Iran NPC, Tehran- Team Iran’s men’s goalball squad displayed a dominant performance to capture the title at the 2025 IBSA Asia-Pacific Goalball Championships today (21 October), defeating China 4–2 in the final held in Islamabad, Pakistan.
With this triumph, Iran captured the continental title and earned qualification for the 2026 IBSA Goalball World Championships in China.
Nematollah Sarafraz led the charge with a brilliant hat-trick, scoring three of Iran’s four goals, while Alireza Bagheri added another to seal the win.
Team Iran previously defeated Saudi Arabia (6–4), Australia (5–1), and Thailand (5–1) in the group stage, overcame Iraq (8–3) in the quarterfinals, and edged Uzbekistan (3–2) in a thrilling semifinal to reach the final showdown.
Iran’s lineup featured Mohammad Mahdi Nafisi-Nasab, Alireza Bagheri, Alireza Goudarzi, Mohammad Mahdi Zarei, Milad Souri, and Nematollah Sarafraz, led by head coach Bahman Doustivala and coach Alireza Sheibak, with Saeid Nahidi serving as team manager.
The 2025 Asia-Pacific Goalball Championships were held from October 15 to 20 in Islamabad, with the top two teams earning qualification for next year’s World Championships in China.