Roberto Piazza made the first serious cuts in the Iran camp before the start of the 2026 Volleyball Nations League. The biggest surprise is the absence of star opposite hitter Amin Esmaeilnejad from the squad for the first week of the tournament in Brazil.
The official profile of the Iranian Federation confirmed that four players have been released from the camp before the team's departure for South America:

• Amin Esmaeilnejad

• Ehsan Daneshdoost

• Esmaeil Mosafer

• Alireza Abdolhamidi

According to information from the federation, the decision was made personally by Roberto Piazza after a series of individual conversations with the players. The staff clarifies that the volleyball players can be called up again for the second and third weeks of the VNL if needed.
Iran's preparation for VNL 2026 continues at the Azadi Sports Complex in Tehran, and from Tuesday, players from Foolad Sirjan are expected to join the camp after their participation in the Asian Champions League.
The Iranian national team will depart for Brazil on June 9, where they will hold a training camp and play two friendly matches before the start of the tournament. The first match between Bulgaria and Iran in VNL 2026 will also take place in Brazil.

The match is scheduled for:

• June 11, 2026

• 10:30 PM Bulgarian time

• Brazil, Brazil

The match will have an added charge after the dramatic clash between the two teams in Gdansk during VNL 2025. Back then, Iran defeated Bulgaria 3:0 (25:17, 25:17, 25:16) in the last match of the preliminary phase.
The loss proved crucial for the Bulgarian team, as a victory would have qualified the national team for the final tournament in Ningbo Beilun (China).

photos: Nikolay Varadinov and Iran Volleyball Federation