Iran at Asian Games 2026: Wrestling Power & Squad Watch
Iran remains one of Asia’s most storied wrestling and combat-sports nations. Here’s what’s confirmed so far about Iran’s 2026 squads sport-by-sport heading into Aichi-Nagoya.
Iran’s Asian Games Track Record
Iran has been a consistent top-10 power, though its gold and total medal counts both dipped slightly between 2018 and 2023.
| Edition | Rank | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Jakarta-Palembang | 6th | 20 | 20 | 22 | 62 |
| 2022/23 Hangzhou | 7th | 13 | 21 | 20 | 54 |
Source: Iran at the 2018 Asian Games and Iran at the 2022 Asian Games, Wikipedia (compiled from official OCA results).
Iran’s Strongest Sports
Wrestling is Iran’s flagship sport by a wide margin — heavyweight Amir Hossein Zare won Iran’s 12th gold at Hangzhou 2023, part of a program headlined by legendary competitor Hassan Yazdani. Weightlifting, taekwondo, wushu, karate, and judo round out Iran’s traditional strengths.
Iran’s Official Squads by Sport
Iran’s national federations have published a handful of fully named 2026 rosters, with several more reported by Iranian outlets but blocked from full verification. Below is what we’ve confirmed.
Confirmed via official federation/media sources
| Sport | Key Named Athletes | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Kabaddi | Full 12-man squad captained by Fazel Atrachali | Confirmed |
| Flag Bearers (cross-sport) | Karate world champion Atousa Golshadnezhad and kabaddi captain Fazel Atrachali, named by Iran’s NOC | Confirmed |
Near-certain names, not yet formally confirmed as the Games roster
| Sport | Notes |
|---|---|
| Wrestling (Freestyle) | Amir Hossein Zare, Kamran Ghasempour, Mobin Azimi, and others were 2026 Asian Championship medalists and current national-team wrestlers; Hassan Yazdani is confirmed on Iran’s 2026 World Championships team via trials. These are strong Asian Games favorites, but we could not verify a formally finalized Games-specific roster. |
| Karate | World champion Atousa Golshadnezhad confirmed as flag bearer/competitor; the rest of the team not located. |
| Gymnastics, Kurash, Beach Volleyball | Iranian outlets reported these squads as “finalized,” but the source pages were inaccessible, so names could not be independently verified. |
Team confirmed, no roster yet / not found
| Sports |
|---|
| Football (U-23, group opponents known), Boxing (only one exclusion reported), Weightlifting, Taekwondo, Judo, Wushu, Volleyball, Basketball, Futsal, Table Tennis, Badminton, Fencing, Archery, Shooting, Cycling, Rowing, Canoeing, Sailing, Equestrian, Esports, Sport Climbing, Handball, Swimming, Athletics |
Storylines to Watch
Wrestling depth: with Hassan Yazdani and Amir Hossein Zare both active and competitive heading into 2026, wrestling remains Iran’s most likely source of gold medals, continuing a decades-long national tradition.
Kabaddi ambitions: Fazel Atrachali, one of the sport’s most recognizable global stars, captains a fully confirmed 12-man kabaddi squad and was also named a Games flag bearer alongside karate’s Atousa Golshadnezhad.