Iran men's national basketball team

Iran
FIBA ranking26 (2 December 2025)[1]
Joined FIBA1947
FIBA zoneFIBA Asia
National federationIRIBF
CoachSotiris Manolopoulos
Nickname(s)Team Melli
(The National Team)
Olympic Games
Appearances3
FIBA World Cup
Appearances4
FIBA Asia Cup
Appearances19
Medals Gold: (2007, 2009, 2013)
Silver: (2017)
Bronze: (2015, 2025)
Retired numbers1 (15)
First international
 France 62–30 Iran 
(London, United Kingdom; 1 August 1948)
Biggest win
 Iran 141–29 Maldives 
(Medina, Saudi Arabia; 10 April 2005)
Biggest defeat
 South Korea 116–54 Iran 
(Manila, Philippines; 4 December 1973)

The Iran men’s national basketball team (Persian: تیم ملی بسکتبال مردان ایران) represents Iran in international basketball, and are governed by the Islamic Republic of Iran Basketball Federation (IRIBF).

Iran is one of Asia’s most successful federations. Since the turn of the century, they’ve won three FIBA Asia Cup tournaments, while also claiming a silver and two bronze medals at the competition. Iran has also qualified for every edition of the FIBA World Cup since 2010, and have participated in two Olympic Games (2008, 2020).

History

Early years

In 1948, the Iran national basketball team participated in the 1948 London Olympics, their first appearance in the competition. In 1951, Iran participated in the first Asian Games held in Delhi and placed third in Asia. In 1959, Iran participated in the EuroBasket held in Turkey.

2007 FIBA Asia Championship

Placed in the dreaded "Group of Death" alongside China, the Philippines, and Jordan, the Iranians won all three group matches to make it to the next round.

In the quarterfinals, Iran went 2–1, to make it to semifinals, following victories over Chinese Taipei and Qatar, and then routed Kazakhstan, 75–62, in the semifinals.

The Iranians then beat Lebanon 74–69, with Hamed Haddadi scoring 31 points.[2] Not only did it avenge an 82–60 defeat in the quarterfinals, they also became the first Western Asian team to win the tournament, and thus make it to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[2]

2008 Beijing Olympic Games

In being crowned the 2007 Asian Champions, the Iranians qualified for the 2008 Beijing games for the first time in 60 years. The Olympic experience led to a flurry of opportunities for the Iranian players, as they traveled across the world in preparation for the games, including a visit to the US.They also Defeat Serbia (72–70) before the start of the tournament in 2008 FIBA Diamond Ball.Iran was placed in Group A, along with Lithuania, Russia, Argentina, Croatia, and Australia, suffering five defeats. The Olympic experience opened doors for players such as Hamed Haddadi, and Iranian captain Samad Nikkhah Bahrami to play in the NBA (National Basketball Association) and sign in the top French League.

Haddadi finished with averages of 16.6 points per game, 11.2 rebounds per game, and 2.6 blocks per game, leading the entire tournament in the latter two categories. His highlight performance was in the game against Argentina when he put up 21 points and 16 rebounds.[3]

2009 FIBA Asia Championship

Winning the FIBA Asia Championship 2009 at Tianjin, China, was a sign on continuing progress in basketball.Iran won all three group matches against Chinese Taipei, Kuwait, Uzbekistan to make it to the next round.In the second round Iran Won Japan, Philippines and South Korea.In the Quarterfinals Iran wins Qatar and in Semifinals Iran wins Jordan.Iran defeated China, by a score of 70–52 in the final.[4]

2010 FIBA World Championship

Iran's second consecutive FIBA Asia Championship gave them their first ever FIBA World Championship berth, at the 2010 FIBA World Championship.The team lost against USA, Brazil, Croatia, Slovenia and one win against Tunisia.Iran finished 1–4 in Group B, good for 19th place.

