Bahrain begin Asian volleyball title defence

TDT | Manama

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Bahrain's senior men's volleyball national team are set to begin their defence of the AVC Men's Cup title today when they take on Chinese Taipei in Ahmedabad, India. The match is scheduled to get underway at 12.30pm Bahrain time.

The Bahrainis arrived in India earlier this week ahead of the 12-nation tournament, which runs until June 28 and features some of the continent's leading teams.

Bahrain enter the competition as reigning champions after securing a historic triumph in last year's edition, which was hosted by the kingdom. The nationals defeated Pakistan in four sets in the gold medal match to claim their first-ever championship in any Asian Volleyball Confederation competition.

The title-winning campaign also earned Bahrain qualification for the AVC Volleyball Men's Continental Championship, set to take place in Fukuoka, Japan, from September 4 to 13.

Drawn in Pool A, Bahrain will face Chinese Taipei, New Zealand, Kazakhstan, Australia and hosts India in the preliminary round. Pool B features Qatar, South Korea, Pakistan, Indonesia, Thailand and Oman.

Following today's opener, Bahrain will take on New Zealand tomorrow before facing hosts India on Tuesday. They then conclude the preliminary round with matches against Kazakhstan and Australia on June 25 and 26, respectively.

The team is guided by Montenegro's Ivan Joksimovic, who was appointed head coach earlier this year. Joksimovic has already enjoyed success with the national side, leading Bahrain to gold at the fourth GCC Games in Doha last month in his first tournament in charge.

Key players expected to lead Bahrain's title defence include Hasan Alwarqaa, Ali Ebrahim, Mahmood Alafyah, Sayed Hashem Issa, Abdulla Mohammed Jaafar and Mahmoud Abdulwahed.

The AVC Men's Cup is being held for the seventh time and only the second under its current format. After the preliminary round, the top two teams from each pool will advance to the semi-finals on June 27, with the gold and bronze medal matches scheduled for June 28.

Bahrain's triumph in 2025 made them only the fifth nation to win the tournament, joining Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Thailand and Qatar on the honour roll. The nationals previously claimed silver medals in 2023, when the competition was still known as the AVC Men's Challenge Cup.

Having established themselves among Asia's emerging volleyball powers, Bahrain will now aim to retain their continental crown and add another chapter to one of the most successful periods in the history of the sport in the kingdom.