Iran Crowned World Wrestling Champion

WANA (Sep 15) – The 2025 World Freestyle Wrestling Championships in Zagreb delivered historic news even before the competition officially ended: Iran’s freestyle wrestling team has returned to the top of the world after 12 years.

By the conclusion of the first 8 weight categories, Iran had earned 1 gold, 1 silver, and 3 bronze medals, totaling 100 points. Additionally, Rahman Amouzad and Amirali Azarpira reached the finals in the last two weight categories. With the points already secured, even if both wrestlers lose their final matches, Iran will finish with 140 points—making the championship title certain regardless of the results for rivals such as the United States and Japan.

The 2025 World Freestyle Wrestling Championships in Zagreb. Iranian National Wrestling team. Source: IWF / WANA News Agency

This marks Iran’s sixth world title in freestyle wrestling. The team previously stood on top in 1961, 1965, 1998, 2002, and 2013, while also claiming nine runner-up finishes and fourteen third-place finishes.

In the all-time records, the former Soviet Union—and later Russia—remains the most decorated team with 35 world titles. Behind them, Iran, the United States, and Turkey each share second place with 6 championships.

Head coach Pejman Dorostkar celebrated the triumph, saying: “We became world champions a day earlier. This victory raised the flag of the Islamic Republic, and our brave athletes delivered on the world stage. For the sixth time in history, we became world champions—a day earlier, in the presence of the United States. Thanks be to God; the athletes gave everything, but above all it was the blessing of God and the Ahl al-Bayt that lifted this flag high.”

This victory not only ended a 12-year drought but also reaffirmed Iran’s standing among the world’s wrestling powerhouses.

The 2025 World FREESTYLE Wrestling Championships in Zagreb. Iranian National Wrestling team. Source: UWW / WANA News Agency

Following Iran’s victory at the 2025 World Freestyle Wrestling Championships in Croatia, the President of Iran and Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi issued separate messages congratulating the national team, coaches, and their families.

The President described the triumph as a source of pride for the Iranian nation, while the Foreign Minister emphasized wrestling’s historic place in the country’s collective memory and expressed hope that this achievement would mark the beginning of new chapters of success and glory for Iranian sports.

The 2025 World Wrestling Championships in Zagreb. Iranian National Wrestling team. Source: IWF / WANA News Agency