11 men’s national teams join the race for the inaugural trophy, Asian Championship qualification and World Ranking points.
The first-ever AVC Men’s Volleyball Nations Cup is about to commence in Manama, Bahrain. Eleven national men`s teams from across Asia will compete for the prestigious trophy, a spot in the 2026 Asian Men’s Volleyball Championship, and crucial FIVB World Ranking points. Volleyball fans can catch all the matches streamed live on VBTV from June 17 to 24.
The structure of the men`s AVC Nations Cup will differ from the women`s edition, which recently concluded in Vietnam. The participating teams have been divided into four preliminary round-robin pools. Following the withdrawal of Kazakhstan, three of these pools will consist of three teams each, while one pool will now have only two teams. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the quarterfinals. Teams finishing in third place in their pools will compete for the 9th through 11th positions in the final tournament standings.
Pool Breakdown:
Pool A is headlined by the host nation, Bahrain, who finished as runners-up in the 2023 AVC Challenge Cup. They are scheduled to open their campaign against Thailand on Tuesday, June 17, at 19:00 local time (16:00 UTC). Indonesia is the third team completing Pool A.
Pool B includes the champions of the 2024 edition, Qatar, alongside Australia. These two teams are set to begin their tournament play on Thursday at 11:30 local time (08:30 UTC). Qatar is currently the highest-ranked team participating, sitting at number 24 in the FIVB World Ranking. Australia is ranked 33rd globally.
Last year’s silver medalists, Pakistan, will participate in the very first match of this year`s tournament. Their opening fixture in Pool C is against the Philippines, scheduled for Tuesday at 14:00 local time (11:00 UTC). Chinese Taipei is also part of Pool C.
In Pool D, the team from Korea, bronze medalists in the last two AVC Challenge Cup tournaments and ranked 27th worldwide, will face Vietnam later in the week, a rematch of the 2023 third-place playoff. On Tuesday`s opening day, Korea`s first match will be against New Zealand at 16:30 local time (13:30 UTC).
This newly rebranded competition, which was previously known as the AVC Men’s Challenge Cup, is an annual continental tournament. With recent adjustments to the Volleyball Nations League format, the AVC Men’s Nations Cup has gained increased significance. It provides national teams not currently participating in the VNL with a vital opportunity to earn FIVB Volleyball World Ranking points and potentially secure a pathway into the sport`s top-tier global competition. Additionally, the champions of this tournament will qualify for the 2026 Asian Men’s Volleyball Championship. The Asian Championship serves as a key qualifying event for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games and also offers a route to the 2027 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship.
Jasper Thornfield 
Oliver Wrenwick