TEHRAN – Iran started the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2021 with an 88-67 loss against Serbia Saturday night.

Iran are scheduled to meet host Latvia on Sunday in Group B.

Serbia’s Filip Skobalj was the match top scorer with 17 points, and Amirhossein Yazarloo earned 11 points for Iran.

The 15th edition of the U19 global showcase tipped off with a limited number of fans being allowed into the games - something that seemed unimaginable just a few months ago.

The tournament, which runs from July 3-11 and is being held in Riga and Daugavpils, in Latvia.

The Baltic country is hosting the event for a second time, following 2011. The United States go into the 2021 edition as the reigning champions from 2019 and the winners of seven of the previous 14 tournaments.