2013 FIBA Asia Championship

Winning the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship at Manila, Philippines, was a sign that the Iranian team has forgot the tragedy of their loss to Jordan in last tournament, 2011 FIBA Asia Championship, and reclaimed the top place in the FIBA Asia. Iran defeated the charged up hosts Philippines by an 85–71 win in the final. Iranian center Hamed Haddadi, who played a stellar role in Iran's triumph at the 27th FIBA Asia Championship, became the most accomplished individual player of the competition winning two awards, including that of the MVP. Iran was the only team with two awards in the All Stars with Oshin Sahakian named for the Power Forward position.

2014 FIBA World Cup

In the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain, Iran national basketball team was grouped with Spain, Egypt, Serbia, Brazil and France in Group A.Iran national basketball team, in its first meeting in the opening game, faced Spain, the world's second-ranked team, and succumbed to defeat.On the sixth day of the 2014 FIBA World Cup and in its last match of the preliminary stage, Iran faced the French and succumbed to defeat, and finally ranked 21st with 4 losses and one win against Egypt. Iran lost against France and Serbia with close results.

2019 FIBA World Cup

In the 2019 FIBA World Cup of China, which was held in Asia for the first time, the iran team was grouped in Group C with the teams of Spain, Puerto Rico and Tunisia.The iran team lost all three games and competed with the Angolan and Philippine teams to rank 17–32 (for the first time in this period, 32 teams participated) and won both matches, and thanks to the goal difference, they are better than China, which had lost against Nigeria, went to the Tokyo Olympics as the best Asian team.

2020 Tokyo Olympic Games

Iran is in group A of the competitions along with USA, France, and Czech.Iranian men’s basketball team conceded a 78–84 defeat against Czech at the opening match of the basketball competitions of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.In their second game at the Olympics, Iranian basketball players lost to the USA 66–120.Iran’s national basketball team finished the campaign in the 2020 Olympics with a 79–62 loss against France at Saitama Super Arena.Iran, in its three appearance at the Olympics, conceded three defeats in Group A.

2023 FIBA World Cup

Iran was only one of three teams at the World Cup 2023 to go home without a win. Finishing bottom in Group G after resounding defeats to Brazil, Côte d'Ivoire and Spain. Further disappointment was to follow in the classification games against France and Lebanon. After the final play of their campaign, one man took centre stage, Hamed Haddadi, bidding a final farewell after 4 consecutive World Cup runs with Iran. At the other end of his career is Mohammad Amini. The 18-years-old who plays for AS Monaco Basket, played 30 minutes a game and was Iran's top tournament scorer.

Competitive record

Olympic Games

Summer Olympic Games record
Year Round Rank M W L PF PA PD Squad
1936 Did not enter
1948 13th place match 14th place 7 2 5 199 366 −167 Squad
1952 Did not enter
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980 Boycotted the event
1984
1988 Did not enter
1992 Did not qualify
1996
2000
2004
2008 Preliminary round 11th place 5 0 5 323 464 −141 Squad
2012 Did not qualify
2016
2020 Preliminary round 12th place 3 0 3 206 283 −77 Squad
2024 Did not qualify
2028 Future events
2032
Total 3/20 15 2 13 728 1,113 −385

FIBA World Cup

FIBA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Rank M W L PF PA PD Squad M W L PF PA PD
1950 Did not enter Qualification via Wild Card
1954
1959
1963
1967 Qualification via FIBA Asia Cup
1970
1974 Did not qualify
1978 Did not enter
1982 Did not qualify
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010 Preliminary round 19th 5 1 4 301 367 −66 Squad
2014 Preliminary round 20th 5 1 4 344 406 −62 Squad
2019 17th–32nd Classification 23rd 5 2 3 379 372 +7 Squad 12 8 4 890 811 +79
2023 17th–32nd Classification 31st 5 0 5 321 419 −98 Squad 12 6 6 856 824 +32
2027 To be determined 2 2 0 180 139 +41
Total 4/19 20 4 16 1,345 1,564 −219 26 16 10 1,926 1,774 +152

