TEHRAN – Iran will play Japan at the opening match of the 2023 Asian Women's Volleyball Championship on Wednesday.

Team Melli will also meet India in Pool B a day later.

The 22nd edition of the competition will be held in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand from Aug. 30 to Sept. 6.

The top three teams of the tournament will qualify for the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship as the AVC representatives.

“We will participate in the competition with a rejuvenated team and we know that there is a difficult task ahead of us,” Iran coach Fatemeh Rashidi said.

“Iranian players need to play more warm-up matches to prepare for the international stage,” she added.