| 1st Division دسته اول Daste Aval | |
| Country: | Iran |
| Confed: | AFC |
| Founded: | 1991 (as first tier) 2001 (as second tier) |
| Teams: | 18 |
| Promotion: | Persian Gulf Pro League |
| Relegation: | League 2 |
| Levels: | 2 |
| Domest Cup: | Hazfi Cup |
| Confed Cup: | AFC Champions league (through the Hazfi Cup) |
| Champions: | Kheybar Khorramabad (1st title) |
| Season: | 2023–24 |
| Most Successful Club: | Persepolis (4 titles) |
| Tv: | IRIB |
| Current: | 2023–24 Azadegan League |
The Azadegan League (Persian: ليگ آزادگان, Lig-e Âzâdegân), also known as League 1 (Persian: لیگ یک, Lig-e Yek), is the second highest division of professional football in Iran. It was the top-level football league in Iran from its foundation in 1991 until 2001, when the Persian Gulf Pro League was established.
Azadegan League operates on a system of promotion and relegation. Each year, the top finishing teams in the Azadegan League are promoted to the Persian Gulf Pro League, and the lowest finishing teams are relegated to League 2.
Since 2016, the league comprises 18 teams. The winner and the runner-up of the Azadegan League are automatically promoted to the Persian Gulf Pro League. The bottom three teams in the league are relegated to League 2. In the past, the format and number of teams were changed for various times.
Before the 1970s, Iran did not have an official national football league. Most clubs participated in championships of their city or province. In 1970, the Local League was created. The league included teams from all Iran in different qualifying tournaments. In 1972, the Takht Jamshid Cup was founded as the national league and included teams from all over the country.
Due to the Islamic Revolution and the Iran–Iraq War, the Takht Jamshid Cup was dissolved and also the lower leagues were unorganized. In 1989 the Qods League was created as the national football league. Esteghlal were the first national champion since PAS Tehran in 1978. After the season the Qods League was not continued.
Prior to the start of the 1995–96 Azadegan League season, the league changed its format again.[2] 16 teams participated in one group until 1999. Persepolis were the champions in 1995–96,[3] 1996–97[4] and 1998–99,[5] while Esteghlal became the champion in the 1997–98 season.[6] In 1999 the league was reduced to 14 teams. Persepolis won the 1999–2000 Azadegan League season, sitting seven points clear of rival Esteghlal.[7] The 2000–01 season was the last year of the Azadegan League as the top-level football league of Iran. Esteghlal became the champion in a league of 12 teams.[8]
Once more the league changed their format in 2004. Between the 2004–05 and 2007–08 Azadegan League season, 24 clubs played in two groups of 12 teams. After Shahid Ghandi winning the league in 2004–05, Mes Kerman became the champion in the 2005–06 season. Sanat Naft Abadan, the third-ranked team in 2004–05, criticized the Iranian Football Federation due to incidents in the final stage. In the 2006–07 Azadegan League season, Pegah and Shirin Faraz became the champions of the league, while Tractor failed once again for promotion. Also, Sanat Naft Abadan promoted automatically to the Persian Gulf Cup because of the 2004–05 Azadegan League promotion controversy.
After Payam Mashhad winning the title in the 2007–08 Azadegan League season, the number of teams was increased to 28 before the start of the 2008–09 season. They played in two groups of 14 teams until 2013. East Azerbaijan's famous club Tractor returned finally back to the Persian Gulf Cup by winning the 2008–09 season alongside Steel Azin. Shahrdari Tabriz and Naft Tehran were the champions in the 2009–10 season, before Damash winning the league in 2010–11. Paykan won the league title 2011–12, while Gostaresh and Esteghlal Khuzestan winning the league one year later. Although Shahrdari Tabriz could win their group, they had to relegate due to match-fixing.
The number of teams was reduced in the next two seasons. 26 clubs participated in 2013–14, while 24 teams played in the 2014–15 season. Padideh won the title in 2013–14 after a victory over Naft Masjed Soleyman in the league final. One season later, Foolad Novin could win the league after they beat Siah Jamegan in final. Due to the fact that Foolad Novin is the reserve team of Foolad Khuzestan, they could not promote to the Persian Gulf Pro League. Instead of Foolad Novin, Esteghlal Ahvaz was allowed to promote.
