Lausanne, Switzerland, September 12, 2017 – Both USA and Iran won their first matches at the 2017 FIVB Men's World Grand Champions Cup in Japan and will be looking to add a second victory to their records as they face each other on Wednesday. The match in Nagoya will be their second encounter in the history of the Grand Champions Cup.
Head-to-Head
• On November 23, 2013, Iran beat USA 3-2 in these nations' only previous meeting at the World Grand Champions Cup.
• These teams' most recent meeting at world level came at the 2017 World League, when USA recorded a 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 30-28) win over Iran.
• Iran last beat USA in a competitive match on June 21, 2015, when they won 3-0 in the 2015 World League.
USA
• USA started their 2017 World Grand Champions Cup with a win against Japan. In 2013 they also won their first match against Japan.
• USA can now win back-to-back matches in a single World Grand Champions Cup for the first time since 2005, when they won their last four matches.
• USA have won two matches in a row at a major competition only once in 2017 - beating Italy and Russia in the World League last June.
• That was also the last time they won two matches in a row in straight sets.
Iran
• Iran can win their first two matches at a World Grand Champions Cup for the first time.
• Iran can win the first two matches of a global major competition for the first time since the 2014 World Championship, when they beat Italy and USA, the same opponents as in the first two matches of this year's World Grand Champions Cup.
• Four of Iran's five wins at the World Grand Champions Cup have come in five sets.
• Iran have won four of their last five World Grand Champions Cup matches, only losing 0-3 against Russia in 2013.
• Amir Ghafour (21) and Milad Ebadipour Ghara (20) led Iran in points against Italy.