The Most Popular Sports in Iran
The Most Popular Sports in Iran - Titles, Medals and Records
Iran’s sports culture is big, loud and proudly competitive. But the most popular sports can mean different things: what people watch, what kids grow up playing, what fills stadiums or what consistently wins medals…
Ehsan Hadadi won Iran’s first Olympic medal in track and field athletics at London 2012. Image credits: Pinterest
We take a look at Iran’s most-followed sports, using measurable, verifiable data like major titles, international qualification milestones and Olympic medal records. What are the most popular sports in Iran? Let’s find out!
1. Football (Soccer)
Football sits at the top of Iran’s sports, as it runs through everything: club rivalries, national team campaigns and big regional tournaments.
A simple, verifiable way to show football’s scale is Iran’s repeated presence on the biggest stage. Iran secured qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup - the country’s seventh overall World Cup appearance. That level of consistency is rare in Asia and keeps football at the centre of the sports calendar year after year.
Iran also dominated Asia’s main continental tournament in earlier decades, winning the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup three times in a row. Iran won the 1968, 1972 and 1976 editions of the cup. The country’s third straight title in 1976 is a feat that’s yet to be matched.
2. Wrestling
Wrestling is Iran’s deepest sporting tradition. The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) states that Iran has 88 Olympic medals in total, with wrestling leading the medal chart at 55 podium appearances.
This places wrestling as the strongest pipeline of international success, which strongly correlates with the sport’s cultural importance and long-term popularity.
Even when Iran’s medal spread widens, wrestling remains the backbone of major multi-sport events for the country. That reliability is one of the biggest reasons why wrestling is one of Iran’s most popular sports.
3. Volleyball
Volleyball’s popularity in Iran has grown sharply in the modern era, helped by a national team that became a regular contender in Asia and a credible threat internationally.
Iran qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympics in men’s volleyball. This was a major achievement for the country. On the continental side, Iran were defending champions of the Asian Men’s Championship in 2019 and 2021. They’ve won the Asian Championship four times in total.
When a sport delivers both Olympic appearances and continental titles, it tends to move from “liked” to “loved”, and volleyball fits that pattern in Iran. Volleyball is also one of the most popular sports in Venezuela!
4. Futsal
Futsal is not just a hobby in Iran. It’s a major sport with a historic record in Asia, and it has produced one of the most dominant national team runs on the continent.
The AFC reports that Iran won the AFC Futsal Asian Cup in 2024, describing it as a record-extending 13th title for the country.
That kind of trophy count is not normal. It is this repeated championship culture that keeps futsal visible in Iran, especially in urban settings where smaller courts make the sport easy to organise.
5. Weightlifting
Weightlifting in Iran has strong “national pride” energy. It is medal-rich, hero-driven and tied to a long history of international success.
The International Weightlifting Federation’s (IWF) piece on Iranian legend Mohammad Nassiri states that Iran has won 20 podium appearances in weightlifting.
This shows that weightlifting is not a niche sport in Iran’s elite system. When a country keeps producing Olympic podium finishes in a sport, it becomes part of mainstream sports identity.
6. Taekwondo
Taekwondo is one of Iran’s most recognisable modern combat sports, and it shows up in the country’s medal record again and again.
Olympedia’s country profile reports that, in 2022, Iran earned six Olympic medals in taekwondo. More recently, Iranian athlete Arian Salimi won gold at Paris 2024 in the men’s +80kg category.
Iran’s taekwondo story includes landmark moments, such as when Kimia Alizadeh won bronze at Rio 2016 in the -57kg category, aged just 18 years old. Big milestones like that tend to pique national and international interest.
7. Basketball
Basketball has a strong following in Iran, especially because the national team delivered a golden era of Asian success in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) lists Iran as champions of the FIBA Asia Championship (now FIBA Asia Cup) in 2007, 2009 and 2013.
That is three continental titles in a relatively short span. Those wins created recognisable stars and made basketball a regular “major sport” in Iran’s national sports coverage, not just a casual pastime.
8. Other Martial Arts (Karate and Related Disciplines)
Iran’s success in combat sports doesn’t stop at wrestling and taekwondo. Other martial arts, including karate, have also shown up on the Olympic medal ledger.
Iranian athletes have won 88 Summer Olympic medals. These medals come from a small set of sports, including wrestling, weightlifting, taekwondo, athletics, shooting and karate.
This matters because it signals breadth. Combat sports as a category are not just popular; they are structurally important to Iran’s national identity.
9. Athletics (Track and Field)
Athletics is not traditionally Iran’s biggest medal factory, but it has earned visibility through breakthrough moments that put the sport into mainstream headlines.
According to Olympedia, 2012 marked Iran’s first Olympic medal in track and field athletics, when Ehsan Haddadi won silver in men’s discus.
That single medal might sound small compared to Iran’s wrestling or weightlifting totals, but in popularity terms, “first-ever” Olympic milestones have a big impact. They create role models, attract funding and pull new fans into sports that previously lived on the margins.
The Most Popular Sports in Iran - Key Takeaways
Iran’s most popular sports cluster into two big lanes: mass-followed team sports like football or volleyball, and high-pride medal sports like wrestling and weightlifting.
The stats back that up: Iran’s football story is defined by repeated World Cup qualification and historic Asian Cup dominance, while the country’s Olympic record shows combat and strength sports carrying the majority of podium finishes.
What sports do you associate with Iran? Did this list surprise you? Tell us in the comments!