FIBA Asia Cup

FIBA Asia Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Rank M W L PF PA PD Squad Round Rank M W L PF PA PD
1960 Did not enter No qualification
1963
1965
1967
1969
1971
1973 Championship 5th place 10 4 6 798 899 -101 Squad
1975 Did not enter
1977
1979
1981 Classification 7th–12th 8th place 7 3 4 653 648 +5 Squad
1983 Classification 5th–8th 5th place 6 5 1 421 365 +56 Squad
1985 Classification 5th–8th 8th place 6 2 4 467 482 -5 Squad
1987 Did not enter
1989 5th place game 5th place 7 4 3 613 614 -1 Squad
1991 5th place game 6th place 8 4 4 680 650 +30 Squad
1993 4th place game 4th place 6 4 2 489 465 +24 Squad
1995 9th place game 10th place 8 5 3 594 505 +89 Squad
1997 7th place game 8th place 7 3 4 510 579 -69 Squad
1999 Did not qualify Qualification via WABA Championship
or FIBA Asia Challenge
2001
2003 5th place game 5th place 7 4 3 538 577 -19 Squad
2005 5th place game 6th place 8 4 4 562 512 +50 Squad
2007 Final Champions 8 7 1 592 555 +37 Squad
2009 Final Champions 9 9 0 767 581 +186 Squad
2011 5th place game 5th place 9 8 1 947 516 +431 Squad
2013 Final Champions 9 9 0 781 489 +292 Squad
2015 3rd place game 3rd place 9 7 2 774 542 +232 Squad
2017 Final Runners-up 6 5 1 494 418 +76 Squad
2022 Quarterfinals 5th place 4 3 1 340 294 +46 Squad Qualifiers 1st in group 6 5 1 484 351 +133
2025 3rd place game 3rd place 6 5 1 442 405 +37 Squad Qualifiers 1st in group 6 5 1 453 305 +148
Total 3 titles 19/31 140 95 45 11,462 10,066 +1,396 2/2 12 10 2 937 656 +281

Asian Games

Asian Games record
Year Round Rank M W L PF PA PD Squad
1951 Round-robin 3rd place 4 2 2 222 195 +27 Squad
1954 Did not enter
1958
1962
1966 7th place game 7th place 7 3 4 543 575 -32 Squad
1970 7th place game 7th place 8 6 2 740 668 +72 Squad
1974 5th place game 6th place 7 3 4 643 580 +63 Squad
1978 Did not enter
1982
1986
1990 7th place game 7th place 6 3 3 466 499 -33 Squad
1994 7th place game 8th place 6 2 4 498 530 -32 Squad
1998 7th place game 7th place 6 2 4 452 465 -13 Squad
2002 Did not enter
2006 Bronze medal game 3rd place 8 5 3 632 581 +51 Squad
2010 Bronze medal game 3rd place 8 6 2 566 461 +105 Squad
2014 Gold medal game Runners-up 7 6 1 565 456 +109 Squad
2018 Gold medal game Runners-up 4 3 1 313 274 +39 Squad
2022 Classification 5th–6th 5th place 6 5 1 512 409 +103 Squad
2026 Future events
2030
2034
Total 12/19 77 46 31 6,152 5,693 +459

FIBA Asia Challenge

FIBA Asia Challenge record (Defunct)
Year Round Rank M W L PF PA PD Squad
2004 Qualified but withdrew
2008
2010 5th place game 6th place 7 3 4 500 504 -4 Squad[a]
2012 Final Champions 7 7 0 519 422 +97 Squad
2014 Final Champions 7 6 1 496 410 +86 Squad
2016 Final Champions 8 8 0 670 402 +268 Squad
Total 3 titles 4/6 29 24 5 2,185 1,738 +447

FIBA Diamond Ball

FIBA Diamond Ball record (Defunct)
Year Round Rank M W L PF PA PD Squad
2000 Did not qualify
2004
2008 3rd place game 4th place 3 1 2 0 0 0 Squad
Total 1/3 3 1 2 189 226 -37

