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2026 AVC Men's Volleyball Continental Championship

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The 2026 AVC Men's Volleyball Continental Championship, officially named the Kaitori Daikichi AVC Men's Volleyball Continental Fukuoka 2026 (Japanese: 買取大吉アジア男子バレーボール選手権大会 福岡2026) for sponsorship reasons, was the 23rd staging of the AVC Men's Volleyball Continental Championship, a biennial international volleyball tournament by the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) with Japan Volleyball Association (JVA). It took place at Kitakyushu City General Gymnasium in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan from 4 to 13 September 2026.[1][2]

Host countryJapan
CityKitakyushu[a]
Dates4–13 September
Teams12 (from 1 confederation)
Quick facts Tournament details, Host country ...
2026 AVC Men's Volleyball Continental Championship
  • 買取大吉アジア男子バレーボール選手権大会 福岡2026 (Japanese)
  • Kaitori Daikichi Ajia Danshi Barēbōru Senshuken Taikai Fukuoka 2026
Tournament details
Host countryJapan
CityKitakyushu[a]
Dates4–13 September
Teams12 (from 1 confederation)
Venue1 (in 1 host city)
Final positions
Champions Japan (11th title)
Runners-up Iran
Third place South Korea
Fourth place Australia
Tournament awards
MVPJapan Ran Takahashi
Best SetterJapan Hideomi Fukatsu
Best OH
Best MB
Best OPPIran Ali Hajipour
Best LiberoSouth Korea Park Kyeong-min
Tournament statistics
Matches played26
Attendance71,254 (2,741 per match)
← 2023
2028 →
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Following structural adjustments to the international volleyball calendar by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), Continental Championships are now permanently staged during even-numbered years to maximize player welfare and clean up qualification pathways. The 2026 edition will serve as a direct qualification pathway for major international tournaments. The winning team will earn a direct quota place for the 2028 Summer Olympics, while the top three finishers will secure qualification spots for the 2027 FIVB Men's Volleyball World Cup.[3][4]

Host nation Japan defeated Iran 3–0 in the final to retain the continental title. The victory earned Japan direct qualification for the 2028 Summer Olympics. In the third place matxh, South Korea defeated Australia 3–2 to claim the bronze medal. As the top three finishers of the tournament, Japan, Iran, and South Korea qualified for the 2027 FIVB World Cup. Ran Takahashi of Japan was named the MVP of the tournament.[5]

Year change

On 22 June 2023, the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) announced a comprehensive restructuring of the international calendar for the 2025–2028 cycle. As part of this overhaul, continental championships shifted from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years, beginning in 2026.[6] The structural change was implemented to prioritize athlete health and recovery by reducing calendar congestion, as well as to streamline the qualification pathways for major global tournaments such as the FIVB World Cup and the Olympic Games.[7]

Host selection

On 20 December 2025, the Asian Volleyball Confederation officially unveiled its comprehensive calendar for the 2026 international season following joint meetings with the FIVB and Volleyball World in Bangkok, Thailand. During this announcement, Kitakyushu, Japan was confirmed as the host city for the Men's Continental Championship.[2]

On July 3, 2026, the Japan Volleyball Association (JVA) confirmed that Kaitori Daikichi [ko] would serve as the tournament's title sponsor.[1]

Qualification

The tournament featured a maximum of 12 teams, qualified through the following criteria:[8]

The final list of participating teams was officially confirmed by the AVC on 6 February 2026.[4]

More information Team, Method of qualification ...
Team Method of
qualification		 Date of
qualification		 Appearance(s) Previous best
performance[A]		 WR[B]
Total First Last Streak
 Japan Host 20 December 2025 23rd 1975 2023 23 Champions (10 times)[c] 6
 Iran 2023 Asian Championship runners-up[b] 26 August 2023 22nd 1979 2023 19 Champions (2011, 2013, 2019, 2021) 19
 Bahrain 2025 AVC Nations Cup winners 24 June 2025 12th 1979 2023 3 8th place (1987, 2023) 44
 India 2025 CAVA Nations League runners-up[d] 23 July 2025 21st 1979 2023 4 4th place (2005) 46
 Oman 2025 West Asian Championship 3rd placers[e] 27 July 2025 4th 2013 2019 1 13th place (2019) 64
 Chinese Taipei 2025 Asian Eastern Zonal Championship runners-up[f] 23 August 2025 21st 1983 2023 21 4th place (1983, 1997, 2021) 58
 Thailand 2025 SEA Games winners 19 December 2025 18th 1987 2023 12 5th place (2005) 62
 New Zealand 2025 Oceania Qualifier runners-up[g] 22 December 2025 11th 1975 2005 1 7th place (1975) 138
 Qatar World ranking pathways 1 January 2026 18th 1989 2023 17 3rd place (2023) 24
 South Korea 23rd 1975 2023 23 Champions (1989, 1993, 2001, 2003) 26
 China 23rd 1975 2023 23 Champions (1979, 1997, 1999) 37
 Australia 22nd 1975 2021 1 Champions (2007) 49
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Pools composition

Quick facts External videos ...
External videos
YouTube logo
video icon [LIVE] Drawing of Lots - AVC Men's Volleyball Continental Fukuoka 2026
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Seeding

Teams were split into three pools with four teams each. The hosts were automatically placed in the top position of Pool A as the first seed, while the previous runners-up were placed at the top of Pool B as the second seed. The next four teams from the FIVB World Ranking were placed across the first and second lines using the serpentine system. The third and fourth lines consisted of the remaining teams according to the ranking and were drawn in the ceremony.[8]

