 1 30 11 9 10 35 35 0 39 — — — — — — — — — 2023–24 2023–24 7th
40 Aluminium Hormozgan 34 7 14 13 26 40 −14 35 — — — — — — — — — 2012-13 2012–13 15th
41 Payam 34 9 8 17 33 52 −19 35 — — — — — — — — — 2008–09 2008–09 16th
42 Mes Sarcheshmeh 34 5 9 20 23 54 −31 24 — — — — — — — — — 2011–12 2011–12 18th
43 Shirin Faraz12 34 3 12 19 25 59 −34 21 — — — — — — — — — 2007–08 2007–08
44 Shahid Ghandi13 30 4 7 19 21 43 −22 19 — — — — — — — — — 2005–06 2005–06 16th
45 Gahar Zagros14 34 3 10 21 24 59 −35 19 — — — — — — — — — 2012–13 2012–13 18th
2023–24 Persian Gulf Pro League
2023–24 Azadegan League
Lower leagues
Defunct teams
Founding members

Source: iplstats.com
Notes:
Only league matches; play-offs are not included in the all-time table.
1 Esteghlal was deducted one point in the 2013–14 season.
2 Persepolis was deducted six points in the 2005–06 season.
3 Persepolis was deducted six points in the 2007–08 season.
4 Persepolis was deducted one point in the 2013–14 season.
5 Sepahan was deducted three points in the 2007–08 season.
6 Zob Ahan was deducted one point in the 2005–06 season.
7 Tractor was deducted one point in the 2013–14 season.
8 Malavan was deducted one point in the 2013–14 season.
9 PAS Tehran was deducted one point in the 2006–07 season.
10 Damash was deducted one point in the 2013–14 season.
11 Steel Azin was formerly known as Ekbatan.
12 Rahian Kermanshah was formerly known as Shirin Faraz.
13 Tarbiat Yazd was formerly known as Shahid Ghandi.
14 Gahar Zagros was formerly known as Damash Lorestan.
15 Shahr Khodro was deducted six points in the 2017–18 season.
16 Esteghlal Khuzestan was deducted six points in the 2018–19 season.
17 Shams Azar was deducted three points in the 2023–24 season.

Attendances

[edit]

Average league attendances

[edit]
Season Average Highest attended club Club average Lowest attended club Club average
2005–06 9,179 Esteghlal 33,467 Shamoushak Noshahr 3,542
2006–07 10,119 35,000 Rah Ahan 4,073
2007–08 11,235 Persepolis 60,000 2,647
2008–09 8,954 40,688 PAS Hamedan 3,706
2009–10 12,298 Tractor 57,647 Paykan 2,313
2010–11 9,383 42,000 Paykan 1,941
2011–12 9,488 39,533 Mes Sarcheshmeh 1,706
2012–13 7,964 Esteghlal 34,250 Rah Ahan 1,942
2013–14 7,631 Persepolis 29,467 1,664
2014–15 6,921[13] Tractor 27,488 Saba Qom 1,365
2015–16 8,048[14] Persepolis 47,036 Naft Tehran 1,594
2016–17 8,086[15] 48,567 Gostaresh Foulad 1,018
2017–18 9,060[16] 39,786 817
2018–19 12,212[17] Tractor 46,963 Esteghlal Khuzestan 1,507
2019–20 8,629 Persepolis 27,556 Machine Sazi 840
2020–21 No spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran[18]
2021–22 10,572 Esteghlal 37,400 Paykan 100
2022–23 9,515 Tractor 33,375 Havadar 157
2023-24 10,824 Esteghlal 34,150 Havadar 200

Notes:
Matches with spectator bans are not included in average attendances.
The official game reports can be found under the match schedule on iranleague.ir. The viewer numbers are noted in these. This results in average attendance.

