Iran concluded its participation in the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, achieving sixth place. The team won 19 gold, 18 silver, and 15 bronze medals, bringing the total medal count to 52.
Iran rises to sixth place at the 2026 Asian Games
Iran's last gold medal was secured dramatically on Saturday when the men's volleyball team defeated Japan 3–1 in the final. This victory secured Iran's fourth consecutive Asian Games volleyball title and brought the country its 19th gold medal of the competition. Amin Esmailnejad led the Iranian team in the final, scoring 22 points.
Wrestling was one of the main sources of Iran's gold medals. Younes Emami won the title in the men's freestyle 74 kg category after defeating Yoshinosuke Aoyagi from Japan 9–5 in the final. Emami's victory became Iran's 17th gold medal at that time.
Shortly after, Amirali Azarpira added another gold medal in wrestling in the men's freestyle 97 kg category. Azarpira dominated Sherzod Poyonov from Uzbekistan with a score of 10–0 in the final, winning Iran's 18th gold medal.
Previously, two golds were won by freestyle athletes Mohammad Nohodi in the 86 kg category and Amirhossein Zare in the 125 kg category. Additionally, in Greco-Roman wrestling, Alireza Abdeval and Amin Mirzazadeh secured two gold medals for the Iranian team in the 77 kg and 130 kg categories, respectively.
Iran's success was not limited to wrestling. Aryan Salimi won a gold medal in Taekwondo in the men's +80 kg category, defeating Marat Mavlonov from Uzbekistan 2–0 in the final. His triumph became Iran's 16th gold medal at the Games. Earlier, Sagar Moradi had already won a title in women's Taekwondo in the 67 kg category, bringing another gold to Iran in this sport.
Other significant Iranian medalists in weightlifting include Ali Davoudi, who took gold in the men's 110 kg category, and Ali Alipour in the men's 95 kg category.
The Kurash athlete Majid Vahid Barimanlou won a gold medal in the men's minus 66 kg category. Iran also received medals in sports disciplines such as climbing, padel, kabaddi, boxing, fencing, gymnastics, canoe sprint, shooting, basketball 3x3, and climbing.
Kimia Zarei and Zeinab Noruzi won a gold medal in women's double lightweight rowing, and Fatemeh Mojallal won gold in women's single lightweight rowing. Mohammadreza Taebi in shot put, Mortezah and Mahmoud Nemati in Karate, Iranian esports, and Soheil Mousavi in Wushu also won gold medals at the Games.
With a total of 19 gold, 18 silver, and 15 bronze medals, the Iranian delegation ranked among the leading teams at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Aichi. Although final results may change as remaining competitions conclude, the performances of athletes such as Younes Emami, Amirali Azarpira, Aryan Salimi, Sagar Moradi, Alireza Abdeval, Ali Davoudi, and the men's volleyball team have already made Iran's campaign one of the most significant in the country's Asian Games history.
At the top of the Asian Games medal table are China, Japan, and South Korea, occupying the first three positions with 169, 83, and 39 gold medals, respectively. China strengthened its lead with a large number of gold medals across numerous sports, while the host country Japan also showed impressive results. South Korea remains one of Asia's leading sporting powers.
Japan's strong performance made the host country one of the central themes of the Games. Its rivalry with China and South Korea was evident in several disciplines, while Iran continued to challenge the leading Asian powers in sports such as wrestling, volleyball, and taekwondo.
The victory of the Iranian men's volleyball team over Japan held particular significance as it not only brought another gold medal but also completed an undefeated run. Before the final, Iran defeated Kyrgyzstan, Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea, and Pakistan before overcoming Japan 3–1.
In the previous Games, Iran finished seventh, winning 13 gold, 21 silver, and 20 bronze medals.
