Iran National Paintball League
The Iran National Paintball League (INPL) is a domestic paintball competition in Iran. Archived Iran Paintball Association records document men's divisions, women's competition, league regulations and national-team selection, while later league publications record national rounds during the 2020s.[1][2][3]
The league has used different divisional arrangements over time. Its records distinguish individual round results from overall season championships.[1][4][5]
History
Early documented competition
An association report described the opening event of the Iranian calendar year 1390 as the first round of the league's third year. Held in Gilan Province, it included eight teams in the premier division and twelve in the lower division. Datam defeated Datis Tehran in the premier final on 18 Shahrivar 1390 (9 September 2011).[1]
The report's description of a third year establishes an earlier competition history but does not identify a precise founding date.[1]
Men's and women's competition in 1390
The second men's round and first women's round took place together in Babolsar, Mazandaran Province, from 14 to 16 December 2011.[2]
| Position | Men's first division | Men's second division | Women's competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Datis | Diako | Datis |
| 2nd | Hype | Soheil | Javidan |
| 3rd | Persian Legend Two | Tornado | Roham Babolsar |
Source: Iran Paintball Association.[2]
The women's entry conditions required registration, identification cards and compliance with INPL Division 2 rules. This specified the rules used for the women's competition rather than placing its teams within the men's second-division standings.[6]
In February 2012, the Datis website identified its first team as the overall INPL champion for 1390 and named Hype as its opponent in the final.[4]
A Planet Eclipse report published on 27 February independently recorded Datis securing the overall championship. It also reported Diako winning Division 2 and promotion to Division 1, while Datis Girls won the women's cup and the women's 1390 title. The report described 26 teams across three divisions at the combined event.[5]
Financial difficulties in 2012
On 25 August 2012, the association announced that it could not stage the league under its existing financial arrangements. The notice cited losses in previous years, operating costs and exchange-rate increases.[7]
It published projected income and expenditure and proposed changes to entry fees and paintball prices as a possible means of balancing the competition's finances.[7]
Restart proposals and the 1393 programme
A September 2013 announcement proposed restarting INPL after reviewing its earlier difficulties. The proposed structure used an iBall format, weekly competition and a maximum of two games on each match day. It also stated that leading players would be invited to a national-team training camp.[8]
For 1393, the association announced that eight approved teams would enter the premier league. It stated that it would not initially operate Division 2 that year and would consider further arrangements during the second half of the year.[9]
An association report preserved in November 2014 described seven rounds over seven months, involving eight teams from Tehran, Alborz, Qazvin, Kerman, Isfahan and Khorasan Razavi provinces. It named Datis as champion, Ariaman as runner-up and Griffin third.[10]
2024 season
The 2024 INPL season corresponded to the Iranian calendar year 1403. Three rounds were completed in Bandar Abbas, Rasht and Mashhad. Each round's results report recorded sixteen men's teams and five women's teams.[3][20][21]
| Event | Dates | Venue | Men's premier winner | Men's second-division winner | Women's winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 INPL Round 1 | May 2024; scheduled for 7–10 May | Singo Paintball Club, Bandar Abbas | Datis Tehran | Singo BND | Singo Bandar Abbas |
| 2024 INPL Round 2 | 18–21 June 2024 | Belona Paintball Club, Rasht | Datis Tehran | Singo BND | Datis Tehran |
| 2024 INPL Round 3 | 24–27 September 2024 | Spad Paintball Club, Mashhad | Datis Tehran | Datis veterans | Datis Tehran |
Sources: contemporary first-round reporting and the league's second- and third-round results announcements.[3][20][21] The opening round's advertised dates were 7–10 May; the contemporary results report confirms that it took place in May.[20][22]
Datis won all three completed men's premier rounds. Sajjad Patoui of Mashhad also won the men's individual ranking competition at each round.[3][20][21]
The league published its final men's standings on 25 February 2025. The leading three teams in each division were:[23]
| Division | Position | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's premier | 1 | Datis Tehran | 300 |
| 2 | Spad | 248 | |
| 3 | Amertat | 210 | |
| Men's second division | 1 | Singo Bandar | 285 |
| 2 | Datis Old School | 270 | |
| 3 | Singo Persian Gulf | 195 |
Singo BND and Datis Old School earned promotion to the premier division. Datis Shemiranat and Persian Gulf Two, seventh and eighth respectively in the premier standings, were relegated to the second division.[23]
The second- and third-round results described the Datis second-division entry as the veterans team; the final standings used the name Datis Old School.[3][21][23]
A fourth round had been proposed for Bafq from 19 to 22 November 2024, conditional on suitable tournament paintballs being available. The February 2025 announcement confirmed that the season had ended after three rounds because suitable paintballs were unavailable. With the final round not held, trophies, medals and certificates would be sent to the leading teams' managers.[3][23]
For the complete published men's tables and round podiums, see 2024 INPL season.
