Iran, USA crowned sitting volleyball world champions
Featuring 16 men's and 16 women's teams, the 2026 World ParaVolley Sitting Volleyball World Championships brought together the sport's leading nations and newcomers in a battle for world titles 20 Jul 2026
Reigning Paralympic champions Islamic Republic of Iran and the USA captured the men's and women's titles respectively at the 2026 World ParaVolley Sitting Volleyball World Championships in Hangzhou, China.
Featuring 16 men's and 16 women's teams, the tournament brought together sitting volleyball's leading nations and newcomers in a battle for world titles.
Iran extend historic reign
The Islamic Republic of Iran continued their remarkable dominance in men's sitting volleyball, securing a record-extending ninth World Championship title on Friday, 17 July, after defeating long-time rivals Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-1 (25-21, 25-20, 20-25, 25-16) in the gold medal match.
The victory adds to Iran's world titles won in 1985, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2010, 2018, and 2022. The team has also claimed eight Paralympic gold medals since the sport made its Games debut at the Arnhem 1980 Games.
Two years after meeting in the Paris 2024 Paralympic final, Iran and Bosnia and Herzegovina renewed one of sitting volleyball's greatest rivalries on the world stage.
Iran controlled the opening two sets before Bosnia and Herzegovina responded to take the third. The defending champions regrouped in the fourth set, limiting their opponents to just seven attack points to seal the title in one hour and 39 minutes.
Kazakhstan completed a historic tournament by claiming the bronze medal, defeating Brazil 3-2 to secure the country's first-ever Sitting Volleyball World Championship medal.
Perdebay Namuratov starred with a match-high 38 points, including 32 attacks and five aces, while Erik Kaskabayev contributed 28 points in Kazakhstan's landmark victory.
Men's final standings
1. Iran
2. Bosnia and Herzegovina
3. Kazakhstan
4. Brazil
5. USA
6. Germany
7. Egypt
8. Rwanda
9. Ukraine
10. Poland
11. Croatia
12. Iraq
13. China
14. Thailand
15. Canada
16. Japan
USA reclaim women's world title
The United States reclaimed the women's world crown on Saturday with a 3-1 victory over defending champions Brazil (25-18, 25-20, 24-26, 25-10).
The Paris 2024 Paralympic gold medallists controlled much of the final and came within a point of a straight-sets victory before Brazil rallied to take the third set. The Americans responded emphatically in the fourth, cruising to a dominant 25-10 win to secure their second World Championship title.
Monique Matthews led all scorers with 21 points, while Kathryn Bridge added 10 points and Emma Schieck contributed eight.
Hosts China delighted the home crowd by defeating Canada 3-0 to claim the bronze medal and complete the podium.
The women's competition also welcomed three debut nations, with Thailand, France and Kenya making their first appearances at a Sitting Volleyball World Championship.
Women's final standings
1. USA
2. Brazil
3. China
4. Canada
5. Italy
6. Ukraine
7. Islamic Republic of Iran
8. Japan
9. Netherlands
10. Slovenia
11. Rwanda
12. Germany
13. Hungary
14. France
15. Kenya
16. Thailand
For more information and complete tournament results, please visit the World ParaVolley website
Discover more about sitting volleyball on Paralympic.org
