Nassaji Mazandaran Football Club (, ''Bāšgāh-e Futbāl-e Nassāji-ye Māzandarān'') is an Iranian

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club based in

Qaem Shahr Qaem Shahr (; ) is a city in the Central District of Qaem Shahr County, Mazandaran province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Originally known as Ŝâhi was used until the Iranian Revolution in 1979 when the city ...

Mazandaran Mazandaran Province (; ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Sari, Iran, Sari. Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain range and Hyrcanian forests, it is border ...

. They currently compete in the

Persian Gulf Pro League The Persian Gulf Pro League (, ''Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs''), formerly known as the Iran Premier League (, ''Lig-e bartar-e Irân''), is a professional association football league in Iran and the highest level of the Iranian football league s ...

. Nassaji has one of the highest average attendances in Iran. Nassaji is also the oldest club from the

Caspian region The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...

of Iran and one of the oldest in all of Iran. One of the most important honors of Nassaji Mazandaran is a championship title in

Iranian Hazfi Cup Hazfi Cup (, ) formerly known as Pahlavi Cup () is an Iranian knockout football competition held annually by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran. The Iranian football league was not held during the 1980s, hence the winner of Hazfi ...

and a runner-up title in

Iranian Super Cup The Iranian Super Cup (Persian language, Persian: سوپر جام ایران, ''Super Jam-e 'Iran'') is an Iranian association football trophy awarded to the winner of a match between the Persian Gulf Pro League's season champion and the winner of ...

History

Establishment

Nassaji Mazandaran Company established the club in

in 1959. In 1986, the team won the

1986 Pakistan President's Gold Cup The 1986 Pakistan President's Gold Cup was held at the National Stadium in Karachi, Pakistan. Overview The President's Gold Cup International Football Tournament kicked off at the National Stadium in Karachi on 7 March 1986. The teams competing ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

, the tournament including selected teams from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, Pakistan, and

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

, and

Nader Dastneshan Nader Dastneshan (, 29 November 1959 – 16 April 2021) was an Iranian football player and coach. Early life Nader Dastneshan was born on 24 May 1960 in Shaahi, Mazandaran province. His father, an Azerbaijani, was from Tabriz and his mother was ...

was named the tournament's top scorer. Nassaji entered the Qods Cup in 1988 and soon after they entered the top division

Azadegan League The Azadegan League (, ''Lig-e Âzâdegân''), also known as League 1 (, ''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 t ...

in 1991 and remained a strong competitor in that division until 1995.

Recent years

Nassaji stayed in 2nd division until 2001 and when Iranian Football Federation decided to start a professional league, the Azadegan league became the second highest league in Iran. In 2004 Nassaji was relegated to 2nd Division but they were promoted back to the Azadegan League at the end of the 2005–06 season. On 3 August 2006

Nasser Hejazi Nasser Hejazi (Persian: ناصر حجازی, ''nāser hejāzi''; 14 December 1949 – 23 May 2011), nicknamed "the legendary Iranian goalkeeper", was an Iranian football player and coach who most notably played for Esteghlal (Taj). Considered ...

signed as head-coach of Nassaji on a one-year deal for the 2006–07 season. In the 2013–14 season, Nassaji had their closest call with promotion to the

since their relegation from the top flight in 1995, the team finished third in Group A which was one place out of a promotion play-off spot. The following season Nassaji again finished third and was two points out of a promotion play-off spot.

Persian Gulf Pro League

On 29 April 2018, after a win against

Rah Ahan Rah Ahan Sports Club (, ''Bashgah-e Vârzeshi-ye Rahâhen''), commonly known as Rah Ahan Football Club, was an Iranian professional football club based in Tehran. They last played in the Azadegan League. Rah Ahan is one of the oldest Iranian foot ...

, Nassaji finished in second place in the Azadegan League and were promoted to the

for the first time.

AFC Champions League debut

On 27 October 2022, Nassaji won the

2021–22 Hazfi Cup The 2021–22 Hazfi Cup was the 35th season of the Iranian football knockout competition. Nassaji Mazandaran won the competition after defeating Aluminium Arak in the final. Participating teams A total of 73 teams (out of a possible total ...

cup which see them qualified to their first ever

AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) is an annual continental club association football, football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's List of top-division football clubs i ...

appearance. On 18 September 2023 in their debut

2023–24 AFC Champions League The 2023–24 AFC Champions League was the 42nd edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 21st and final under the AFC Champions League title, as the competition would be rebra ...

group stage fixtures, Nassaji won 2–0 against Mumbai City of India with goals coming from

Ehsan Hosseini Seyed Mohammad Ehsan Hosseini (Persian: سید محمد احسان حسینی born October 3, 1998) is an Iranian footballer who plays as a defender for Nassaji Mazandaran in the Persian Gulf Pro League. Club career Persepolis F.C. Hosseini ...

and

Mohammad Reza Azadi Mohammad Reza Azadi (; born 7 December 1999) is an Iranian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football)#Centre-forward, forward for Persian Gulf Pro League club Esteghlal F.C., Esteghlal and the Ir ...

