Iran have yet to qualify for an Olympic Games, but their ascent in the world stage is undeniable. The Iranian side became a consistent top two continental championship finisher with a breakthrough win in 2011 and a follow-up victory in the 2013 edition, over their silver medal finishes in 2009 and 2015. Iran have featured in the past three World Championships and were sixth at the 2014 edition in Poland, where a strong Russian side defeated them in the final round. They will be hoping to pick up where they left off in 2014 when they defeated Japan to win the gold medal at the Asian Games in Incheon, Korea.
In the 2015 World League, Iran came third in Group 1’s Pool B in which United States and Poland progressed to the next round. However, they took encouragement after defeating every team in their pool, including a double sweep of USA in Russia. Although they still have some way to go, Iran are on the rise and can present a good challenge to the world's elite teams. They have made rapid improvement in recent seasons, including their 2014 World League campaign, culminating in a fourth place finish in Group 1 following a straight-set defeat against their Italian hosts in the bronze medal match.