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Iran beats France for gold
Iran won the 2026 FIVB Volleyball Boys’ U17 World Championship on Saturday in Doha, Qatar, defeating France 3-1 with set scores of 25-18, 25-15, 22-25 and 25-12.
“completed an unbeaten campaign with their biggest win of the tournament”
Volleyball World said Iran “completed an unbeaten campaign” with the four-set victory over France, while Tehran Times also described the same 3-1 final result for Iran’s title.
The final day also included the bronze match, where Brazil defeated Argentina 3-1 with set scores of 21-25, 25-17, 25-18 and 25-13, according to Tehran Times.
PressTV said the Iran-France final in Doha gave Iran its “first world title at the under-17 level,” and described the run as a “seven-match winning run.”
Hazrati credits serve, defense
In the final, Volleyball World reported that setter Akam Ebrahimnezhad “distributed the ball across several attacking options,” with Sina Hazrati, Arash Ashrafi and Azhvan Namazi helping France find ways to respond.
Volleyball World also said Iran used its service to put pressure on France, finishing with 10 aces, including three each from Hazrati and Ashrafi and two from Ebrahimnezhad.
Hazrati spoke after the match, telling Volleyball World, “We worked very hard for this title, and winning it is the result of everything the team has put into this tournament,” and he added, “We prepared very well for France and knew we had to put pressure on them with our serve, block and defense.”
L’Équipe described the match as a four-set win for Iran—25-18, 25-15, 22-25 and 25-12—and said the French team could still rely on Antonin Bonnard, who scored 22 points.
Awards and tournament path
PressTV said Iran’s tournament run included victories over Algeria, Chinese Taipei twice, Pakistan twice and Argentina, and it described Iran as entering the knockout phase as the winner of Pool E after winning all three preliminary-round matches.
“completing a seven-match winning run”
PressTV added that Iran then defeated Chinese Taipei 3-0 in the round of 16, edged Pakistan 3-2 in the quarterfinals, and swept Argentina 3-0 in the semifinals to reach the final against France.
PressTV also reported that Iran dominated individual awards, naming Sina Hazrati as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and best opposite spiker, Monib Sheikh as best middle blocker, and Akam Ebrahimnezhad as best setter.
Tehran Times placed the championship in context by saying the event took place in Doha, Qatar from Aug. 19 to 29 and was the second edition of the FIVB Volleyball Boys’ U17 World Championship, reduced to 20 teams after withdrawals.