TEHRAN - The draw for the most important goalball competition in the world – the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games – took place in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy, on Monday.

In the men’s, defending Paralympic champions Brazil and World Championships silver medalists China, European champions Ukraine, Americas title holders the U.S., African champions Egypt, Asia-Pacific champions Iran, hosts France and IBSA World Games champions Japan all went into the pots to be drawn for the Paralympics.

Men’s draw  

Pool A: 

A1 Brazil 

A2 Iran 

A3 U.S. 

A4 France 

Pool B:  

B1 China 

B2 Ukraine 

B3 Egypt 

B4 Japan 

Jonatas Castro, Brazilian men’s head coach, said: “Overall, I liked it because the groups are balanced. There is no “death group”. The tendency is for the story to be built normally throughout the competition. Specifically, about the Brazil group, I liked it because they are teams we are used to playing against. Iran, we faced in the Nations Cup recently, the U.S., we have won the last clashes. We know that the Paralympics are different, strategies change, there are no more tests. But I think it was a good group.”