In becoming the first Iranian pair to compete in the FIVB World Championships, Raoufi and Salemiinjehboroun qualified for the event via the Asian continental rounds. Raoufi and Salemiinjehboroun have been competing together on the Asian circuit since 2014 with three event wins to their credit, including a first-place this season in mid-April at the Asian Men's Beach volleyball championship in Thailand. While Salemiinjehboroun started playing internationally in 2013, Raoufi’s first appearance was in 2010 when he and Reza Assari Naeini finished fifth at a FIVB challenger stop in India.