Iran men's national volleyball team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Iran

Nickname(s)	Shiran parsi, Princes of lran, lranian tall men
Association	IRIVF
Confederation	AVC
Head coach	Roberto Piazza
FIVB ranking	10 (as of September 2014)
Uniforms
Home 　 Away
Summer Olympics
Appearances	2 (First in 2016)
Best result	5th (2016)
World Championship
Appearances	8 (First in 1970)
Best result	6th (2014)
FIVB World Cup
Appearances	4 (First in 1991)
Best result	8th (2015, 2019)
Asian Championship
Appearances	20 (First in 1979)
Best result	(2011, 2013, 2019, 2021)
Website	volleyball.ir

The Iran men's national volleyball team is the official team that represents Iran in international volleyball. It is managed by the Iran Volleyball Federation (I.R.I.V.F.). The team is known by nicknames like "Shiran Parsi" (Persian Lions) and "Princes of Iran."

Iran's volleyball team is one of the top teams in the world. As of September 11, 2022, they were ranked 7th globally by FIVB. They are considered the best team in Asia.

The national team has won the Asian Men's Volleyball Championship four times. These victories happened in 2011, 2013, 2019, and 2021.

Iran joined the World League in 2013 and quickly became a strong competitor. In the 2014 World League, they finished fourth. They beat strong teams like Brazil, Italy, and Poland during that tournament.

The team has also competed in the FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship eight times. Their best result was 6th place in 2014. In that championship, Iran won many matches, only losing to France.

Iran has won the gold medal at the Asian Games three times. They defeated Japan in 2014 and again in 2018. In 2018, they also beat South Korea to secure the gold. They won gold again in 2022.

The Iranian team made history by qualifying for the Olympic Games for the first time in 2016. They were the top-ranked Asian team at the World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Japan. At the 2016 Olympics, Iran finished in 5th place.

Team History and Achievements

The story of Iran's national volleyball team began around 1942. That's when Alireza Beiranvand introduced volleyball rules to Iran. During World War II, Iranian players even had friendly matches with soldiers from other countries.

In 1958, the national men's team from Pakistan visited Tehran for friendly games. Iran's national team then played in its first international competition at the 1958 Asian Games. They earned a silver medal there.

Tournament Records

Olympic Games Performance

Olympic Games record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	GP	MW	ML	SW	SL	Squad		GP	MW	ML	SW	SL
1964	Did not participate or Did not qualify									6	2	4	10	12
1968										Did not participate or Did not qualify
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004										7	4	3	13	11
2008										7	2	5	11	16
2012										7	5	2	16	9
2016	Quarterfinals	5th place	6	2	4	8	12	Squad	7	6	1	18	11
2020	Preliminary round	9th place	5	2	3	9	11	Squad	8	7	1	21	7
2024	Did not qualify								7	1	6	7	19
2028	Future event								Future event
2032
Total	2/16		11	4	7	17	23	—	49	27	22	96	85

World Championship Performance

World Championship record Qualification record Year Round Position GP MW ML SW SL Squad GP MW ML SW SL 1949 Did not participate Did not participate 1952 1956 1960 1962 1966 1970 17th–24th places 21st place 11 4 7 16 24 Squad Qualification via Asian Games 1974 Did not participate Did not participate 1978 1982 Did not qualify Qualification via Asian Championship 1986 Did not participate Did not participate 1990 Did not qualify Qualification via Asian Championship 1994 4 1 3 3 9 1998 First round 19th place 3 0 3 0 9 Squad 2 1 1 3 4 2002 Did not participate Did not participate 2006 First round 21st place 5 0 5 2 15 Squad 3 3 0 9 0 2010 First round 19th place 3 1 2 5 7 Squad 6 5 1 16 7 2014 5th place match 6th place 12 7 5 26 21 Squad 3 3 0 9 0 2018 Second round 13th place 8 4 4 14 16 Squad 4 4 0 12 0 2022 Round of 16 13th place 4 2 2 7 9 Squad Qualification via Asian Championship 2025 Qualified Total 8/20 46 18 28 70 101 — 22 17 5 52 20

