Foolad F.C.

Foolad Khuzestan Football Club (, Bāshgāh-e Futbāl-e Fulād-e Khuzestān) is an Iranian professional football club based in Ahvaz, Khuzestan, that plays in Persian Gulf Pro League. The club was founded in 1971 and is owned by Foolad Khuzestan Company. Foolad Khuzestan Football Club is considered the fourth-best club in the history of Iranian football, following Esteghlal, Persepolis, and Sepahan. Foolad secured its first Iranian league title in 2004 during the third season of the Persian Gulf Pro League. Foolad ranks as the fourth most decorated club in Iran; the club's major honors include two Persian Gulf Pro League titles (2004–05 and 2013–14 seasons), one Hazfi Cup title (2020–21), one Iranian Super Cup title (2021) and one runner-up finish (2005), as well as two Hazfi Cup runner-up finishes (1993 and 1996). The team has finished third in the league four times and boasts a record that includes six appearances in the AFC Champions League (Asia's top-tier competition) and one appearance in the Asian Cup Winners' Cup (Asia's second-tier competition, 1994–95 season). The club has won Iran Pro League twice, as well as a championship in the lower division, Azadegan League. In the 2004–05 season, Foolad became the champion of the fourth newly founded Iran Pro League (IPL), gaining a total of 64 points over 30 league matches. After several seasons, Foolad lost many of its key players through transfers and internal problems and also displayed a poor performance in the 2006 AFC Champions League. The club was subsequently relegated to the Azadegan League, second highest division in Iran at the end of 2006–07. However, Foolad was able to return to the IPL starting from the next season, 2008–09 Iran Pro League. Foolad won its second championship in the 2013–14 season. The club also won their first Hazfi Cup title in the...