VOLLEYBALL – BAHRAIN will be playing in a challenging Pool B for the AVC Boys’ U18 Volleyball Championship, which is scheduled to take place July 12 to 18 in Haikou, China.
The Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) announced the groups for the preliminary round of the 16-nation tournament, which was originally set to be hosted by the kingdom but, due to circumstances in the region, has been moved.
The youth nationals will be hitting the court alongside India, Iran, and a team that has to be determined from Southeast Asia.
Pool A features defending champions China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, and another Southeast Asian side. Pool C is composed of Pakistan, Thailand, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan; while Pool D includes Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Saudi Arabia.
Bahrain are playing for only the third time in the competition. The kingdom’s youth squad made their debut in 2014 in Sri Lanka, where they finished ninth from 15 teams; and also competed in the previous edition in 2024, which was held in the kingdom and where Bahrain made it to the quarter-finals to finish seventh overall.
This year’s AVC Boys’ U18 Volleyball Championship will be its 16th edition. The tournament will serve as a qualifier for the 2027 FIVB Boys’ U19 World Championship, with the top four finishers earning their right to represent the continent on volleyball’s biggest youth stage.
The hosts for the under-19 worlds have yet to be announced by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB).
Bahrain have played in the tournament twice – first in 1991 where they finished 11th from 12 nations and then again as hosts in 2017, when they ranked 13th from 20 countries.
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