West Asian Championship

WABA Championship record (Defunct)
Year Round Rank M W L Squad
1999 Round-robin 4th place 4 1 3 Squad
2000 Round-robin 4th place 4 2 2 Squad
2001 Round-robin 3rd place 4 2 2 Squad
2002 Round-robin Runners-up 4 3 1 Squad
2004 Round-robin Champions 4 4 0 Squad
2005 Round-robin Champions 4 4 0 Squad
2008 Did not enter
2010 Round-robin Champions 3 3 0 Squad[a]
2011 Round-robin Champions 3 3 0 Squad
2012 Round-robin Runners-up 5 4 1 Squad
2013 Round-robin Champions 3 3 0 Squad
2014 Round-robin Runners-up 5 4 1 Squad[b]
2015 Did not enter
2016 Round-robin Champions 4 4 0 Squad
2017 Round-robin Runners-up 5 4 1 Squad
Total 6 titles 13/15 52 41 11

Other tournaments

Honours

Competition Total
FIBA Asia Cup 3 1 2 6
Asian Games 0 2 3 5
FIBA Asia Challenge 3 0 0 3
Total 6 3 4 14

Individual Awards

Team

Roster for the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup.[5][6]

Iran men's national basketball team – 2025 FIBA Asia Cup roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr.
G 3 Mohammad Sina Vahedi 24 – (2001-01-08)8 January 2001 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Tabiat Eslamshahr
PG 5 Mobin Sheikhi 28 – (1997-03-15)15 March 1997 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) Shahrdari Gorgan
F 6 Mohammad Amini 20 – (2005-04-26)26 April 2005 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) SLUC Nancy Basket
F 7 Navid Rezaeifar 28 – (1996-08-23)23 August 1996 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Shimidor
G 11 Mohammad Mehdi Heydari 19 – (2006-04-28)28 April 2006 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Mahgol Alborz
PF 12 Arman Zangeneh 32 – (1993-06-15)15 June 1993 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) Tabiat Eslamshahr
PF 14 Arsalan Kazemi (C) 35 – (1990-04-22)22 April 1990 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) Shahrdari Gorgan
F 17 Matin Aghajanpour 24 – (2001-03-14)14 March 2001 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Kalleh Mazandaran
PF 23 Mohammad Mehdi Rahimi 22 – (2003-06-24)24 June 2003 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) Palayesh Naft Abadan
C 32 Hassan Aliakbari 29 – (1996-07-07)7 July 1996 2.18 m (7 ft 2 in) Tabiat
C 51 Salar Monji 28 – (1997-04-10)10 April 1997 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in) Shimidor
PG 55 Mehdi Jafari 21 – (2003-10-04)4 October 2003 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) Mahgol Alborz
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  • Mohammad Kasaeepour
  • Farzad Kouhian
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Club – describes last
    club before the tournament
  • Age – describes age
    on 5 August 2025

Past rosters

Olympic Games

1948 London Ashtari, Ehsasi, Esfandiary, Hashemi, Karandish, Mohtadi, Rafati, Sadeghi, Salabi, Shademan, Soroudi, Soudipour, Zadegan, Coach: Kazem Rambari

2008 Beijing 4 Doraghi, 5 Amini, 6 Davari, 7 Kamrani, 8 Davarpanah, 9 Zandi, 10 Afagh, 11 Sohrabnejad, 12 Sahakian, 13 Nabipour, 14 Bahrami, 15 Haddadi: Coach. Rajko Toroman

2020 Tokyo 4 Vahedi, 5 Jalalpoor, 7 Hassanzadeh, 8 Davarpanah, 13 Jamshidi, 14 Nikkhah Bahrami, 15 Haddadi, 17 Rezaeifar, 20 Rostampour, 23 Geramipoor, 41 Kazemi, 88 Yakhchali, Coach: Mehran Shahintab

FIBA Basketball World Cup

2010 turkey 4 Nabipour, 5 Davoudi, 6 Davari, 7 Kamrani, 8 Veisi, 9 Zandi, 10 Hassanzadeh, 11 Sahakian, 12 Kazemi, 13 Kardoust, 14 Davarpanah, 15 Haddadi, Coach: Veselin Matić