2025 season
The 2025 INPL season corresponded to the Iranian calendar year 1404. Documented rounds took place in Mashhad in May and October 2025.[11][12][13]
The organiser scheduled the opening round for 13–16 May at Spad Paintball Club, Saran Sports Complex. An IRIB report published on 15 May confirmed that the women's and individual events had concluded while men's divisional competition continued until 16 May.[11][12]
Datis Tehran won the opening men's premier competition, with Phoenix Tehran second. The women's podium was Datis Tehran, Spad Mashhad and Arya Mashhad. Shahrad Sharifi won the men's individual event.[12][14]
The second round took place from 21 to 24 October 2025. The federation reported twenty teams across three team divisions, comprising fifteen men's teams and five women's teams.[13][15]
Datis Tehran again won the men's premier and women's competitions. Maxfit Bandar Abbas won the men's second division, while Milad Rashidi won the men's individual event.[13]
These are verified round results rather than an aggregate season championship table.
Organisation and competition structure
Historical INPL notices and results were published by the Iran Paintball Association. The association administered entry requirements and published league schedules, rules and financial notices.[1][6][7][9]
The divisional structure has changed. Records from 1390 describe two men's divisions and a separate women's competition, while the initial 1393 programme provided for eight premier teams without an association-run Division 2 at that stage.[2][9]
The 1403 programme specified five-player electronic team competition. The men's premier format used a fifteen-minute limit and six-point mercy rule; the second division and women's competition used ten-minute limits and four-point mercy rules.[22]
At the conclusion of 1403, the league announced that the following season's premier division would retain eight teams, while the second division would accept new entries alongside returning teams.[23]
The 2025 opening programme announced a closed men's premier division of eight teams and an open-entry second division. It provided for the bottom two premier teams to be relegated and the leading two second-division teams to be promoted at the end of the season. The announced men's premier, second-division and women's time limits and mercy rules matched those specified in the 1403 programme.[11][22]
National-team selection
The September 2013 restart announcement proposed inviting leading league players to a national-team camp.[8]
The association's 2014 report described assessing players across the eight premier teams, inviting twenty to a camp and selecting ten for the national squad.[10]
The federation's October 2025 event report also described the technical committee identifying leading competitors for invitations to national-team training camps.[13]
Women's competition
The first women's league round recorded in the association's recovered 1390 results took place in Babolsar in December 2011. Datis won, followed by Javidan and Roham Babolsar.[2]
Datis Girls subsequently received the women's championship for 1390, as reported by Planet Eclipse in February 2012.[5]
The opening women's league round of 1391 took place in Tehran on 17 May 2012. Seven teams represented five provinces. Datis Alborz finished first, Javidan Tehran second and Titan Qazvin third.[16]
Five women's teams participated at each completed round of the 2024 season. Singo Bandar Abbas won the opening round, while Datis Tehran won the second and third rounds.[3][20][21]
In a retrospective published on 23 September 2025, the Datis organisation described its women's team as the overall champions for 2024.[24]
Five women's teams also participated at the second national round in October 2025, which Datis Tehran won.[13]
For the broader history of women's leagues, provincial events and international participation, see Women's paintball in Iran.
