The Iranian Volleyball Federation officially announced a list of 42 players, selected by head coach Roberto Piazza to participate in the 2026 Volleyball Nations League. The list has already been submitted to the International Federation (FIVB), and the squad for the tournament will be formed from it.
Iran's Extended Squad
Setters:
Arshia Behnejad, Imran Kokjili,Javad Karimi, Ali Ramezani, Ilshan Davoudipour, Ardalan Seyed Abbasi
Opposites:
Amin Esmaeilnezhad, Ali Hajipour,Bardia Saadat,Pouya Ariakhah, Amir Mohammad Golzadeh, Mohsen Delavari, Ali Mambini, Younes Galich Niazi
Outside Hitters:
Morteza Sharifi, Poriya Hossein Khanzadeh,Amirhossein Esfandiar,Ali Haghparast, Mobin Nasri, Meysam Salehi,Ehsan Daneshdoust, Matin Hosseini, Amir Reza Aftab Azari, Alireza Abdolhamidi, Esmail Mosafer
Middle Blockers:
Mohammad Valizadeh,Yousef Kazemi,Seyed Issa Naseri, Mehdi Jelveh, Nima Batani, Armin Galich Niazi, Shayan Mehrabi, Taha Behboudnia, Amir Reza Sarlak, Matin Ahmadi, Alireza Mosleh Abadi, Amir Hassan Molaabasi
Liberos:
Mohammad Reza Hazratpour,Arman Salehi, Morteza Tabatabaei, Kamil Khojasteh, Hossein Hajikhalate
The players who were part of the squad that defeated Bulgaria in Gdansk are highlighted in bold.
The same key players stopped us in Gdansk.
A large part of these names (underlined in black) were on the court during the last clash between the two teams in VNL 2025 in Gdansk, Poland: Bulgaria – Iran 0:3 (17:25, 17:25, 16:25).
The loss proved crucial in the battle for a spot in the finals in Ningbo Beilun, where Bulgaria would have advanced with any victory over the "Persians".
A new clash already in the first week.
Bulgaria and Iran will meet again on June 11 in the second match of the first week of the VNL in Brazil — an early, but key encounter.
Preparation: three stages in Iran, Turkey, and Brazil
The Iranian federation also announced the detailed preparation plan for the team:
First camp: May 1 – 20 in Noor (Iran) with a group of 30 athletes
Second camp: May 21 – 29 in Turkey
Third camp: May 30 – June 8 in Brazil
The first stage of preparation is planned to take place in Iran, but given the situation in the region, it is possible that the program may undergo changes. The decision to hold part of the preparation outside the country also comes against the backdrop of the complicated situation, as well as due to the commitments of club teams and athletes playing abroad.
Holding the camps in Turkey and Brazil allows for easier logistics and adaptation to the international calendar.
At the same time, the VNL program also includes matches in Europe, among them the encounter with the USA in France (Orléans), and it is not excluded that this match might not be played due to the military conflict between the two countries.
photos: Nikolay Varadinov