2014 Spain 4 Arghavan, 5 Mashayekhi, 6 Yakhchali, 7 Kamrani, 8 Kazemi, 9 Zangeneh, 10 Afagh, 11 Sahakian, 12 Kardoust, 13 Jamshidi, 14 Bahrami, 15 Haddadi, Coach: Mehmed Bečirovič

2019 China 1 Mozafari, 4 Mirzaei, 5 Mashayekhi, 6 Hosseinzadeh, 7 Hassanzadeh, 8 Yakhchali, 12 Zangeneh, 13 Jamshidi, 14 Bahrami, 15 Haddadi, 20 Rostampour, 23 Geramipoor, Coach: Mehran Shahintab

2023 Philippines, Japan, Indonesia 3 Vahedi, 4 Mirzaei, 5 Mashayekhi, 6 Amini, 7 Rezaeifar, 8 Yakhchali, 10 Girgoorian, 14 Kazemi, 15 Haddadi, 17 Aghajanpour, 30 Agha Miri, 32 Aliakbari, Coach: Hakan Demir

FIBA Asia Cup

2003 China 4 Tajik, 5 Davari, 6 Veisi, 7 Kamrani, 8 S. Bahrami, 9 Zandi, 10 Afagh, 11 Sohrabnejad, 12 Askarnejad, 13 Ahmadian, 14 Rouzbahani, 15 Afradi, Coach: Mostafa Hashemi

2005 Qatar 4 Tajik, 5 A. Bahrami, 6 Amini, 7 Kamrani, 8 S. Bahrami, 9 Zandi, 10 Afagh, 11 Sohrabnejad, 12 Rouzbahani, 13 Shahsavand, 14 Tabeshnia, 15 Haddadi, Coach: Mohammad Mehdi Izadpanah

2007 Japan 4 Doraghi, 5 Amini, 6 Davari, 7 Kamrani, 8 A. Bahrami, 9 Akbari, 10 Afagh, 11 Rouzbahani, 12 Sahakian, 13 Nabipour, 14 S. Bahrami, 15 Haddadi, Coach: Rajko Toroman

2009 China 4 Tajik, 5 Amini, 6 Davari, 7 Kamrani, 8 Davoudi, 9 Akbari, 10 Afagh, 11 Sohrabnejad, 12 Sahakian, 13 Doraghi, 14 Bahrami, 15 Haddadi, Coach: Veselin Matić

2011 China 4 Davarpanah, 5 Davoudi, 6 Davari, 7 Kamrani, 8 Atashi, 9 Kazemi, 10 Afagh, 11 Sahakian, 12 Kardoust, 13 Sohrabnejad, 14 Bahrami, 15 Haddadi, Coach: Veselin Matić

2013 Philippines 4 Jamshidi, 5 Davoudi, 6 Davari, 7 Kamrani, 8 Veisi, 9 Sahakian, 10 Afagh, 11 Sohrabnejad, 12 Kardoust, 13 Arghavan, 14 Bahrami, 15 Haddadi, Coach: Mehmed Bečirovič

2015 China 4 Mashayekhi, 5 Yakhchali, 6 Davari, 7 Kamrani, 8 Davarpanah, 9 Hassanzadeh, 10 Afagh, 11 Sahakian, 12 Kardoust, 13 Jamshidi, 14 Bahrami, 15 Haddadi, Coach: Dirk Bauermann

2017 Lebanon 4 Mirzaei, 5 Mashayekhi, 6 Aslani, 7 Rezaeifar, 8 Yakhchali, 9 Dalirzahan, 10 Niktash, 11 Sahakian, 12 Arghavan, 13 Jamshidi, 14 Kazemi, 15 Haddadi, Coach: Mehran Hatami

2022 Indonesia 1 Mozafari, 5 Mashayekhi, 7 Hassanzadeh, 8 Yakhchali, 10 Yousof Vand, 12 Zangeneh, 13 Jamshidi, 14 Kazemi, 15 Haddadi, 17 Rezaeifar, 23 Pazrofteh, 71 Aghajanpour, Coach: Saeed Armaghani

