Iran and hosts Japan completed the semifinal lineup at the AVC Men’s Volleyball Asian Championship, joining Australia and Korea in the final four.
Iran advanced after a four-set victory over Chinese Taipei, while Japan produced a dominant straight-sets win against India in front of around 6,500 fans at Kitakyushu City Gymnasium.
Porya Khanzadeh led Iran with a match-high 24 points, attacking at a 67 percent success rate and adding two blocks. Amin Esmaeilnezhad and Morteza Sharifi contributed 12 points each as Iran recovered from dropping the third set to finish the match strongly.
Japan faced less resistance in its quarterfinal. Ran Takahashi scored 14 points, including four aces, while captain Yuki Ishikawa and Yuji Nishida added 12 points apiece.
Saturday’s semifinals will see Iran face Australia at 15:30 local time, followed by Japan against Korea at 19:30.
Both matches carry major qualification stakes. The winners will secure places at the 2027 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Cup, while the eventual Asian champion will also earn the continental berth for the men’s volleyball tournament at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Quarterfinal results:
Iran 3-1 Chinese Taipei 25-19, 25-19, 21-25, 25-18
Japan 3-0 India 25-17, 25-15, 25-19
