TEHRAN – Iran overpowered Germany in straight sets (25-23, 26-24, 25-16 ) in the 2023 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Week 2 on Tuesday.

Amin Esmaeilnejad led Iran’s with 16 points and Germany’s Moritz Reichert collected 11 points.

Iran are scheduled to meet powerhouses Italy on Wednesday and play the U.S. and the Netherlands on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

The VNL Preliminary Phase will feature three weeks of competition, with each of the 16 teams playing 12 matches.

The eight best-ranked national teams in the Preliminary Phase will qualify for the Final Phase, which will be held in Gdańsk, Poland, from July 19-23 – host country Poland are already guaranteed a spot.