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Iran to play Venezuela before FIBA World Cup
Iran will face Venezuela in a friendly on Monday in the buildup to the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup.
The three-time Asian champion will face the South American team in the Chinese city of Jinjiang before leaving for Jakarta, Indonesia, to take part in the international basketball flagship event – also cohosted by Japan and the Philippines.
Iran will begin its Group G campaign with a game against Brazil next Saturday.
Hakan Demir’s men will take on Ivory Coast two days later before concluding the group fixtures against reigning world champion Spain on August 30.
Turkish coach Demir, who took charge of the team in May, will be looking to steer Iran to a maiden progress beyond the first-round group phase at the fourth time of asking.