FIBA EuroBasket

1959 Turkey 3 Salabi, 4 Kamali, 5 Meshun, 6 Agakuzik, 7 Ufervizi, 9 Taçbehs, 10 Avendi, 11 Veisi, 12 Vafai, 13 Rezi, Coach: Hassan Nikli

Asian Games

1951 New Delhi Khaleghpour, Mashhoun, Masoumi, Mokhberi, Oshar, Razi, Safiyar, Salabi, Soroudi, Soudipour, Coach: –

2006 Doha 4 Tajik, 5 Amini, 6 Veisi, 7 Kamrani, 8 S. Bahrami, 9 Zandi, 10 Afagh, 11 Honardoust, 12 A. Bahrami, 13 Ahmadian, 14 Nabipour, 15 Haddadi, Coach: Fred Oniga

2010 Guangzhou 4 Amini, 5 Davoudi, 6 Davari, 7 Kamrani, 8 Davarpanah, 9 Sahakian, 10 Afagh, 11 Sohrabnejad, 12 Jamshidi, 13 Kardoust, 14 Bahrami, 15 Doraghi, Coach: Veselin Matić

2014 Incheon 4 Arghavan, 5 Mashayekhi, 6 Yakhchali, 7 Kamrani, 8 Zangeneh, 9 Aslani, 10 Afagh, 11 Sahakian, 12 Kardoust, 13 Jamshidi, 14 Bahrami, 15 Haddadi, Coach: Mehmed Bečirovič

2018 Jakarta 4 Mirzaei, 5 Mashayekhi, 7 Davoudi, 8 Yakhchali, 10 Dalirzahan, 12 Arghavan, 13 Jamshidi, 14 Bahrami, 15 Haddadi, 17 Rezaeifar, 41 Kazemi, 77 Hassanzadeh, Coach: Mehran Hatami

2022 Hangzhou 1 Shahrian, 3 Vahedi, 4 Mirzaei, 5 Mashayekhi, 7 Rezaeifar, 10 Girgoorian, 11 Gholizadeh, 14 Kazemi, 17 Aghajanpour, 21 Torabi, 23 Pazirofteh, 32 Aliakbari, Coach: Hakan Demir

Head coaches

Note: The following list may not be complete

Notable players

Hamed Haddadi

Center Hamed Haddadi was the first Iranian to play in the NBA. Although he went undrafted in 2004, Haddadi signed with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2008. He appeared in more than 150 games for the Grizzlies and the Phoenix Suns.

On the international stage, Haddadi won medals at the FIBA Asia Cup, the Asian Games, and the FIBA Asia Challenge. At the FIBA Asia Cup, he won five medals, including three golds. Haddadi is one of only three players to win the FIBA Asia Cup MVP award since 2007, taking home four of the seven MVP trophies during that run.

At age 38, Haddadi made his final World Cup appearance at FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023. He was named to the Iranian squad in 2010, 2014, and 2019, and was named to Iran's extended roster for 2023.

The Iran Basketball Federation retired Hamed Haddadi's number 15 jersey on 21 February 2025, ahead of an Asia Cup qualifying game against India. It was the first jersey number retirement in Iran for any sport.[7]

Others

Kit supplier

Manufacturer

2008–2009: Merooj

2010–present: Peak

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b Iran played with their "B" team.
  2. ^ Iran played with their "U18" team.

References

  1. ^ "FIBA World Ranking Presented by Nike". FIBA. 2 December 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  2. ^ a b "IRN/LIB – It's Iraaaaaan!". FIBA. Archived from the original on 6 December 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2007.
  3. ^ "Yao, Hamed, and Patty shined as stars from Asia & Oceania at the Olympics". FIBA. 21 July 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Iran wins Asian Basketball Championships". WashingtonTV. Archived from the original on 24 August 2009. Retrieved 17 August 2009.
  5. ^ "Manolopoulos names Iran's roster for 2025 FIBA Asia Cup". tehrantimes.com. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  6. ^ "Team roster: Iran" (PDF). fiba.basketball. p. 6. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  7. ^ "Hamed Haddadi thrilled in his retirement ceremony". tehrantimes.com. Retrieved 22 February 2025.