On 3 October, Iran took the opening set 28-26 against hosts Japan in the Nagoya final. Japan drew level with a 25-19 win in the second set. Iran won the next two, 25-21 and 26-24.
The victory gave Iran a fourth consecutive Asian Games men's volleyball title. The run began in 2014. Xinhua reported that Iran reached the final after beating Pakistan 3-0 in the semifinal.
A fourth title in succession
Iran had also beaten Japan in the 2014 final, South Korea in 2018 and China in 2023. Four straight championships put Iran ahead of China and South Korea in the men's volleyball gold-medal standings.
Iran's Amin Esmaeilnezhad scored 22 points in the final, matching Japan's Tatsunori Otsuki for the match-high total.
Only Japan ranks higher, with eight gold medals. The 2026 volleyball title was also Iran's 19th gold medal at the Nagoya Games.
Local media reported that Iran finished sixth overall with 19 golds, 18 silvers and 15 bronzes. That's the full medal count.
Japan pushed the final to four sets
Iran won the first set 28-26. Japan answered with a 25-19 win to level the match. Iran took the third set 25-21, then closed out the final 26-24. Tehran Times also reported the set scores as 28-26, 19-25, 25-21 and 26-24.
Japan took silver. Pakistan claimed bronze.
Pakistan beat China 3-0 in the bronze-medal match. Xinhua reported that the result was Pakistan's first men's volleyball medal at the Asian Games in 64 years.
Four straight titles show Iran has held the Asian Games crown across successive editions. Japan still leads the all-time gold-medal tally, while Iran now ranks second.
