Iran's men's volleyball team will travel to Brazil for a series of preparation friendlies in the lead-up to the 2026 Volleyball Nations League, the Iranian federation confirmed this week.
The trip pairs two perennial top-eight nations who have built up a rivalry across the past three VNL editions. Brazil reached the final of the men's competition in 2025 before losing to Poland in straight sets, while Iran progressed to the quarter-finals before being knocked out by France.
The friendly block will consist of multiple matches across approximately two weeks, held at training venues in Sao Paulo state. Iran's head coach has indicated the priority is integrating younger middle blockers into the rotation alongside captain Saeid Marouf-replacement Javad Karimi at setter, with a focus on first-tempo combinations against high-level blocking opposition.
The trip also serves as one of the rare opportunities for Iran's men to play at altitude and in conditions outside the European or Asian club season. Several of Iran's first-choice outsides spent the 2025-26 club season in Italy's SuperLega and Poland's PlusLiga, with the federation building the friendly window around their post-season availability.
Brazil's interest in the matches is similar. New head coach Bernardinho returned to the national programme last year and has used 2026 to overhaul his middle blocker rotation. The Brazilian federation has framed the Iran block as one of the most physically taxing preparation series available outside of an actual VNL week.
The FIVB Volleyball Nations League's men's edition begins in early June, with Iran scheduled to open in Manila against Cuba before progressing through pool play in Europe. Brazil opens at home in Rio de Janeiro before travelling to Hong Kong and Quebec.
For both federations, the Brazil block doubles as a competitive scrimmage and a tournament-level test of the FIVB's new rule package being trialled in 2026. Coaches have access to the expanded 14-player match-day roster, the new warm-up protocol and the revised challenge procedures during the friendlies, allowing staff to test substitution patterns before the start of competitive play.
Iran's federation has not yet released the official squad list for the Brazil trip, but the federation confirmed it will draw from the long list released for the 2026 VNL preliminary group. Brazil's roster is expected to feature most of the names already announced for the country's VNL opening week, with rotation managed across the friendlies to give every player at least one start.
