WANA (Jul 17) – The Iranian men’s national sitting volleyball team has claimed the World Championship title after a commanding 3-1 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

 

The final of the 14th edition of the Sitting Volleyball World Championships took place this afternoon (Friday) in Hangzhou, China. Led by head coach Hadi Rezaei, the Iranian squad—holders of eight previous world titles—faced off against their long-standing rivals, Bosnia.

 

Both nations boast legendary histories in the sport, as Iran holds eight Paralympic gold medals while Bosnia has two. By securing their spots in the final, both teams have also officially qualified for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games.

 

The championship-winning Iranian squad featured Meisam Hajibabaei, Sadegh Bigdeli, Hamidreza Abbasi, Mahdi Babadi, Ali Akbari, Davoud Alipourian, Hossein Golestani, Masoud Emami, Mohammad Nemati, Jamal Nazari, Meisam Alipour, and Morteza Mehrzad.

 

In a thrilling final, Iran’s para-athlete stars delivered a brilliant performance to overcome Bosnia three sets to one. Hadi Rezaei’s men opened strong, executing precise plays to take the first set 25-21. Maintaining their momentum, Iran doubled their lead by securing the second set 25-20.

 

Bosnia bounced back with an improved performance in the third set, capitalizing on opportunities to win it 25-20. However, refusing to let the match slip, Iran’s stars dominated the fourth set 25-16, sealing the victory in what is widely considered the classic derby of international sitting volleyball.

 

With this triumph, the Iranian squad celebrated their ninth World Championship title. Iran’s historic track record at the tournament now stands at an astonishing 9 gold medals, 2 silvers, and 1 bronze.

 

This final was a rematch of a group-stage encounter earlier in the tournament, which Iran also won by an identical 3-1 scoreline.

 

Throughout their 7-match campaign at the Hangzhou World Championships, the Iranian powerhouse was virtually unstoppable, dropping only 3 sets in total—one against Poland in their opening match, and two against Bosnia across the group stage and the final.