Iran have spent the past four years doing what Iran have done better than any other team in men’s sitting volleyball. Winning.
Since claiming an eighth World Championship title in Sarajevo in 2022, they have won the World Cup and Paralympic gold, adding further chapters to a record unmatched in the men’s game. Yet the years between Sarajevo and Hangzhou have produced more than another run of Iranian success.
Bosnia and Herzegovina have remained among the sport’s leading contenders. Egypt have emerged as a major force. Brazil have continued to collect medals, while Germany and Kazakhstan have also secured podium finishes at major international events.
Those teams will meet again at the 2026 World ParaVolley Sitting Volleyball World Championships in Hangzhou, China, from 10 to 17 July.
Iran’s victory in Sarajevo was their eighth World Championship title in 11 appearances. In the three editions where they did not win gold, they still collected one silver and two bronze medals. No other team has matched that record in the men’s competition.
The final in Sarajevo was another meeting between Iran and Bosnia and Herzegovina, a rivalry that has defined the men’s game for more than two decades. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s silver medal was the sixth World Championship medal in their history.
Iran’s success did not stop with Sarajevo. They won the World Cup in Cairo in 2023 before adding Paralympic gold in Paris a year later. Bosnia and Herzegovina also remained among the medal contenders, adding another silver medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Egypt’s results over the same period tell the story of a team moving steadily upwards. They finished second at the 2023 World Cup, claimed bronze at the Paris Paralympics and then captured World Cup gold in 2025.
Brazil also remained among the leading teams in the sport. After winning bronze at the 2022 World Championships, they reached the final of the 2025 World Cup and left with silver.
Germany and Kazakhstan added further depth to the international field. Germany claimed bronze at the 2023 World Cup, while Kazakhstan matched that result two years later.
Road to Hangzhou
The period between the 2022 World Championships in Sarajevo and the 2026 World Championships in Hangzhou has featured success for both the defending champions and their closest challengers. Here is a look at the major medal-winning results collected by the leading contenders during the current cycle.
Iran
- 2022 – World Champions
- 2023 – World Cup champions
- 2024 – Paris 2024 Paralympic Games gold
Egypt
- 2023 – World Cup silver
- 2024 – Paris 2024 Paralympic Games bronze
- 2025 – World Cup champions
Bosnia and Herzegovina
- 2022 – World Championship silver
- 2024 – Paris 2024 Paralympic Games silver
Brazil
- 2022 – World Championship bronze
- 2025 – World Cup silver
Germany
- 2023 – World Cup bronze
Kazakhstan
- 2025 – World Cup bronze