The Takht Jamshid Cup was a national football

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 league

Sports league

League is a term commonly used to describe a group of sports teams or individual athletes that compete against each other in a specific sport. At its simplest, it may be a local group of amateur athletes who form teams among themselves and compete on weekends; at its most complex, it can be an...

 based in Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

 which lasted from 1973 to 1978.

History

In early 70s Iran, football had become a very popular sport and several local leagues existed in various cities. Eventually the football federation of the time decided that a national league with a format similar to that which European clubs followed was necessary. This led to the creation of the Takht Jamshid Cup. The name Jamshid

Jamshid

Jamshid is a mythological figure of Greater Iranian culture and tradition.In tradition and folklore, Jamshid is described as having been the fourth and greatest king of the epigraphically unattested Pishdadian dynasty . This role is already alluded to in Zoroastrian scripture Jamshid (Middle-...

 is an important party of ancient Iranian history, and the league was named as such to emphasize the greatness of the ancient Persians.

In 1973 the league officially started. The league followed a home and away format, with the club having the most points being declared champion. Most clubs involved in the league were connected to a government organization, but some clubs were privately owned (Persepolis F.C.). Addiontally clubs from all regions of Iran participated in the league. Persepolis became champions of the inaugural season of the league. The league was found to be very popular with fans and it continued functioning until the Iranian Revolution

Iranian Revolution

The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...

 which caused the league to shut down halfway through the season.

After the revolution, because of the Iran–Iraq War, a national league was not established until some time later, under a different name. The Takht Jamshid Cup, despite its short lifespan, can be considered the first national football league in Iran and was extremely influential in improving Iran's football.

Takht Jamshid Cup Champions

• 1973/74 Persepolis
• 1974/75 Taj 
• 1975/76 Persepolis
• 1976/77 Pas
• 1977/78 Pas 
• 1978/79 Not Completed Due to Revolution

Shahbaz F.C. was league leader when in autumn 1978 the season was canceled.