Iran victorious over China in 2023 Volleyball Nations League
Iran emerged victorious over China in the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Men’s Nations League (VNL) Week 1 that was held in Japan.
In the first set, China beat Iran 25-23 but the Iranian players defeated the Chinese squad 25-15 in the second set, according to IRNA.
Behrouz Ataei’s men beat the rival 25-20 in the third set of the match.
Iranian volleyballers had their best performance in the fourth set, crushing Chinese players with a 25-14 win.
Iran started the prestigious campaign with a 3-0 loss against hosts Japan in Nagoya but delivered a great performance against Poland in its second match, though being defeated 3-2 against the world’s No.1.
A sum of 16 teams have qualified for the fifth edition of the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Men’s Nations League, with Tokyo 2020 gold medalists France trying to defend their title following a thrilling five-set win against the United States in Bologna, Italy, last summer.
The favorites to lift the trophy of the annual men’s international volleyball tournament also include 2021 winners Brazil, two-time runners-up USA (2019, 2022), reigning world and European champions Italy, and Poland, the current top-ranked team in the world.
After winning the 2022 Challenger Cup, Cuba has replaced Australia to become the latest addition to the tournament. Alongside Bulgaria, Canada, People’s Republic of China, the Netherlands and Slovenia, they are part of the six nations that could be relegated, unlike the remaining ten “core” teams.
Since the introduction of the VNL in 2018, Russia have won the first two editions after defeating France and the United States in the final.
In 2020, the tournament didn’t take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and when it resumed in 2021, Brazil and France secured the last two titles.
Gdańsk, Poland, will host the final round of the competition from July 6 to 23. The preliminary pool phase, consisting of 12 matches over three different weeks, is planned to be held in six cities: Ottawa (Canada), Nagoya (Japan), Rotterdam (the Netherlands), Orleans (France), Anaheim (US) and Pasay City (Philippines).