Iranian wrestling prodigy Ma’soumi seals Azerbaijan move
Months of speculation surrounding Amirreza Ma’soumi’s future came to an end as the young Iranian wrestler joined Azerbaijan’s freestyle team.
The 20-year-old prodigy, whose contract is reportedly worth $22,000 per month, will have to spend time on the sidelines before representing the European country, after the Iranian Wrestling Federation refused to issue a letter of consent for his departure.
Under United World Wrestling regulations, a wrestler must either obtain approval from his national governing body or refrain from competing internationally for three years before switching national allegiance. This means Ma’soumi’s first appearance under the Azerbaijani flag will likely come at the 2027 World Championships.
Ma’soumi has dominated the super-heavyweight division across multiple age groups in recent years, collecting six world gold medals, including last year’s junior and under-23 titles.
He also competed for Iran’s senior team at February’s Ranking Series event in Zagreb and at the Asian Championships in March, winning 125kg gold at both tournaments.
However, Ma’soumi – who fell short against compatriot Amirhossein Zare’ in last year’s Iranian Olympic trials – saw his hopes of securing a place at this September’s World Championships dashed after suffering another defeat to the reigning world champion in the International Takhti Cup final in Isfahan in May. Ma’soumi, along with his father and personal coach, Fardin, believes the 8-2 scoreline was influenced by controversial refereeing decisions.
Ma’soumi was last in action during the Iranian Wrestling Premier League final in mid-December, where he had his hand raised after Amirreza Sahraei withdrew with an injury while trailing 7-0 in the first period, leading Bank Shahr to a 6-4 team victory over Esteghlal Juybar.
Earlier in July, Ma’soumi shared a photo of himself alongside his father at a training session with Azerbaijan’s national team in Baku, hinting that he was considering continuing his international career abroad.
The Azerbaijan Wrestling Federation reportedly made an approach for Ma’soumi later in the month, offering 300,000 Swiss francs for his services – an offer instantly rejected by Iranian federation chairman Alireza Dabir.
“We’ve always granted approval for lower-ranked wrestlers to represent other countries, but Ma’soumi is a top-tier asset for us, already a favorite for world and Olympic golds. He has simply been unlucky to have Zare’ as a domestic rival, though I believe the competition between them will push both to new heights. I’m sure they are by far the world’s top two in their weight class,” Dabir said at the time.
“The national team’s interests come first. I like Amirreza as if he were my own son, and I just hope he receives the right guidance,” added the former world and Olympic champion.
Ma’soumi’s decision means wrestling fans could witness a rare all-Iranian showdown under different flags at the 2027 Wrestling World Championships – and potentially again at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“Amirhossein Zare’ is definitely a top-notch wrestler, but Amirreza wants to make progress in his career. I just hope to see two Iranians square off in the Olympic final,” Ma’soumi’s father said earlier this month.