1. They are known as “Team Melli,” by their fans.
2. They play in white, but most importantly their shirt is emblazoned with a cheetah.
3. They're the highest ranked Asian team in the official FIFA rankings, at 37.
4. Iran has never made it out of the group stages at the World Cup, but qualified in 1978, 1998 and 2006.
5. The fans of the team are very passionate, with the Azadi Stadium in Tehran regularly selling out its 91,000 capacity.
6. Iran's final qualifying victory came just three days after the election of reform-minded president Hassan Rouhani, with celebrations for both sporting and political success.
7. They have struggled to play many friendlies in preparation for the World Cup.
8. Iran's best player of all time is Ali Daei, who played 149 matches while scoring 109 times.
9. Their manager is Carlos Queiroz, ex-Manager of Real Madrid and Portugal.
10. Javad Nekounam has been a key player in qualifying, scoring 6 times in 14 games on the way to Brazil.
11. The Iranian team were given socks that shrunk in the wash.
