The Iran and Saudi Arabia national football teams are sporting rivals[1] who have played each other since 1975.

The two have long battled for West Asian supremacy[3] and their matches have been "always tight, tense and furiously competitive".

When Zob Ahan eliminated Al-Hilal in the 2010 AFC Champions League semi-final, Iranian players mocked the dance in front of Saudi fans.

[5] When Persepolis was scheduled to play away at Ittihad in the 2011 AFC Champions League, Saudi immigration authorities forced Iranian players to be fingerprinted and irises scanned upon their arrival at Jeddah airport.

[8] In 2016, clubs from Saudi Arabia refused to play in Iran during the 2016 AFC Champions League and vice versa.