Asia’s best opposite spiker leads Iran

Asia’s best opposite spiker Amin Esmaeilnezhad will banner and young and dynamic Iranian squad in Pool A action of the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Volleyball Championship at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Alas Pilipinas will get a feel of Esmaeilnezhad’s power when the host country will tackle the Iranians on 18 September at the end of pool play.

The Philippines vs Tunisia encounter kicks off the world championships on 12 September with the electrifying performance by K-Pop group BOYNEXTDOOR spicing up the opening ceremonies.

Esmaeilnezhad, 28, is one of the most seasoned players on Team Melli, which boasts an average age of 23.8 years and an average height of 6-foot-5.

Iran is the second-highest world-ranked Asian team at No. 13 in the elite 32-team field behind Japan (No. 5).

With former Asian Volleyball Confederation Best Setter Javad Karimi handling the plays and Italian coach Roberto Piazza calling the shots, Team Melli looks to build on the momentum of rising three rungs up the rankings since last July.

Iran, just like Alas Pilipinas which went on a training camp in Morocco, Romania and Portugal, also trained overseas for the world championships which will also be played at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The three-time defending Asian Games champions will train for a week in Doha, before flying to Manila as one of the early birds come the first week of September.

After facing Egypt and Qatar twice in Doha, Team Melli — also featuring opposite spiker Ali Hajipour and outside hitters Morteza Sharifi, Amirhossein Esfandiar and Ali Haghparast — will play friendlies in Manila against Slovenia on 9 September and Germany the next day.

Setters Ali Ramazani and Arshia Behnezhad, outside hitters Poriya Hossein Khanzadeh, Ehsan Daneshdoust and middle blockers Mohammad Valizadeh, Eisa Naseri, Yousef Kazemi, Nima Bateni, liberos Arman Salehi, Mohammadreza Hazratpour also suit up for Iran in the spikefest.