Before the start of the 2015–16 Azadegan League season, they returned to a classic league format. 20 clubs participated in 2015–16, before the number of teams were reduced to 18 one season later. Paykan won the 2015–16 season, sitting seven points clear of Machine Sazi.
Like in the 2016–17 season, Nassaj was also involved in a dramatic season finish in the 2017–18 Azadegan League. At the last matchday, five teams had the chance to promoted. Naft Masjed Soleyman drew 2–2 with Mes Rafsanjan and won the league, while Nassaji defeated Rah Ahan 6–0 in Tehran's Takhti Stadium and became runners-up with 64 points thanks to a better goal difference than Khooneh be Khooneh.[9]
In the past, the format and number of teams were changed for various times. Since 2016, the league comprises 18 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 34 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 top two teams are promoted to the Persian Gulf Pro League and the bottom three teams are relegated to League 2. Furthermore, all teams in the Azadegan League can participate in the Hazfi Cup.
| Number of teams | Period |
|---|---|
| 12 | 1991–92, 2000–01 |
| 16 (two groups) | 1992–93 |
| 14 | 1993–94, 1999–2000 |
| 24 (two groups) | 1994–95, 2004–05 until 2007–08, 2014–15 |
| 16 | 1995–96 until 1998–99, 2002–03 until 2003–04 |
| 22 (two groups) | 2001–02 |
| 28 (two groups) | 2008–09 until 2012–13 |
| 26 (two groups) | 2013–14 |
| 20 | 2015–16 |
| 18 | since 2016–17 |
See main article: 2019–20 Azadegan League.
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminium Arak | Arak | Imam Khomeini | 15,000 |
| Arman Gohar Sirjan | Sirjan | TBA | TBA |
| Baadraan Tehran | Tehran | Kargaran | 5,000 |
| Damash | Shahid Dr. Azodi | 11,000 | |
| Elmoadab Tabriz | Tabriz | Marzdaran Stadium | 5,000 |
| Esteghlal Khuzestan | Ahvaz | Ghadir | 38,900 |
| Fajr Sepasi | Shiraz | Hafezieh | 15,000 |
| Gol Reyhan Alborz | Karaj | Enghelab | 15,000 |
| Khooshe Talaei Saveh | Shahid Chamran | 3,000 | |
| Malavan | Bandar-e Anzali | Takhti Anzali | 8,000 |
| Mes Kerman | Kerman | Shahid Bahonar | 15,430 |
| Mes Rafsanjan | Rafsanjan | Shohadaye Noushabad | 5,000 |
| Navad Urmia | Urmia | Shahid Bakeri | 15,000 |
| Nirooye Zamini | Tehran | TBA | TBA |
| Qashqai | Shiraz | Hafezieh | 15,000 |
| Rayka Babol | Babol | Haft-e Tir | 6,000 |
| Sepidrood | Rasht | Sardar Jangal | 15,000 |
| Sorkhpooshan Pakdasht | Pakdasht | Shahid Dastgerdi | 8,250 |
See also: List of Iranian football champions.
See also: List of Iranian football champions.
| Team | Champions | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| Persepolis | 4 (1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000) | 3 (1992–93, 1993–94, 2000–01) |
| Esteghlal | 2 (1997–98, 2000–01) | 4 (1991–92, 1994–95, 1998–99, 1999–2000) |
| PAS Tehran | 2 (1991–92, 1992–93) | 1 (1997–98) |
| Saipa | 2 (1993–94, 1994–95) | |
| Bahman | 2 (1995–96, 1996–97) | |
See also: List of Iranian football champions.
See main article: All-time Azadegan League table.
