Iran defeats Taipei at the 2026 U17 World Volleyball Championship

During the friendly tournament in Ufa, the Iranian national team lost to Belarus with a score of 3:2 on Saturday. The final match score was 25-21, 22-25, 21-25, 25-23, 7-15.

Prior to this, Iran had already lost to the Russian team with a score of 3:1, but in the first two games of the tournament, they won against Cuba with a score of 3:0.

The team managed by Roberto Piazza is using this tournament as part of its preparation for the 2026 Asian Games. At these Games, Iran is placed in Group B along with Indonesia, Thailand, and Kyrgyzstan.

The men's volleyball tournament at the 2026 Asian Games will be the twentieth edition of the event. It is organized by the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) together with the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and will take place in Aichi, Japan, from September 27 to October 3.

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.

The schedule for the Iranian men's national handball team at the 2026 Asian Games, which will be held in Nagoya, Japan, has been confirmed.

The handball competitions are scheduled from September 19 to September 29. Iran has been placed in Group B alongside regional powers such as South Korea, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Kazakhstan.

Iran faces a challenging group and will begin its campaign with a match against Kuwait on September 19. Following this, the team will play games against Bahrain, South Korea, and Kazakhstan in the remaining group stage matches.

Iran's Group Stage Schedule

According to the schedule, a match between Iran and Kuwait will take place on September 19. On September 21, Iran will play against Bahrain. A match between Iran and South Korea is planned for September 22, and on September 23, it will be Iran versus Kazakhstan.

The Iranian team will participate in four matches over five days, making the depth of the squad and recovery particularly important in the fight for a playoff spot. Considering that strong teams like South Korea, Bahrain, and Kuwait are in the group, Iran anticipates a difficult challenge in Nagoya, aiming to make a strong impression at the 2026 Asian Games.