Asian Championship Performance

     Champions       Runners up       Third place       Fourth place

Asian Championship record
Year	Round	Position	GP	MW	ML	SW	SL	Squad
1975	Did not participate
1979	Classification 5th–8th	6th place	6	3	3	12	10	Squad
1983	Did not participate
1987	9th place match	10th place	7	4	3	13	12	Squad
1989	7th place match	8th place	8	3	5	11	15	Squad
1991	7th place match	7th place	7	3	4	11	14	Squad
1993	5th place match	5th place	7	4	3	12	11	Squad
1995	Championship	4th place	7	4	3	12	13	Squad
1997	Classification 5th–8th	6th place	5	2	3	8	11	Squad
1999	Classification 5th–8th	5th place	6	4	2	13	10	Squad
2001	5th place match	5th place	6	4	2	14	10	Squad
2003	Championship	3rd place	7	5	2	16	12	Squad
2005	5th place match	6th place	5	3	2	12	10	Squad
2007	Championship	5th place	9	5	4	17	18	Squad
2009	Final	Runners-up	8	7	1	22	10	Squad
2011	Final	Champions	8	8	0	24	2	Squad
2013	Final	Champions	7	7	0	21	1	Squad
2015	Final	Runners-up	8	6	2	20	9	Squad
2017	5th place match	5th place	8	6	2	20	10	Squad
2019	Final	Champions	8	7	1	22	4	Squad
2021	Final	Champions	7	7	0	21	1	Squad
2023	Final	Runners-up	5	4	1	12	4	Squad
Total	4 Titles	20/22	139	96	43	313	187	—

Asian Games Performance

     Champions       Runners up       Third place       Fourth place

Asian Games record
Year	Round	Position	GP	MW	ML	SW	SL	Squad
1958	Round-robin	Runners-up	4	3	1	9	6	Squad
1962	Did not participate
1966	Final round	3rd place	8	5	3	16	14	Squad
1970	Round-robin	5th place	7	3	4	11	14	Squad
1974	3rd place match	4th place	5	2	3	7	9	Squad
1978	Did not participate
1982
1986
1990
1994	5th place match	5th place	9	5	4	16	16	Squad
1998	Did not participate
2002	Final	Runners-up	6	4	2	12	10	Squad
2006	5th place match	6th place	3	1	2	6	7	Squad
2010	Final	Runners-up	9	8	1	25	4	Squad
2014	Final	Champions	8	8	0	24	2	Squad
2018	Final	Champions	5	5	0	15	0	Squad
2022	Final	Champions	5	5	0	15	2	Volleyball at the 2022 Asian Games – Men#Squad
2026	Future event
2030
2034
Total	3 Titles	11/17	69	49	20	156	84	—

Results and Fixtures

A Team Matches

Date	Location	Competition	Opponent	Result
2025
11 Jun	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	2025 Nations League	BRA	0–3 L
12 Jun			USA	2–3 L
13 Jun			SLO	2–3 L
15 Jun			UKR	3–2 W
25 Jun	Belgrade, Serbia		SRB	3–1 W
27 Jun			ARG	3–1 W
28 Jun			GER	1–3 L
29 Jun			NED	3–2 W
16 Jul	Gdańsk, Poland		POL	2–3 L
17 Jul			CHN	3–0 W
19 Jul			FRA	0–3 L
20 Jul			BUL	3–0 W
14 Sep	Pasay, Philippines	2025 World Championship	EGY
16 Sep			TUN
18 Sep			PHI

B Team Matches

Date	Location	Competition	Opponent	Result
2025
29 May	Fergana, Uzbekistan	2025 CAVA Nations League	IND	3–1 W
30 May			TKM	3–1 W
31 May			UZB	3–0 W
2 Jun			KAZ	3–0 W
3 Jun			PAK	3–1 W
4 Jun			IND	3–0 W

Team Roster

Current Squad Members

This is the team that represented Iran at the 2024 FIVB Volleyball Men's Nations League.

• Head coach: Mauricio Motta Paes

No.	Name	Date of birth	Height	Weight	Spike	Block	2024 club
1	Mahdi Jelveh	21 May 2001	2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)	85 kg (187 lb)	390 cm (150 in)	345 cm (136 in)	Olympiacos Piraeus
2	Milad Ebadipour (C)	17 October 1993	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)	90 kg (200 lb)	358 cm (141 in)	340 cm (130 in)	KS Norwid Częstochowa
5	Amir Hossein Toukhteh	9 April 2001	2.03 m (6 ft 8 in)	79 kg (174 lb)	373 cm (147 in)	354 cm (139 in)	Haraz Amol
7	Shahrooz Homayonfarmanesh	18 December 1989	1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)	85 kg (187 lb)	325 cm (128 in)	320 cm (130 in)
8	Mohammad Reza Hazratpour	31 March 1999	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)	87 kg (192 lb)	300 cm (120 in)	290 cm (110 in)
8	Mohammad Reza Moazzen	20 September 1991	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)	75 kg (165 lb)	292 cm (115 in)	281 cm (111 in)
11	Mohammad Barbast	14 February 2002	2.05 m (6 ft 9 in)	90 kg (200 lb)	375 cm (148 in)	345 cm (136 in)	CS Dinamo București
12	Amir Hossein Esfandiar	24 January 1999	2.06 m (6 ft 9 in)	95 kg (209 lb)	355 cm (140 in)	348 cm (137 in)	Tianjin Food Group
14	Poriya Hossein Khanzadeh	1 July 2004	2.02 m (6 ft 8 in)	90 kg (200 lb)	375 cm (148 in)	355 cm (140 in)	Cucine Lube Civitanova
15	Aliasghar Mojarad	30 October 1997	2.03 m (6 ft 8 in)	90 kg (200 lb)	330 cm (130 in)	310 cm (120 in)	CS Rapid București
17	Amin Esmaeilnejad	17 December 1996	2.02 m (6 ft 8 in)	93 kg (205 lb)	365 cm (144 in)	344 cm (135 in)	PGE Skra Bełchatów
18	Mohammad Taher Vadi	10 October 1989	1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)	72 kg (159 lb)	329 cm (130 in)	315 cm (124 in)	Foolad Sirjan
21	Meisam Salehi	17 November 1998	1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)	89 kg (196 lb)	383 cm (151 in)	355 cm (140 in)	Fenerbahçe
24	Javad Karimi	1 March 1998	2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)	104 kg (229 lb)	330 cm (130 in)	310 cm (120 in)	Minas Tênis Clube
25	Mobin Nasri	7 January 2003	2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)	82 kg (181 lb)	373 cm (147 in)	355 cm (140 in)	Warta Zawiercie
49	Morteza Sharifi	27 May 1999	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)	83 kg (183 lb)	340 cm (130 in)	320 cm (130 in)	Galatasaray S.K.

