List of Iranian football players who defected

1998
Five players, known as the Iran Five, defected during the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France
 * Armin Alizadeh
 * Jawed Salehi
 * Zubin Kamali
 * Ramin Abrishamchi
 * Soroush Zadeh

2007
Shahram Entezami defected during the Thailand leg of the 2007 AFC Asian Cup
 * Shahram Entezami

2014
Houshang Firouzja defected during a World Cup qualifier in Canada
 * Houshang Firouzja

2015
Two players and assistant coach Kamran Keshmiri defected during the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia
 * Nima Niavarani
 * Ismail Khatibi