VOLLEYBALL – Bahrain suffered their second successive defeat yesterday in the AVC Volleyball Men’s Continental Championship 2026, currently being played in Fukuoka, Japan.
The kingdom’s senior men’s volleyball national team bowed to defending champions and hosts Japan 0-3 (15-25, 15-25, 23-25) in a match that lasted just over an hour at Kitakyushu City General Gymnasium.
The Bahrainis tried to put up a valiant fight against their heavily favoured rivals, but the home team were too good and they showed why they are ranked number six in the world.
The result put the nationals in last place on the Pool A standings with one fixture remaining in their preliminary round schedule.
It will be against Oman on Wednesday at 4am, Bahrain time – a contest the nationals must win in order to have any chance of squeezing into the quarter-finals.
Outside hitter Mahmoud Abdulwahed top scored for the Bahrainis in yesterday’s loss with 10 points, while middle blocker Hasan Haider and opposite spiker Abdulla Mohammed Jaafar chipped in with seven points apiece.
In other games yesterday, Iran defeated India 3-0 (25-20, 28-26, 25-18) in Pool B while Chinese Taipei beat Qatar 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 28-26) in Pool C.
At the end of this ongoing single round-robin, the top two teams from each of the three groups march through to the elite eight along with the two best third-placed squads.
The elite senior men’s competition features 12 of Asia’s best in the sport. They are vying not only for the coveted title, but also for the sole direct quota place in the men’s volleyball tournament at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
In addition to this, the competition’s top three will secure berths in the FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Cup 2027.
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