Highest attended season matches

[edit]
Season Home team Score Away team Attendance Date Week Stadium
2005–06 Esteghlal 4–1 Bargh Shiraz 100,000 21 April 2006 (2006-04-21) 30 Azadi
2006–07 Persepolis 2–1 Esteghlal 95,000 3 November 2006 (2006-11-03) 8
2007–08 Sepahan 110,000 17 May 2008 (2008-05-17) 34
2008–09 2–0 Damash 90,000 25 September 2008 (2008-09-25) 8
1–1 Esteghlal 3 October 2008 (2008-10-03) 9
Esteghlal Persepolis 13 February 2009 (2009-02-13) 26
2009–10 Tractor 0–0 Moghavemat 95,000 22 January 2010 (2010-01-22) 24 Sahand
2010–11 Esteghlal 1–0 Persepolis 100,000 15 October 2010 (2010-10-15) 11 Azadi
2011–12 Persepolis 0–2 Esteghlal 16 September 2011 (2011-09-16) 7
2012–13 Esteghlal 0–0 Persepolis 25 January 2013 (2013-01-25) 23
1–2 Damash 10 May 2013 (2013-05-10) 34
2013–14 0–0 Persepolis 6 September 2013 (2013-09-06) 8
2014–15 Tractor 3–3 Naft Tehran 80,000[19] 15 May 2015 (2015-05-15) 30 Sahand
2015–16 Persepolis 4–2 Esteghlal 100,000[20] 15 April 2016 (2016-04-15) 26 Azadi
2016–17 4–0 Shahr Khodro 80,000[21] 19 April 2017 (2017-04-19) 28
2017–18 Esteghlal 1–0 Persepolis 100,000[22] 1 March 2018 (2018-03-01) 25
2018–19 Persepolis 0–0 Sepahan 90,000[23] 26 April 2019 (2019-04-26) 27
2019–20 Tractor 2–4 Esteghlal 80,000[24] 1 November 2019 (2019-11-01) 9 Sahand
2020–21 No spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran[25]
2021–22 Esteghlal 0–0 Naft MIS 85,000[26] 30 May 2022 (2022-05-30) 30 Azadi
2022–23 Tractor 1–0 Sepahan 70,000[27] 7 April 2023 (2023-04-07) 25 Sahand
Sepahan 1–1 Malavan 70,000[28] 24 April 2023 (2023-04-24) 27 Naghsh-e Jahan
2023–24 Tractor 0–1 Persepolis 80,000[29] 16 August 2023 (2023-08-16) 2 Sahand
Tractor 0–0 Sepahan 80,000[30] 3 April 2024 (2024-04-03) 16

Records

[edit]

All-Time Persian Gulf League Top Scorers

[edit]
See also: List of Iranian club football top goal scorers, List of IPL all-time top goal scorers, and Iranian Football League § All-time League top scorers
As of 1 June 2024
No. Player Goals Apps GPGR Years
1 Iran Reza Enayati 147 358 0.41 2001- 2017
2 Iran Mehdi Rajabzadeh 116 381 0.30 2001- 2018
3 Iran Arash Borhani 115 339 0.33 2002- 2017
4 Brazil Luciano Chimba 115 325 0.35 2012-Present
5 Iran Fereydoon Fazli 85 178 0.47 2001–2010
6 Brazil Édinho 82 183 0.44 2008-

2017

7 Iran Jalal Rafkhaei 79 308 0.25 2005-

2016

8 Iran Mohammad Reza Khalatbari 79 428 0.18 2003–2023
9 Iran Karim Ansarifard 77 182 0.42 2007-

2014

10 Iran Mohammad Ghazi 76 340 0.22 2004-Present

Players in bold are still active in the league.

