Fixtures

DateRDomáci vs Hostia-
04/03 15:45 18 Aluminium Arak vs Havadar SC View
04/06 15:30 22 Esteghlal vs Mes Rafsanjan View
04/06 15:30 22 Zob Ahan vs Shams Azar Qazvin View
04/06 15:30 22 Nassaji Mazandaran vs Malavan View
04/07 15:30 22 Peykan vs Esteghlal Khuzestan View
04/07 15:30 22 Gol Gohar vs Persepolis View
04/07 15:45 22 Foolad Khuzestan vs Havadar SC View
04/08 15:45 22 Sanat Naft Abadan vs Sepahan View
04/08 16:00 22 Tractor Sazi vs Aluminium Arak View
04/12 14:00 23 Mes Rafsanjan vs Peykan View
04/12 14:20 23 Sepahan vs Nassaji Mazandaran View
04/12 14:30 23 Shams Azar Qazvin vs Foolad Khuzestan View

Results

Date R Domáci vs Hostia -
03/17 17:30 21 Havadar SC vs Esteghlal 0-1
03/17 15:30 21 [8] Shams Azar Qazvin vs Tractor Sazi [3] 0-2
03/17 15:30 21 [14] Esteghlal Khuzestan vs Foolad Khuzestan [13] 0-0
03/17 15:30 21 [6] Malavan vs Sanat Naft FC [16] 1-0
03/17 15:15 21 [4] Sepahan vs Gol Gohar [5] 2-0
03/17 15:15 21 [10] Mes Rafsanjan vs Zob Ahan [7] 2-2
03/17 15:15 21 [2] Persepolis vs Paykan [11] 2-0
03/17 15:15 21 Aluminium Arak vs Nassaji Mazandaran 1-0
03/13 16:30 20 Esteghlal Tehran vs Persepolis 0-0
03/13 15:30 20 Tractor Sazi vs Havadar SC 4-2
03/13 15:30 20 [12] Foolad Khuzestan vs Sepahan [5] 1-3
03/13 15:30 20 Nassaji Mazandaran vs Shams Azar Qazvin 1-0

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 highest division of professional football in Iran. 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 and runners-up of the Persian Gulf Pro League along with the Hazfi Cup champion automatically qualify for the AFC Champions League group stages. The third of the Persian Gulf Pro League is qualified for the AFC Champions League 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

To the turn of the millennium the Iranian Football Federation decided to create a new professional football league. In 2001, the Iran Premier League was founded as the new top-level football league in Iran. 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. The Iran Premier 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 Zob Ahan
2010–11 Sepahan Esteghlal
2011–12 Sepahan Tractor
2012–13 Esteghlal Tractor
2013–14 Foolad Persepolis
2014–15 Sepahan Tractor
2015–16 Esteghlal Khuzestan Persepolis
2016–17 Persepolis Esteghlal
2017–18 Persepolis Zob Ahan
2018–19 Persepolis Sepahan
2019–20 Persepolis Esteghlal
2020–21 Persepolis Sepahan
2021–22 Esteghlal Persepolis
2022–23 Persepolis Sepahan

The first winner of the Iran Premier 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 Premier 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

On 12 August 2006, the Iranian Football Federation decided to give the league another name. 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. 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

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.

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. 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. 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.

**Irán - Pro liga**

Irán Pro League, známa ako Persian Gulf Pro League (PGPL, perzsky: لیگ برتر خلیج فارس), je najvyššia profesionálna futbalová liga v Iráne. Organizuje sa Iráncom Futbalová federácia a sponzoruje ho Irán Petrochemical Commercial Company (PCC) od roku 2019. V lige hrá 16 tímov a hrá sa systémom jesenné-jarné s výkopom v auguste a záverom v máji.

**História**

Irán Pro League bola založená v roku 2001 a nahradila tak bývalú Irán 1. divíziu ako najvyššiu futbalovú divíziu v krajine. V prvých rokoch sa liga hrala s 14 tímami, ale v roku 2010 sa rozšírila na 16 tímov.

**Formát súťaže**

V Irán Pro League hrá 16 tímov, ktoré hrajú dvojkolovo, doma a vonku. Tímy získavajú tri body za víťazstvo, jeden bod za remízu a žiadny bod za prehru. Na konci sezóny sú tímy zoradené podľa získaných bodov. Tri najlepšie tímy sa kvalifikujú do ázijskej Ligy majstrov, zatiaľ čo tím na štvrtom mieste sa kvalifikuje do Pohára AFC. Posledné dva tímy zostupujú do Irán 1. divízie.

**Najúspešnejšie tímy**

Najúspešnejším klubom v histórii Irán Pro League je Persepolis FC, ktorý získal 6 titulov. Medzi ďalšie úspešné kluby patria Esteghlal FC (4 tituly), Sepahan FC (3 tituly) a Foolad FC (2 tituly).

**Hráči**

Irán Pro League produkovala množstvo talentovaných hráčov, ktorí hrali za národný tím Iránu. Medzi týchto hráčov patria Ali Daei, Karim Bagheri, Javad Nekounam a Ehsan Hajsafi.

**Stadióny**

Zápasy Irán Pro League sa hrajú na rôznych štadiónoch po celom Iráne. Medzi najväčšie štadióny patria Azadi Stadium v Teheráne, Isfahan Stadium v Isfaháne a Naghsh Jahan Stadium v Isfaháne.