According to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), the Iranian Premier League ranked 37th in 2009 with 202.5 points and stood in the seventh place in Asia.
Japan (12th place), Saudi Arabia (16th), Uzbekistan (22nd), Malaysia (30th), South Korea (33rd) and Syria (35th) were ranked first to sixth in Asia.
Iranian clubs has not been successful in Asian cups in recent years. Three of the four Iranian clubs in AFC Champions League's last season failed to reach the second round while Persepolis was eliminated in the last 16 round.
Pas won the Asian Club Championship in the 1992-93 season to be the last Iranian football club winning an Asian title.
The English Premier League was named the strongest league in the world by the IFFHS, followed by Brazil, Argentina, Germany and Spain's leagues.
The world's strongest leagues in 2009
01. England 616 points
02. Brazil 602
03. Argentina 515
04. Germany 493
05. Spain 488
06. Italy408
07. France 396
08. Chile 328
09. Ukraine 324
10. Paraguay 312
11. Uruguay 301.5
12. Japan 294
13. Turkey292
14. Colombia291.5
15. Peru 290
16. Saudi Arabia 288
17. México287.5
18. Netherlands 280
19. Ecuador 276
20. Portugal 272