| Pos. | Club | Seasons | Matches | Win | Draw | Loss | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Champions | Runners-up | Promoted | Relegated | Best Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nassaji Mazandaran1 | 19 | 494 | 172 | 152 | 170 | 526 | 540 | −14 | 665 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2nd | ||
| 2 | Mes Kerman | 13 | 384 | 159 | 126 | 99 | 426 | 305 | +121 | 603 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1st | ||
| 3 | 17 | 417 | 154 | 139 | 124 | 478 | 427 | +51 | 601 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2nd | |||
| 4 | Aluminium Arak2 | 16 | 436 | 143 | 148 | 145 | 455 | 465 | −10 | 577 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2nd | ||
| 5 | Malavan3 | 14 | 404 | 143 | 144 | 117 | 401 | 347 | +54 | 567 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1st | |
| 6 | Fajr Sepasi | 13 | 390 | 145 | 131 | 114 | 427 | 329 | +98 | 566 | 1 | 2 | 1st | |||
| 7 | Tractor Sazi | 16 | 392 | 143 | 131 | 118 | 448 | 414 | +34 | 560 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1st | |
| 8 | Machine Sazi | 17 | 463 | 129 | 146 | 188 | 470 | 616 | −146 | 533 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2nd | ||
| 9 | Mes Rafsanjan | 13 | 367 | 133 | 129 | 105 | 430 | 344 | +86 | 528 | 1 | 1 | 1st | |||
| 10 | 12 | 333 | 120 | 121 | 92 | 399 | 337 | +62 | 481 | 1 | 1 | 1st | ||||
| 11 | 9 | 222 | 122 | 71 | 29 | 368 | 167 | +201 | 437 | 4 | 3 | 1st | ||||
| 12 | Payam Mashhad4 | 12 | 305 | 102 | 106 | 97 | 353 | 350 | +3 | 409 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1st | ||
| 13 | 9 | 224 | 108 | 77 | 39 | 328 | 194 | +134 | 401 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1st | |||
| 14 | 10 | 250 | 94 | 106 | 50 | 304 | 227 | +77 | 388 | 2 | 1 | 1st | ||||
| 15 | Damash Gilan5 | 10 | 263 | 105 | 73 | 85 | 290 | 252 | +38 | 388 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1st | |
| 16 | 13 | 330 | 90 | 109 | 131 | 352 | 429 | −77 | 379 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1st | |||
| 17 | Iranjavan | 11 | 300 | 89 | 103 | 108 | 317 | 347 | −30 | 370 | 2 | 2nd | ||||
| 18 | Niroye Zamini | 12 | 300 | 89 | 92 | 119 | 283 | 333 | −50 | 359 | 4 | 3rd | ||||
| 19 | Saipa | 9 | 250 | 83 | 106 | 61 | 287 | 244 | +43 | 355 | 2 | 1 | 1st | |||
| 20 | 9 | 236 | 87 | 79 | 70 | 250 | 230 | +20 | 340 | 1 | 3rd | |||||
| 21 | Rayka Babol6 | 7 | 238 | 80 | 87 | 71 | 243 | 221 | +22 | 327 | 5th | |||||
| 28 | Esteghlal Khuzestan | 6 | 186 | 72 | 62 | 52 | 202 | 141 | +61 | 278 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1st | ||
| 35 | Kheybar Khorramabad | 5 | 172 | 59 | 64 | 49 | 189 | 158 | +31 | 241 | 1 | 4th | ||||
| 41 | Pars Jonoubi Jam | 4 | 134 | 53 | 46 | 35 | 130 | 115 | +15 | 205 | 1 | 1 | 1st | |||
| 43 | Khooshe Talaei | 4 | 134 | 49 | 46 | 39 | 151 | 125 | +26 | 193 | 4th | |||||
| 47 | Arman Gohar Sirjan | 4 | 134 | 49 | 39 | 46 | 157 | 157 | 0 | 186 | 3rd | |||||
| 63 | Chooka Talesh | 5 | 142 | 30 | 43 | 69 | 130 | 229 | −99 | 133 | 3 | 6th | ||||
| 65 | Esteghlal Mollasani | 3 | 100 | 26 | 47 | 27 | 97 | 112 | -15 | 125 | 8th | |||||
| 69 | Shams Azar Qazvin | 2 | 66 | 32 | 18 | 16 | 104 | 59 | +45 | 114 | 1 | 1 | 1st | |||
| 71 | Shahrdari Astara | 3 | 100 | 27 | 32 | 41 | 75 | 99 | −24 | 113 | 11th | |||||
| 77 | Mes Shahr-e Babak | 2 | 66 | 20 | 31 | 15 | 54 | 43 | +11 | 91 | 7th | |||||
