TEHRAN - Iran secured the Greco-Roman team title at the 2026 World Wrestling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, after a powerful start featuring one gold, two silver and one bronze medal in the opening four weight classes and four more finalists in the remaining weight categories.
The Iranian squad strengthened its position with Saeid Esmaeili at 67kg and Alireza Mohmedi at 87kg advancing to the finals, while Muhammad Mahdi Keshtkar’s campaign at 63kg ended in the quarterfinals.
The championships, held from October 24 to November 1, feature 10 Greco-Roman weight classes, with nearly 300 wrestlers competing for 40 medals in the discipline, according to United World Wrestling (UWW).
Esmaeili, the reigning world champion at 67kg, produced a series of commanding performances to reach the final. He opened with a 10-0 win over the Netherlands’ Ilias Laaouina before recording an 11-0 victory against China’s Xinxin Jin and a 7-2 quarterfinal win over Kazakhstan’s Bagdat Sabaz.
The Iranian then edged Azerbaijan’s Hasrat Jafarov 1-1 on criteria in the semifinals. Jafarov owns an Olympic bronze medal and a world silver, making the victory a significant step toward another major title for Esmaeili. The Iranian is seeded fourth in the division, while Jafarov entered the tournament among its leading contenders.
Mohmedi also impressed at 87kg, overpowering Mongolia’s Tsogt Batbayar 11-0 in the opening round before shutting out Poland’s Arkadiusz Kulynycz 5-0. He followed with an 8-5 quarterfinal victory over Ukraine’s Yaroslav Filchakov and a dominant 10-1 semifinal win over Armenia’s Gevorg Tadevosyan to book his place in the final.
At 63kg, Keshtkar’s run ended in the quarterfinals. After receiving a bye in the first round, he defeated Finland’s Tino Ojala 9-0 but was beaten 8-1 by Bulgaria’s Edmond Armen Nazaryan.
Iran’s earlier success came through Farokhi, who captured gold at 82kg, while Payam Ahmadi and Ali Ahmadi Vafa claimed silver at 55kg and 60kg. Oskou added bronze at 77kg, giving Iran four medals from the opening four weight classes.
The Iranian team’s remaining medal hopes rested on three wrestlers scheduled for the finals: Danial Sohrabi at 72kg, Fardin Hedayati at 130kg and Muhammad Hadi Saravi at 97kg, who was set to compete for bronze.
Hedayati, making his senior World Championships debut, had already demonstrated his potential by reaching the heavyweight final. Saravi, meanwhile, entered the competition as the reigning world champion at 97kg, bringing valuable experience to Iran’s medal push.
With multiple finalists and a strong opening medal haul, Iran put itself in a commanding position in the Greco-Roman team standings as the competition approached its conclusion in Astana.