TEHRAN - Iran’s men’s national basketball team suffered a disappointing start to their campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, falling 53-59 to Qatar in their opening Group B match on Thursday morning.
The contest marked the first official competition for the Iranian delegation at the Games. Head coach Sotirios Manolopoulos’ squad opened with strong intensity, building an early lead before Qatar responded to level the first quarter at 10-10.
Qatar took control in the second period, capitalizing on Iranian turnovers and cold shooting to outscore Team Melli 21-11. Despite late three-pointers from Matin Aghajanpour and Arslan Kazemi, Iran went into halftime trailing 21-31.
Iran rallied in the fourth quarter behind key scores from Mobin Sheikhi, Aghajanpour, and Piter Girgoorian, cutting Qatar’s advantage to just two points in the final minutes. However, a critical turnover and late free throws in the closing 33 seconds sealed the victory for Qatar.
Quarter Breakdown:
Q1: Iran 10 – 10 Qatar
Q2: Iran 11 – 21 Qatar
Q3: Iran 13 – 13 Qatar
Q4: Iran 19 – 15 Qatar
Upcoming Fixtures: Iran will look to bounce back in their remaining Group B games at the Aichi-Nagoya Games:
Saturday, Sept 12: Iran vs. Chinese Taipei (04:30 AM Tehran Time)
Sunday, Sept 13: Iran vs. Jordan (04:30 AM Tehran Time)