Iran Defeats Qatar in World Cup Qualifying

Iran’s national football (soccer) team defeated Qatar 1-0 in Doha. Reza Qoochannejad scored the winning goal in the second half of the match played at Al Sadd Stadium.

Iran now is in the third position in its division with 10 points out of six matches. Iran has two other matches to qualify for the next World Cup, against Lebanon in Tehran next Tuesday and the last match against South Korea in Seoul in two weeks.

Video credit: Facebook.com/IranFootball/YouTube

Photos credit: IRNA/Payvand.com

Iran National Women Football Team Defeats UAE - UPDATE

Iran’s national women football (soccer) team defeated UAE in Abu Dhabi’s Sultan bin Zayed Stadium on Thursday. The match was part of the preliminary round of the Fourth West Asian Women’s Football Championship taking place in the UAE capital.

The Iranians had earlier overwhelmed the Lebanese by the score of 8-1 in the opener on Tuesday. Iran plays against Syria on Sunday in its last match of Group B and with two victories secured already, they will advance to the semi-finals. The championship match is set for 12 October.

Photo: The Iranian National Women Football (Soccer) Team. Abu Dhabi, UAE. 6 October 2011. Mehr Photo.

UPDATE: The Iranian women national football (soccer) team finished second in the West Asian Women Football Cup. The Iranian team lost to the host UAE team during the penalty phase after the two teams tied during the regulation time. Iran had defeated the UAE team 4-1 during the preliminary rounds. 12 October 2011, Abu Dhabi.

Iran to Play LA Galaxy

David Beckham and Los Angeles Galaxy

to play Iran's national team in Los Angeles in June

The Los Angeles Galaxy, the popular US professional soccer team, has invited the Iranian national football team for a friendly match in Los Angeles in June 2008. Iran has agreed to play Galaxy pending the receipt of a formal invitation by the US Soccer Federation.

Los Angeles is home to the largest number of Iranian expatriates. Galaxy’s midfielder David Beckham is a popular player in Iran.

The Iranian and US national teams played in the 1998 World Cup in France, with Iran beating its rival 2-1.