TEHRAN - The Iranian men’s national basketball team suffered a 77-51 defeat against South Korea in the semifinals of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Friday, missing the chance to advance to the final.
Following the loss, the Iranian squad, led by Greek head coach Sotirios Manolopoulos, will now compete in the bronze medal match.
South Korea dominated the game from the start, taking the quarters 12-8, 24-16, 25-13, and 16-14.
The South Korean team established an early lead in the first half through accurate three-point shooting. Despite efforts from Iranian players including Arsalan Kazemi and Mobin Sheikhi to narrow the gap, South Korea ended the first half with a 36-24 advantage.
In the second half, South Korea continued to extend its lead with a series of successful three-pointers and fast breaks. While Mohammad Jamshidi and Arman Zangeneh attempted to keep Iran in the game during the final quarters, the deficit proved too large to overcome, concluding the match at 77-51.
Prior to the semifinal, Iran had topped its preliminary group with victories over Jordan and Chinese Taipei, alongside a single loss to Qatar. The team then defeated Bahrain in the quarterfinals to secure a spot in the final four.
The Iranian roster for the Nagoya Games includes Peter Grigorian, Mohammad Jamshidi, Arsalan Kazemi, Arman Zangeneh, Seyed Mehdi Jafari, Mohammad Mehdi Heidari, Navid Rezaeifar, Salar Monji, Matin Aghajanpour, Mobin Sheikhi, Alireza Sharifi, and Khashayar Ali-Akbari.
In the other semifinal match, China will face host nation Japan later on Friday to determine the second finalist.