Asian Men’s U20 Volleyball Championship:
Iran looking to continue continental dominance
Iranian boys will be chasing a record-extending seventh title – third in succession – for the country at the Asian U20 Volleyball Championship, starting next Tuesday in Surabaya, Indonesia.
Head coach Gholamreza Mo’meni-Moqaddam’s side could be facing some tricky tests when taking on China, the Chinese Taipei, and Qatar in Pool B of the competition.
The 16-team event will serve as qualification for the 2025 World U21 Championship, with the top four teams of the tournament punching their tickets for the global showpiece next summer.
Emran Kook-Jili, Pouya Aryakhah, Abolfazl Mahdian, Seyyed Matin Hosseini, Morteza Narimani, Matin Seqli, Arian Mahmoudinejad, Taha Behboudnia, Armin Qelichniazi, Shayan Mehrabi, Ali Eshqinour, and Morteza Tabatabaei will be the Iranian players in Surabaya – seven of whom were part of the squad that reached the final showdown of the world under-19 event in Argentina last year, only to suffer a four-set defeat against France.
On his team selection approach, Mo’meni-Moqaddam: “Our top priority was to pick players with the professional mindset and those who could provide backup to the senior team in the near future. The national team is set for a rejuvenation process and we have to inject fresh blood to the squad within the next two or three years.”
Several players were also in the team when Iran fell short against Japan in the Asian under-18 final in 2022 and the head coach says they “are eager to make amends for that defeat.”
“Japan, China and South Korea have been our traditional rivals in the continent and we will have to make sure we will deliver our best performance against them in the tournament,” added the Iranian coach, who steered the country to world under-21 crown last year.