Documented season championships
| Season | Competition | Champion | Runner-up | Third |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1390 (2011–2012) | Men's first division | Datis | — | — |
| 1390 (2011–2012) | Women's championship | Datis Girls | — | — |
| 1393 (2014–2015) | Premier league | Datis | Ariaman | Griffin |
| 1403 (2024) | Men's premier division | Datis Tehran | Spad | Amertat |
| 1403 (2024) | Men's second division | Singo Bandar | Datis Old School | Singo Persian Gulf |
Sources: Datis's championship report, Planet Eclipse, the association's premier league report and INPL's final 1403 standings.[4][5][10][23] Dashes indicate that the cited season reports do not establish those placings.
Datis's claim to the women's 2024 overall title is attributed separately above; the cited final 1403 league table covers the two men's divisions.[23][24]
Season and event articles
2024
2025
Media coverage
The league has published announcements and results through Instagram and Telegram. Its public channel also links to recorded matches.[11][15][17]
YouTube coverage of the 2025 opening round includes Division 1 preliminary matches dated 15 May and Division 2 preliminary matches dated 14 May.[18][19]
See also
- Iranian paintball
- Paintball in Iran
- Iran Paintball Association
- Women's paintball in Iran
- Datis (Iran Paintball Team)
- Datis Girls (Iran Paintball Team)
- Paintball League Middle East
- Paintball Asia League Series
References
- Iran Paintball Association, opening round of the third national league year, 1390, archived 10 October 2011. Persian.
- Iran Paintball Association, national league results for Azar 1390, archived 19 January 2012. Persian.
- Iranian National Paintball League, third-round results for 1403 and proposed final-round programme, September 2024. Persian.
- Datis Paintball, February 2012 INPL championship report, archived 8 April 2012.
- Planet Eclipse, “Datis make it a clean sweep!”, 27 February 2012.
- Iran Paintball Association, women's league participation conditions, 9 Azar 1390, archived 5 February 2012. Persian.
- Iran Paintball Association, INPL cancellation and financial notice, 25 August 2012, archived 30 August 2012. Persian.
- Team Antimatter, reproduction of the Iran Paintball Association's INPL restart announcement, September 2013. Persian.
- Iran Paintball Association, premier league programme for 1393, archived 7 April 2014. Persian.
- Iran Paintball Association, premier league and national-team report, archived 15 November 2014. Persian.
- Iranian National Paintball League, 1404 opening-round announcement, competition structure and second-round notice. Persian.
- IRIB News Agency, opening women's and men's individual results, 15 May 2025. Persian.
- Iran Sport for All Federation, second national league round in Mashhad: venue, participation and results. Persian.
- Tehran Sport for All board, report from the Tehran provincial paintball committee on first-round national league results for 1404. Persian.
- Iranian National Paintball League, men's second-round results and playing dates, 31 October 2025. Persian.
- Iran Paintball Association, first women's league round of 1391, held 17 May 2012, archived 24 May 2012. Persian.
- Iranian National Paintball League, public announcements and match coverage links. Persian.
- Iranian National Paintball League, 2025 first-round Division 1 preliminary match recording, 15 May.
- Iranian National Paintball League, 2025 first-round Division 2 preliminary match recording, 14 May.
- Sobhe Sahel, “Hormozgan women take the championship podium”, first-round results, 25 May 2024. Persian.
- Iranian National Paintball League, second-round results and completed event dates for 1403, June 2024. Persian.
- Iranian National Paintball League, 1403 competition programme and opening-round announcement. Persian.
- Iranian National Paintball League, final men's standings for 1403, promotion and relegation, and confirmation that the season ended after three rounds, 25 February 2025. Persian.
- Datis, women's team retrospective captioned “Overall champions 2024”, 23 September 2025. Persian and English.