Iran beats Jordan in final warmup game in Beirut
Iranian men’s basketball team defeated Jordan 70-61 in its final friendly outing in Beirut on Friday.
Navid Rezaeifar chipped in 16 points – coupled with three rebounds and assists apiece – as Iran bounced back from back-to-back losses to Egypt and Lebanon.
Iran had suffered a 60-59 defeat against Egypt before falling to a 105-89 setback against the host country on Thursday.
Next for Iran is a visit to Moscow for a couple of friendly games against Russia ahead of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup – starting August 5 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Iran will begin its bid for a fourth Asian title with a game against Guam in Group B on the opening day of the competition, before taking on Japan two days later – in a repeat of a group encounter between the two teams in the 2022 edition, which Iran won 88-76.
The final round of the group fixtures will see Greek head coach Sotirios Manolopoulos’s men play Syria on Aug. 9.
The winners of the four groups in Jeddah will be handed direct qualification for the quarterfinals, with the second and third teams heading into a playoff round for a place in the last eight.
Australia will enter the flagship continental event as the defending champion after beating Lebanon in the 2022 final.