Team Coaches

Here is a list of the head coaches for Iran's national volleyball team.

Iran volleyball team members in June 2015

A Team Head Coaches

Name	From	To	notes
Sardar Nasrollahkhan	1958		1958 Asian Games Runners-up
Fereydoon Sharifzadeh	1958	1963
Hossein Jabbarzadegan	1964	1966	1966 Asian Games 3rd place
Miloslav Ejem	1970	1972
Tadaee Korada	1974		1974 Asian Games 4th place
Park Sung	1979
Yadollah Kargarpisheh	1979	1981
Farough Fakhredini	1987
Masoud Salehieh	1987	1989
Hossein Ali Mehranpour	1989	1991
Mohammad Heidarkhan	1991
Bugajenkovs, IvansIvans Bugajenkovs	1991	1993	Acted as head coach from 1991 to 1993 and as the general technical manager of all age groups from 1991 to 2007.
Fumihiko Matsumoto	1994
Masoud Salehieh	1995		1995 Asian Championship 4th place
Mehdi Saberpour	1997
Fumihiko Matsumoto	1998
Mostafa Karkhaneh	1999	2001
Hossein Ali Mehranpour	2001
Ki-won, ParkPark Ki-won	2002	2005	2002 Asian Games Runners-up 2003 Asian Championship 3rd place
Milorad Kijac	2006
Gajić, ZoranZoran Gajić	2007	2008
Maadani, HosseinHossein Maadani	2008	2010	2008 Asian Cup Champions 2009 Asian Championship Runners-up 2010 Asian Cup Champions 2010 Asian Games Runners-up
Velasco, JulioJulio Velasco	2011	2014	2011 Asian Championship Champions 2013 Asian Championship Champions 2013 World Grand Champions Cup 4th place
Kovač, SlobodanSlobodan Kovač	2014	2015	2014 World League 4th place 2014 World Championship 6th place 2014 Asian Games Champions
Lozano, RaúlRaúl Lozano	2016		2016 Olympic Games 5th place
Kolaković, IgorIgor Kolaković	2017	2020	2017 World Grand Champions Cup 3rd place 2018 Asian Games Champions 2019 Nations League 5th place 2019 Asian Championship Champions 2020 Olympic Games Qualification
Alekno, VladimirVladimir Alekno	2020	2021	2020 Olympic Games 9th place
Ataei, BehrouzBehrouz Ataei	2021	2023	2021 Asian Championship Champions 2023 Asian Championship Runners-up 2022 Asian Games Champions
Paes, MaurícioMaurício Paes	2024
Akbari, PeymanPeyman Akbari	2024
Piazza, RobertoRoberto Piazza	2024

Technical Staff

Position	Name
Head Coach	Italy Roberto Piazza
Assistant Coach	Italy Tomaso Tuttolo
Assistant Coach
	Iran Peyman Akbari
	Iran Abdolreza Alizadeh
	Iran Reza Tondravan
Supervisor	Iran Amir Khoshkhabar
Bodybuilder	Italy Giovanni Rossi
Physiotherapist	Iran Ali Haddadi
Massager	Iran Mohammad Naser Noghre Permosaei
Analyzer	Iran Amin Shakeri

Home Stadiums

The team plays its home matches at several stadiums. These include Azadi Indoor Stadium, Azadi Volleyball Hall, Rezazadeh Stadium, and Ghadir Stadium.

Azadi Indoor Stadium with Iranian fans

Rezazadeh Stadium during the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Men's Nations League

Team Sponsors

Kit Providers

The table below shows the companies that have provided uniforms for the Iran national volleyball team.

Main Sponsors

The team has several important sponsors. These include major companies like MCI and Tourism Bank. Other sponsors are Refah Stores and Roamer.

See also

In Spanish: Selección de voleibol de Irán para niños