Iran names basketball squad for World Cup qualifiers, Asian Games
Greek head coach Sotiris Manolopoulos has named Iran’s 14-man basketball roster for the upcoming FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Having won the first-round group thanks to two victories over Syria either side of an impressive win against Jordan in July, Iran will resume its World Cup qualifying campaign against New Zealand in the second-round Group E opener in Pasay, Philippines, on Friday, before taking on the Philippines two days later.
The crucial double-header will be followed by the basketball event at the Asian Games, which will get underway on Sept. 10.
A silver medalist in 2014 and 2018, Iran will chase a fourth men’s basketball medal at the multi-sport event.
Iran has been drawn into a tough Pool B alongside Jordan – the silver medalist at Hangzhou 2022 – Chinese Taipei, which reached the semifinals in the previous edition, and Qatar.
The national squad features a noticeable influx of young players and a significantly lower average age, signaling a generational shift in Iranian basketball.
The most notable inclusion, however, is the return of veteran Mohammad Jamshidi, whose most recent international appearance came during the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers. The 35-year-old forward, along with the other two senior players, Arslan Kazemi and Arman Zangeneh, is expected to add a touch of experience to the young squad for the two major events.
The following is Iran’s full 14-man squad:
Arslan Kazemi, Mohammad Jamshidi, Arman Zangeneh, Salar Monji, Mobin Sheikhi, Matin Aqajanpour, Hassan Aliakbari, Peter Grigorian, Mohammad-Mahdi Heidari, Seyed Mahdi Jafari, Navid Rezaeifar, Alireza Sharifi, Salar Taheri and Mohammad-Mahdi Jalali.