Bahrain Eye Back-to-Back Titles on Home Court

TDT | Manama

Email : hussainm@newsofbahrain.com

West Asia Volleyball Championship kicks off Saturday

The West Asia Men’s Volleyball Championship kicks off Saturday at Isa Bin Rashid Arena, and hosts Bahrain look more than ready.

On Tuesday, the national team put in a strong showing, winning straight sets over Saudi Arabia. It was their second friendly win over the same opponents in the lead-up to the tournament. The set scores were 27–29, 25–19, 25–19.

The win served as Bahrain’s final tune-up under head coach Arnaud Gosserand, and it capped off a short but sharp preparation window for a squad aiming for their second title of the summer "When you win an Asian cup, the only goal is to win the next competition", said an ambitious Gosserand.

The Competition

The West Asia Volleyball Association (WAVA) has officially locked in the tournament pools:

• Group A: Bahrain, Jordan, UAE, Lebanon

• Group B: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman

This is the first-ever senior men’s championship organized under WAVA, part of a long-term strategy to grow the sport across the region. Bahrain, with its recent rise in Asian volleyball, has positioned itself at the heart of that vision.

Carrying Momentum

Bahrain won the 23rd Arab Volleyball Championship in November last year, and just last month, they lifted their first AVC Men’s Volleyball Nations Cup title. Both achievements were on home soil.

That historic AVC run featured standout performances from a now-familiar core:

• Abdulla Mohammed (MVP & Best Outside Hitter)
  
  

• AlAfyah Mahmood (Best Setter)
  
  

• Khamis Ali (Best Opposite)
  
  

• Haroon Ayman (Best Libero)
  
  

With chemistry intact and confidence high, Bahrain enter this tournament as favorites.

They open their campaign Saturday against Lebanon, followed by group matches against Jordan on Sunday, and UAE on Monday. All matches are set for 7PM and will be played at Isa Bin Rashid Arena in front of a home crowd hoping to see another title-winning run.