Volleyball Nations League:
Iran names 16-man squad for Week 1
Italian head coach Roberto Piazza announced Iran’s 16-man squad for the first week of action at the 2025 Volleyball Men’s Nations League – starting June 11 in Rio de Janeiro.
Having signed a two-year contract – with the option for a two-year extension – with the Iranian Volleyball Federation, the Italian coach arrived in Tehran last week to embark on what he described as “a new project”, with the ultimate goal of qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Having enjoyed an impressive 12 months with Foolad Sirjan, opposite-spiker Ali Hajipour is the surprise absentee in Piazza’s list as the Iranian Premier League MVP was named in the country’s Team B for the upcoming CAVA Men’s Nations League, which will kick off in Fergana, Uzbekistan, on Thursday.
Opposite-spiker Amin Esmaeilnejad, who had a prolific season with Skra Belchatow in the Polish PlusLiga, will again be the man to watch in the rejuvenated Iranian squad, while setter and team captain Javad Karimi and outside-hitter Pouria Hosseinkhanzadeh are also expected to play a essential role after impressive seasons with Brazil’s Minas Tênis Clube and Lube in the Italian Serie A, respectively.
Iran will begin its VNL campaign with formidable tests against volleyball heavyweights Brazil and USA.
Piazza’s men will take on the host on June 11 and then face the United States at the Maracanãzinho venue the following day.
A third game for Iran in Rio de Janeiro will come against last year’s semifinalist Slovenia on June 13.
Iran will conclude the first week of the preliminaries against debutant Ukraine on June 15, before heading to Belgrade for Week 2.
The top eight of the 16-team table after three weeks will progress to the VNL Finals – starting with the quarterfinals on July 30 in the Chinese city of Ningbo.
The following is Iran’s full squad for the VNL Week 1:
Setters: Javad Karimi (captain), Arshia Behnejad
Opposite spikers: Amin Esmaeilnejad, Bardia Sa’adat, Pouya Aryakhah
Outside hitters: Morteza Sharifi, Amirhossein Esfandiar, Ehsan Danehdoust, Ali Haqparast, Pouria Hosseinkhanzadeh
Middle blockers: Mohammad Valizadeh, Yousef Kazemi, Seyyed Issa Naseri, Matin Ahmadi
Liberos: Mohammadreza Hazratpour, Arman Salehi