Iran defeats Cuba in friendly match in Ufa

As part of the friendly tournament in Ufa on Friday, the Russian team defeated Iran with a score of 3:1. The set scores were 25-16, 23-25, 25-20, 25-22.

Russia defeated Iran in friendly match in Ufa

The leaders in points scored for the Russian national team were Anton Semeshchev, who scored 14 points, and Dmitry Lyzik, who earned 12 points, including five blocks.

The head coach of Russia, Konstantin Bryansky, noted that the match was exciting. He stated: 'It was an impressive experience—it was great to play such an interesting international match.' The coach added that the loss in the second set was mainly due to frequent player substitutions. Despite playing for the result, he was satisfied with the team, emphasizing that they are only at about 60 percent of their peak form but will continue to improve.

Earlier that day, Cuba defeated Belarus with a score of 3:1 (23-25, 25-22, 27-25, 25-21). Roberto Piazza's team will face Cuba on Saturday.

Iran defeated Pakistan in the 2026 U17 Men's Volleyball World Cup match held in Doha, Qatar, on Friday. The victory was achieved in three sets with scores of 25-23, 25-22, and 25-18.

In the match, Sina Hazrati and Arash Ashrafi scored 16 points each for Iran, while Muhammad Walid Khan scored seven points for Pakistan.

Previously, Iran confidently beat Algeria 3-0 in its opening match and will face Taipei from China on Sunday.

The competition gathered 24 top youth volleyball teams from around the world in Doha, Qatar, from August 19 to 29. This tournament provides young athletes with an important opportunity to gain international experience and establish themselves as future sports stars.

Iran is aiming for deep progression in the tournament. The Iranian U17 team, coached by Arash Sadeghiani, was placed in Group E along with Algeria, Taipei from China, and Pakistan.

The 24 teams are divided into six groups of four teams, with the top two teams from each group automatically advancing to the Round of 16. Additionally, four teams finishing third will also advance to the playoffs, making every preliminary round match critically important for determining the knockout stage lineup.

Iran has traditionally achieved significant success in age-group volleyball, so participation in the U17 World Cup holds special significance for them. Italy won the first tournament in 2024, defeating Argentina in the final, and now Iran seeks to challenge the strongest teams and secure a spot on the medal podium.