TEHRAN – Iran national volleyball team will begin the 2021 Volleyball Nations league (VNL) on Friday against Japan. The competition is a great chance for newly-appointed coach Vladimir Alekno to field the young players.

A total of 32 of the world’s top national teams have joined the VNL 2021 bubble in Rimini, Italy to showcase electrifying volleyball action for millions of fans worldwide.

Alekno has already said the campaign is an opportunity for him to field the young players.

“We have a chance to field our young players in the VNL. The competition can prepare us for the Olympics. Several players have a bright future in Iran volleyball. Javad Karimi and Amirhossein Esfandiar must change their mentality if they want to be successful. Saber Kazemi and Bardia Saadat will have a bright future,” Alekno said in a press conference last week.

The 16-team tournament begins with a round-robin phase where each side will play 15 games.

The third edition of the competition will be held from May 28 to June 27 in Rimini, Italy.

The 2021 VNL will be really a good tournament for the teams to prepare for the 2020 Olympic Games.

This Games’ edition will be special for Iran since the country’s golden generation will likely represent the Asian powerhouses in the event for the last time.