Facilities

Since the club was created, Nassaji has trained and played its home games at

Vatani Stadium Vatani Stadium (; ''Vârzeshgah-e Vâtâni'') is a multi-use stadium in Qa'em Shahr, Iran. It is currently used for football (soccer), football matches and is the home stadium of Persian Gulf Pro League team F.C. Nassaji Mazandaran, Nassaji Mazan ...

, which was built in the 1940s. After the

Islamic Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Im ...

of 1979, the stadium was expanded to hold 15,000 people.

Stadium

Since its establishment in 1959, the Nassaji Mazandaran has conducted its training sessions and home matches at the

. The stadium was inaugurated in 1946 in the city of

, and employees of the Mazandaran Textile Factory would play football there after their work shifts. Currently, Shahid Vatani Stadium has a capacity of 15,000 spectators. For many matches, even the walls around the stands and the corridors are filled with fans. Due to the limited seating, several thousand spectators are often unable to attend. This stadium is considered one of the oldest in Iran.

Seasons

The table below chronicles the achievements of Nassaji Mazandaran since 1989.

Honours

Hazfi Cup Hazfi Cup (, ) formerly known as Pahlavi Cup () is an Iranian knockout football competition held annually by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran. The Iranian Football League, Iranian football league was not held during the 1980s, h ...

**Winners (1): 2021–22 *

**Runners-up (1):

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

**Runners-up (1): 2017–18

Players

First-team squad

Staff

Current coach staff

Head coaches

* Rahim Dastneshan (1983–94) * Fereydoon Asgarzadeh (1994) * Abolfazl Mozdastan (1994–95) * Rahim Dastneshan (1995–96) *

(1996–02) * Hossein Mesgar Saravi (2002–04) * Rahim Dastneshan (2004–05) * Ebrahim Talebi (2005–06) *

(2006– 07) * Morteza Sadeghi (2007) * Hossein Ghazal Seflou (2007) * Ebrahim Talebi (2007–08) * Morteza Sadeghi (2008) * Hassan Khourdestan (2008) * Morteza Sadeghi (2008–2009) * Rahim Dastneshan (2009) * Esmaeil Esmaeili (2009) *

(2009–2010) * Reza Forouzani (2010) * Farhad Kouchakzadeh (2010) *

Yahya Golmohammadi Yahya Golmohammadi (; born 19 March 1971) is an Iranian association football, football coach and a former player who coaches Persian Gulf Pro League club Foolad F.C., Foolad. He is one of only eleven Iranians to score in a FIFA World Cup, World ...

(2010–11) * Esmaeil Esmaeili (2011–13) * Younes Geraeili (2013) *

(2013–15) * Paulo Alves (2015) * Kourosh Mousavi (2015–16) *

Mahmoud Fekri Mahmoud Fekri Juybari (born January 15,1970, in Juybar, Iran) is a former Iranian football player and coach who last coached Havadar in Iran Pro League. He was previously head coach of Shirin Faraz, Nassaji, Esteghlal and Saipa. He usually ...

(2016) * Hossein Mesgar Saravi (2016–17) * Saket Elhami (2017) * Hossein Mesgar Saravi (2017) *

Mehdi Pashazadeh Mehdi Pashazadeh (, born 27 December 1973) is an Iranian football coach and former player who played as a defender. He played for several clubs, including Esteghlal Tehran, Bayer Leverkusen (Germany), Fortuna Köln (Germany), Rapid Wien (Austr ...

(2017) * Davoud Mahabadi (2017–18) *

Javad Nekounam Javad Nekounam (; born 7 September 1980) is an Iranian Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who played as a midfielder. He holds the record for the most appearances for the Iran national football tea ...

(2018) *

Majid Jalali Majid Jalali (, born 6 September 1956) is an Iranian football manager and a former player. He has served as the manager in several clubs in Iran like Pas Tehran, Saba Battery, Foolad, and also national football teams at various youth levels. ...

(2019) * Mohammad Reza Mohajeri (2019–20) *

(2020) *

Vahid Fazeli Vahid Fazeli Aliabad (Persian: وحید فاضلی) Born 29 January 1982 in Tehran, Iran is an Iranian football manager who was head coach of Nassaji Mazandaran. Fazeli has a Ph.D. in exercise physiology. He joined Nassaji Mazandaran as an assist ...