*GPGR: Goals Per Game Ratio

All-time top appearances in Iran league

[edit]
As of 31 July 2023
No Player Appearance Years
1 Iran Jalal Hosseini 492[31] 2002–2022
2 Iran Mehdi Rahmati 482[31] 2001–2020
3 Iran Ebrahim Sadeghi 438[31] 2001–2017
4 Iran Mohammadreza Khalatbari 428 2003–2023
5 Iran Mehdi Rajabzadeh 381[31] 2001–2018
6 Iran Morteza Asadi 380[31] 2005–2018
7 Iran Amir Hossein Sadeghi 379[31] 2003–2018
8 Iran Mohsen Bengar 372[31]
9 Iran Khosro Heydari 370[31] 2002–2019
10 Iran Mohammad Nouri 369[31] 2005–2021

Broadcasting and sponsorship

[edit]

Broadcasting

[edit]

The state-owned television channel IRIB has the broadcasting rights for the most matches of the Persian Gulf Pro League, Azadegan League and Hazfi Cup. Each match of Esteghlal and Persepolis is broadcasting by IRIB TV3, IRIB's channel.

After the 1979 revolution, the right to broadcast the Iranian leagues was exclusively given to IRIB. The organization broadcast matches throughout the decades in SD 240p and below, drawing criticism from the sports media.[32] It was announced in 2024 that the image quality will be upgraded to HD in the coming years.[33]

Sponsorship

[edit]

The Persian Gulf Pro League has been sponsored since 2005. There have been four sponsors since the league's formation.

  • 2001–2005: no sponsor
  • 2005–2007: Zamzam
  • 2007–2009: Padideh
  • 2009–2014: Irancell
  • 2014–2016: Sun Star
  • 2016–present: Fanap

Ownership

[edit]
Main article: List of Iranian football club owners § Persian Gulf Pro League

Awards

[edit]

Trophy

[edit]

The league championship trophy is made up of two parts, the main part is shiny Chrome and the smaller part shiny golden in color. The sides of the trophy are taken from the armour of two Persian Achaemenid soldiers. This trophy also has references to the Persian Gulf.[34] Every season, a new copy of this trophy, which takes about one and a half months to make, is made by artisans to be presented to the champions. Medals are also distributed. The medals and the championship trophy are made of brass metal, the medals and the championship trophy are both gold plated.[35]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The 2020 season did not award points for the ranking because of the cancellation of 2020 AFC Cup due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Foundation of the Iran Pro League". iranleague.ir. Archived from the original on 2018-09-10. Retrieved 2017-09-23.
  2. ^ "Error" برنامه‌ي كامل دور رفت ششمين دوره‌ي ليگ برتر فوتبال؛ ليگ برتر به "خليج فارس" تغيير نام داد (in Persian). ISNA. Archived from the original on 2012-02-12. Retrieved 2006-08-14.
  3. ^ "Iriff.ir" برترين طرح ارائه شده براي ليگ برتر انتخاب شد (in Persian). IRIFF Official Website. Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2006-11-24.
  4. ^ Hurrey, Adam (18 May 2015). "Iranian side mistakenly celebrate winning the league title". Archived from the original on 2022-01-12 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  5. ^ "Sepahan Wins Iran Professional League - Tasnim News Agency". Archived from the original on 2017-09-20. Retrieved 2017-09-22.
  6. ^ "Esteghlal Khuzestan crowned IPL champion, Malavan and Rah Ahan relegated(VIDEO)". Archived from the original on 2018-01-03. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
  7. ^ "Persepolis Crowned Champion of Persian Gulf Pro League 2016/17". 19 April 2017. Archived from the original on 20 August 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  8. ^ "AFC Club Competitions Ranking 2021". Archived from the original on 2021-09-02. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  9. ^ "AFC Club Competitions Ranking 2020". Archived from the original on 2022-01-18. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  10. ^ "AFC Country Points 2018". Archived from the original on 2022-01-18. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  11. ^ "AFC Country Points 2019". Archived from the original on 2022-10-06. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  12. ^ "AFC Country Points 2021". Archived from the original on 2022-10-06. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  13. ^ "سازمان لیگ فوتبال ایران". Archived from the original on 2015-05-30.
  14. ^ "سازمان لیگ فوتبال ایران". Archived from the original on 2016-06-26.
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