AVC Men’s Volleyball Continental Championship:
Iran ousts Australia in semis to close in on Olympic berth
Iran moved within touching distance of a coveted men’s volleyball berth at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics after securing a hard-fought 3-1 (25-21, 17-25, 25-17, 25-22) victory over Australia in the AVC Continental Championship semifinals in Fukuoka, Japan, on Saturday.
Outside hitter Pouria Hosseinkhanzadeh and opposite Ali Hajizadeh finished with a joint game-high 24 points, with Morteza Sharifi adding 13, as Iran tallied 56 points from attacks, seven blocks and eight service points, while benefiting from 21 opposition errors.
Australian outside hitter Lorenzo Pope led his team with 18 points, while opposite spiker Lincoln Williams chipped in 16, though their contribution did little to prevent the Oceanian side, which also capitalized on 25 Iranian errors, from suffering a 22nd defeat in 29 meetings with the Asian powerhouse.
The four-set victory, which finished just before the two-hour mark, earned 2.52 FIVB ranking points for Iran, as Italian head coach Roberto Piazza’s side remained in 18th position.
A fourth successive final appearance at the Asian showpiece also secured a place at next year’s rebranded FIVB Volleyball World Cup in Poland for Piazza’s men.
The ultimate prize, however, will be up for grabs in today’s final, where Iran, chasing a fifth Asian title in eight editions, will face the winner of the last-four clash between Japan and South Korea.
With the formidable hosts the hot favorites to defend their continental title, Piazza will hope to see his men deliver their best performance yet in what will be their toughest test in Fukuoka.
The likely showdown will be a repeat of the thrilling Volleyball Nations League encounter between Iran and Japan in June, with the latter emerging victorious in five sets in Orléans, France, as part of a perfect 12-game run in the preliminary phase.
Iran will still look to take inspiration from that meeting after fighting back from two sets down to force the game into a decider, having been swept in straight sets by the Japanese in their previous three encounters – including a 2023 final defeat at the Asian Championship on home soil.