| 83 | Shahrdari Hamedan | 2 | 66 | 15 | 26 | 25 | 43 | 54 | -11 | 71 | 1 | 10th | ||||
| 95 | Van Pars Naghsh-e-Jahan | 1 | 32 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 32 | 29 | +3 | 45 | 7th | |||||
| 96 | Chadormalou Ardakan | 1 | 32 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 32 | 31 | +1 | 45 | 8th | |||||
| 100 | Darya Babol | 1 | 32 | 8 | 14 | 10 | 26 | 25 | +1 | 38 | 10th | |||||
| 109 | Khalij Fars Mahshahr | 1 | 32 | 7 | 8 | 17 | 21 | 42 | -21 | 29 | 15th | |||||
| 127 | Omid Vahdat Khorasan | 1 | 1 | 18th |
| 2022–23 Persian Gulf Pro League | |
| 2022–23 Azadegan League | |
| Dissolved | |
| Season | Average | Highest attended club | Club average | Lowest attended club | Club average | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | bgcolor=PaleGreen | 3,075 | Tractor | 9,385 | Niroye Zamini | 319 | |
| 2009–10 | 2,667 | Nassaji Mazandaran | 11,833 | Foolad Novin | 192 | ||
| 2010–11 | 2,733 | Nassaji Mazandaran | 12,769 | Sanati Kaveh | 188 | ||
| 2011–12 | 2,350 | Naft Masjed Soleyman | 9,091 | Sanati Kaveh | 200 | ||
| 2015–16 | 2,539 | Nassaji Mazandaran | 8,931 | Parseh Tehran | bgcolor=Pink | 120 | |
| 2016–17 | 2,650 | Nassaji Mazandaran | 10,333 | Rah Ahan | 188 | ||
| 2017–18 | bgcolor=Pink | 2,287 | Nassaji Mazandaran | bgcolor=PaleGreen | 12,941 | Machine Sazi | 247 |
| Season | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | Date | Week | Stadium | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=center | Tractor | align=center | 2–0 | Aluminium Hormozgan | align=center | 20,000 | 26 | Sahand | ||
| align=center | Nassaji | align=center | 4–1 | Damash | align=center | 15,000 | 6 | Vatani | ||
| align=center | Gostaresh | align=center | 1–0 | Aboumoslem | align=center | 30,000 | 26 | Sahand | ||
| align=center | Nassaji | align=center | 0–0 | Naft MIS | align=center | 15,000 | 24 | Vatani | ||
| align=center | Machine Sazi | align=center | 3–0 | Mes Rafsanjan | align=center | 15,500 | 37 | Sahand | ||
| align=center | Sepidrood | align=center | 3–2 | Nassaji | align=center | 20,000 | 34 | Dr. Azodi | ||
| align=center | Rah Ahan | align=center | 0–6 | Nassaji | align=center | 23,000 | 34 | Takhti Tehran | ||
| width=60 | Season! | width=200 | Player! | width=100 | Club! | width=40 | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–06 |  Hossein Abdi | Sanaye Arak | 14 | ||||
| 2006–07 | Farhad Kheirkhah | Sorkhpooshan | 11 | ||||
| 2007–08 | Mohammad Parvin | Steel Azin | 15 | ||||
| 2008–09 | Abbas Porkhosravani | Gol Gohar | 17 | ||||
| 2009–10 | Ali Karimi | Shahrdari Tabriz | 17 | ||||
| 2010–11 | Afshin Chavoshi | Damash | 13 | ||||
| Mostafa Shojaei | Foolad Natanz | 13 | |||||
| Moslem Firoozabadi | Gol Gohar | 13 | |||||
| 2011–12 | Bahman Tahmasebi | Aluminum | 13 | ||||
| 2012–13 | Mohammad Abbaszadeh | Nassaji | 17 | ||||
| 2013–14 | Mokhtar Jomehzadeh | Gol Gohar | 15 | ||||
| 2014–15 | Issa Alekasir | Aluminum | 11 | ||||
| 2015–16 | Hamid Kazemi | Nassaji | 16 | ||||
| 2016–17 | Mohammad Abbaszadeh | Nassaji | 24 | ||||
| 2017–18 | Farshid Padash | Shahrdari Mahshahr | 17 | ||||
| Shahin Majidi | Fajr Sepasi | 17 | |||||
| 2018–19 | Peyman Ranjbari | Gol Gohar | 16 | ||||
| Shahriyar Moghanlou | Paykan | 16 | |||||
| 2019–20 | Hamid Kazemi | Baadraan | 17 | ||||
| 2020–21 | Aref Rostami | Kheybar Khorramabad | 17 | ||||