Persian Gulf Premier League to kick off on Aug. 14
The 2026-27 Persian Gulf Premier League (PGPL) season will kick off on Aug. 14, the League Organization of the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) announced.
The full fixture list for the upcoming campaign will be unveiled during a draw ceremony at Tehran’s Olympic Hotel on Tuesday.
The new season will feature 18 teams, an expansion of two clubs from the previous edition. The decision was made after last season was declared null and void with seven rounds of matches remaining because of a military conflict between Iran and a U.S.-Israeli coalition, which began on Feb. 28. As a result, no teams were relegated, offering a lifeline to Zob Ahan and Mes Rafsanjan, both of which were in the relegation zone when the season was abandoned.
Nassaji Mazandaran won the Azadegan League title last week to return to the top flight after spending one season in the second tier.
Mes Shahr-e Babak, meanwhile, finished runner-up to Nassaji to secure promotion and will make its Persian Gulf Premier League debut this season.
Esteghlal and Tractor occupied the top two places in the standings when the league was halted and will represent Iran in the new AFC Champions League Elite.
Esteghlal is expected to receive a direct place in the league phase of Asia’s premier club competition, while Tractor will have to secure its berth through the qualifying playoffs.
For only the second time in the league’s 26-season history, every top-flight club will begin the campaign with an Iranian head coach.
The only previous instance came during the pandemic-affected 2020-21 season. The preceding campaign had begun with seven foreign managers across the league’s 16 clubs, but COVID-19, travel restrictions, and mounting financial problems triggered a mass exodus.