On the third week of the Volleyball League of Nations on Monday, the Iranian national squad faced Cuba in Anaheim, the US, where it lost the game to its rival 3-2.
The Iranian team won the second and fourth sets 28-26; 30-28 but lost the first, third, and fifth sets to Cuba 22-25; 23-25; 10-15.
It was Iran’s tenth defeat in 12 matches in the 2023 VNL.
The US has not issued a visa for Iran coach Behrouz Ataei and the team was headed by his assistants in Week 3.
FIVB decided to freeze the world ranking for the national Iranian men's volleyball team in the tournament.
The VNL Preliminary Phase features three weeks of competition, with each of the 16 teams playing 12 matches.
The eight best-ranked national teams in the Preliminary Phase will qualify for the Final Phase, which will be held in Gdańsk, Poland, from July 19-23 – host country Poland is already guaranteed a spot.
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