Iran have won the Asian Cup three times and all these came consecutively in 1968, 1972 and 1976. Since then they have finished third three times and fourth twice. They have also managed to win the West Asian Football Federation Championship twice in 2000 and in 2004.

Iran have qualified for the World Cup three times. In 2006 they only managed 1 point from their three matches thanks to a 1 - 1 draw with Angola. In the 2007 Asian Cup Iran topped their group stage with wins over Uzbekistan and Malaysia. However they lost to Korea Republic on penalties.