On 23 November 2006, the federation was suspended by
FIFA, due to government interference in football matters. FIFA rules decree that a national football federation should remain autonomous from the national government. However, on 17 December 2006, the ban was lifted and a new Transitory Board was composed. During the
2009 Iranian election protests, seven members of the
Iran national football team were initially reported to have been banned for life by the federation for wearing green armbands in support of the
Iranian Green Movement.
Iran women's national football team was briefly suspended by FIFA from international competition in 2011 for being required by the federation to wear headscarves. In 2015, the federation banned players from the men's national team due to
conscription problems. In August 2017, the federation banned
Masoud Shojaei and
Ehsan Hajsafi from the national team after they played against the Israeli club
Maccabi Tel Aviv in the
UEFA Europa League. On 9 November 2018
Fatma Samoura, Secretary General of International Federation of Football Association FIFA said she would ask the Iranian government to end the ban on women's entry to sports stadiums. On 7 August 2019,
Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, prosecutor general of Iran, supporting the ban, said that it should not concern FIFA if women in Iran can enter sports stadiums or not. However, after continuous pressure from FIFA,
IRNA deputy Sports Minister Jamshid Taghizadeh said women would be allowed to enter
Azadi Stadium to watch the men's
World Cup 2022 qualifier match between Iran and
Cambodia in October. However, in March 2022, Iranian women were again banned from entering the stadium for a World Cup qualifier. During the
2022 FIFA World Cup as well as the
2023 AFC Asian Cup, the Iranian government and federation reportedly sent paid members of the
Basij and
IRGC to
cheer for the team in the stands and to counter protesters. In April 2024, goalkeeper
Hossein Hosseini was summoned, suspended, and fined by the Iranian federation for hugging a female fan. In October 2024,
Zahra Ghanbari was suspended and forced to apologize by the Iranian federation for "improper hijab" during a goal celebration at the
2024–25 AFC Women's Champions League. In December 2024, defender
Ramin Rezaeian was summoned by the federation as well after hugging a female fan. Prior to the
2026 FIFA World Cup draw, a group stage match scheduled to be played in Seattle was designated as a "
Pride Match" by the City of
Seattle to coincide with the city's
annual Pride celebrations and to promote
LGBTQ+ inclusion. Following the draw, the fixture was confirmed to be
the match between Iran and Egypt. Both Iran and Egypt are countries where homosexuality is criminalized under domestic law, with
Iran in particular having imposed capital punishment in certain cases. The Iranian Football Federation and the
Egyptian Football Association objected to the match's designation; however,
FIFA and local organizers confirmed that associated LGBTQ+ events would proceed, and that
rainbow flags would be permitted inside the stadium. In January 2026, multiple Iranian footballers and athletes were killed during the
2026 Iran massacres amid the
2025–2026 Iranian protests, including former
Tractor Sazi F.C. midfielder
Mojtaba Tarshiz, prompting former Iran national team captain
Masoud Shojaei to criticise FIFA for its silence over the killing of Iranian athletes during protests, while then-captain
Mehdi Taremi expressed solidarity with the Iranian people. On 14 January, the federation, along with the
Islamic Republic of Iran Wrestling Federation, were exempt from posting a picture to their
Instagram accounts opposing
Donald Trump's threats to attack Iran for its response to the protests, and also claiming that athletes were killed during the
Twelve-Day War. After the massacres, the
AFC ruled that Iranian clubs cannot host
AFC Champions League Elite and
AFC Champions League Two matches at home, and would therefore have to move them to neutral venues. Following the massacres, activists called on FIFA to ban the Iranian national team from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Ali Karimi, a former footballer for the Iran national team, along with a coalition of prominent Iranians, wrote an open letter to FIFA and all its member associations, calling on FIFA president
Gianni Infantino to speak up on the protest deaths. Following the protests and ensuing crackdown, the
Spanish Football Federation reportedly pulled out of a planned friendly match with Iran. After a number of players resigned from the
Iran women's national football team and refereeing organization following
the massacres, the Iranian football federation reportedly threatened them with multi-year bans from professional football activities, judicial action, and long prison sentences. In March 2026, after the Iran women's national football team players refused to sing the national anthem of the Islamic Republic as a form of silent protest ahead of their
2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup opener against
South Korea, concerns grew for their safety following threats from Iranian state media. Ahead of the following match against
Australia, the national team players were reportedly forced to sing the national anthem of the Islamic Republic of Iran, with threats to the players' family members if they did not. After the team's exit from the tournament on 8 March, members of the team gave what appeared to be
SOS hand signals from the bus as they were leaving, leading to protests and growing calls for Australia to offer the team refuge after the players were accused of being wartime traitors by Iranian state media for not singing the national anthem of the Islamic Republic in their opening game amid the
Iran War. Amid the
Iran War,
Sardar Azmoun was reportedly expelled from the national team after posting a picture on social media, per
IRGC-affiliated media. ==Competitions==