FACTBOX-Soccer-Iran at the Asian Cup

Factbox on Iran ahead of the Asian Cup, which takes place in the United Arab Emirates from Jan 5 to Feb 1:

FIFA world ranking: 29

Ranking in Asia: 1

Previous Asian Cups: 13

Best performance: Champions (1968, 1972, 1976)

2015: Quarter-finals

Nickname: Team Melli

Coach: Carlos Queiroz

Regular captain: Masoud Shojaei

Player to watch: Sardar Azmoun

Recent form:

Sept 11 Uzbekistan 0-1 Iran Tashkent

Oct 16 Iran 2-1 Bolivia Tehran

Nov 15 Iran 1-0 Trinidad and Tobago Tehran

Nov 20 Iran 1-1 Venezuela Doha

Dec 24 Palestine 1-1 Iran Doha

Fixtures:

Group D

Jan 7 Iran v Yemen Abu Dhabi

Jan 12 Vietnam v Iran Abu Dhabi

Jan 16 Iran v Iraq Dubai

Turmoil and uncertainty have become the norm around Iran's national team, but Carlos Queiroz will look to push aside the distractions to end the country's 43-year Asian Cup title drought.

Iran last won Asian football's most coveted trophy in 1976, when they completed the third of three consecutive championship wins that mark the country out as one of continent's most successful ever.

But for all their achievements since that last triumph -- a resume that includes five World Cup appearances and three gold medals at the Asian Games -- the title the football-mad nation hankers after most has continued to prove elusive. (Compiled by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by John O'Brien)