(2020–21) *

(2021) * Saket Elhami (2021–22) * Esmaeil Esmaeili (2022) *

Hamid Motahari Hamid Motahari (Persian: حمید مطهری) was born on 25 April 1974 in Tehran, Iran. He an Iranian football coach and former player. He currently serves as the head coach of Nassaji Mazandaran. Early life Hamid Motahari was born in Tehr ...

(2022–23) *

Carlos Inarejos Carlos Hernandez Inarejos (born 27 May 1984) is a Spanish football manager who is the manager Al-Tai SC in Saudi arabia Career After working in Senegal and Zambia, and working as assistant manager for Cypriot side Ermis Aradippou, Inarejos w ...

(2023) *

Mehdi Rahmati Seyed Mehdi Rahmati Oskuei (; born February 3, 1983) is an Iranian football coach and former player who currently manages Shams Azar F.C. in the Persian Gulf Pro League. He played for the Iran national team between 2004 and 2013. Club career ...

(2023) * Vahid Rezaei (2023) *

Lucas Alcaraz Luis Lucas Alcaraz González (born 21 June 1966) is a Spanish football manager. In a managerial career of over two decades, he competed in ten La Liga seasons at the helm of Recreativo (with whom he reached the 2003 Copa del Rey final), Racin ...

(2023–2024) * Saket Elhami (2024–2025) * Mostafa Sedaghat (2025) *

Savo Milosevic Savo may refer to: Languages * Savo dialect, forms of the Finnish language spoken in Savo, Finland * Savo language, an endangered language spoken on Savo People * Savo (given name) Savo is a masculine given name found in South Slavic and Italia ...

(2025) * Saket Elhami (2025) * Mohammad Reza Mohajeri (2025–''Present'')

Sponsorship

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

Managers

Owners

* Kourosh Rahmani (2007–2009) * Mehdi Parham (2009–2013) * Hossein Ghasemnejhad (2013–2014) * Mehdi Parham (2014–2017) * Mehdi Parham, Farhad Sanieifar (2017) * Farhad Sanieifar (2017–2018) * Farhad Sanieifar, Reza Haddadian (2018–2019) * Reza Haddadian (2019–''Present'')

Chairmans

* Kourosh Rahmani (2004–2007) * Abed Mahzoun (2007) * Kourosh Rahmani (2007–2009) * Mohammad Ali Ghanbari (2009) * Mehdi Parham (2009–2010) * Mohammad Hassan Heydarzadeh (2010) * Saeed Azari (2010–2011) * Mohammad Hassan Heydarzadeh (2011) * Yousef Daftari (2011) * Mohammad Hassan Heydarzadeh (2011) * Ahmad Sahadatmand (2011–2013) * Mohammad Hassan Heydarzadeh (2013) * Mohammad Ali Ghanbari (2013) * Mohammad Reza Ranjbar (2013) * Mohammad Ali Ghanbari (2013–2014) * Sadegh Dorudgar (2014–2015) * Mohammad Hassan Heydarzadeh (2015–2016) * Hamed Ebrahimi (2016) * Abdolhamid Ramezani (2016–2017) * Ali Amiri (2017–2019) * Mohammad Kazemi (2019–2019) * Mohammad Ali Ghanbari (2019) * Ali Reza Asadi (2019) * Izad Seyfollahpour (2019–2020) * Ali Amiri (2020–2021) * Izad Seyfollahpour (2021–2023) * Sadegh Dorudgar (2023) * Hamid Reza Bayandorian (2023–2024) * Ali Khatir (2024–2025) * Hamid Reza Bayandorian (2025–''Present'')

Individual records

All Top Appearances

All Top Scorers

Club captains

Supporters

Behdad Salimi Behdad Salimi Kordasiabi (, born 8 December 1989) is former Iranian heavyweight weightlifter. He won gold medals at the 2012 Olympics, 2010–2018 Asian Games, 2010 and 2011 World Championships and 2009–2012 Asian Championships. He served as ...

''(Olympic gold medallist)'' * Hanif Omranzadeh ''(Footballer)'' *

Mohsen Bengar Mohsen Bengar (, born 6 July 1979 in Nur) is a retired Iranian football defender and current coach. Club career Early career He began his career in Shamoushak Noshahr, then moved to Sepahan in 2004 and won two Hazfi Cup titles, also playing ...

''(Footballer)'' *

Shoja Khalilzadeh Shojae Khalilzadeh (; born 14 May 1989) is an Iranian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Persian Gulf Pro League club Tractor and Iran national team. He is known for his pace, artistic tackles and positional sense.خلیل‌زاده: از صعود نساجی خوشحالم
Dana ''(Footballer)''

References

External links

Official sitePersian LeagueF.C. Nassaji MazandaranF.C. Nassaji Mazandaran
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nassaji Mazandaran Football clubs in Iran Association football clubs established in 1959 Sport in Mazandaran province 1959 establishments in Iran Football clubs in Qaem Shahr