More information Seeded teams, Line 3 ...
Seeded teams Line 3 Line 4
 Japan (hosts and defending champions) (7)
 Iran (16)
 Qatar (21)
 South Korea (26)
 China (28)
 Australia (33)		  Bahrain (40)
 Chinese Taipei (53)
 India (58)		  Thailand (59)
 Oman (76)
 New Zealand (82)
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Draw results

More information Pos, Team ...
Pool A
PosTeam
A1 Japan
A2 Australia
A3 Bahrain
A4 Oman
Pool B
PosTeam
B1 Iran
B2 China
B3 India
B4 New Zealand
Pool C
PosTeam
C1 Qatar
C2 South Korea
C3 Chinese Taipei
C4 Thailand
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Venue

On 3 July 2026, the Japan Volleyball Association (JVA) announced that the tournament would be held in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. All matches are scheduled to take place at Kitakyushu City General Gymnasium.[1]

More information Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan ...
Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
About OpenStreetMaps
Maps: terms of use
480km
298miles
Kitakyushu
Kitakyushu
Location map of the host venue
Kitakyushu City General Gymnasium
Capacity: 10,000
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Team ranking system

Pool standing procedure

To establish the ranking of teams after the preliminary round, the following criteria were implemented:[8]

  1. Total number of victories (matches won, matches lost)
  2. In the event of a tie, the following first tiebreaker will apply: The teams will be ranked by the most point gained per match as follows:[8]
    • Match won 3–0 or 3–1: 3 points for the winner, 0 points for the loser
    • Match won 3–2: 2 points for the winner, 1 point for the loser
    • Match forfeited: 3 points for the winner, 0 points (0–25, 0–25, 0–25) for the loser
  3. If teams are still tied after examining the number of victories and points gained, then the AVC will examine the results in order to break the tie in the following order:[8]
    • Set quotient: if two or more teams are tied on the number of points gained, they will be ranked by the quotient resulting from the division of the number of all set won by the number of all sets lost.
    • Points quotient: if the tie persists based on the set quotient, the teams will be ranked by the quotient resulting from the division of all points scored by the total of points lost during all sets.
    • If the tie persists based on the point quotient, the tie will be broken based on the team that won the match of the Round Robin Phase between the tied teams. When the tie in point quotient is between three or more teams, these teams ranked taking into consideration only the matches involving the teams in question.

Teams combined ranking system

To determine the teams playing in the quarterfinals and their match-ups, the following criteria were implemented:[8]

  1. Position of the team in the Pool (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th)
  2. Total number of victories (matches won, matches lost)
  3. In the event of a tie, the following first tiebreaker will apply: The teams will be ranked by the most point gained per match as follows:[8]
    • Match won 3–0 or 3–1: 3 points for the winner, 0 points for the loser
    • Match won 3–2: 2 points for the winner, 1 point for the loser
    • Match forfeited: 3 points for the winner, 0 points (0–25, 0–25, 0–25) for the loser
  4. If teams are still tied after examining the number of victories and points gained, then the AVC will examine the results in order to break the tie in the following order:[8]
    • Set quotient: if two or more teams are tied on the number of points gained, they will be ranked by the quotient resulting from the division of the number of all set won by the number of all sets lost.
    • Points quotient: if the tie persists based on the set quotient, the teams will be ranked by the quotient resulting from the division of all points scored by the total of points lost during all sets.
    • If the tie persists based on the point quotient, the tie will be broken based on the team that won the match of the Round Robin Phase between the tied teams. When the tie in point quotient is between three or more teams, these teams ranked taking into consideration only the matches involving the teams in question.

Final standing procedure

To establish the final rankings of teams of the tournament, the following criteria were implemented:[8]

  1. After the preliminary round, eliminated teams will be ranked as per the teams combined ranking system from 9th to 12th place.
  2. After the quarterfinals, eliminated teams will be ranked as per the teams combined ranking system from 8th to 5th place, including all matches played so far in the preliminary round and the final round.
  3. During the final round, the teams that do not win the semi-finals will compete for 4th and 3rd place and the winners of the semi-finals will compete for 2nd and 1st place.

Preliminary round

Pool A

More information Pos, Team ...
Pos Team Pld W L Pts SW SL SR SPW SPL SPR Qualification
1  Japan (H) 3 3 0 9 9 1 9.000 245 172 1.424 Advance to quarter-finals
2  Australia 3 2 1 6 6 3 2.000 204 188 1.085
3  Bahrain 3 1 2 3 3 6 0.500 187 208 0.899
4  Oman 3 0 3 0 1 9 0.111 177 245 0.722
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Source: AVC
Rules for classification: Pool standing procedure
(H) Host
More information Date, Time ...
Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Attd Report
4 Sep19:30Japan 3–1 Oman25–1825–1320–2525–9 95–656,491P2 Boxscore
5 Sep10:00Australia 3–0 Bahrain25–2025–1825–21  75–591,176P2 Boxscore
6 Sep19:30Japan 3–0 Bahrain25–1525–1525–23  75–536,639P2 Boxscore
7 Sep10:00Oman 0–3 Australia18–2514–2522–25  54–75897P2 Boxscore
8 Sep19:30Japan 3–0 Australia25–2025–1325–21  75–546,585P2 Boxscore
9 Sep10:00Bahrain 3–0 Oman25–1625–1925–23  75–581,032P2 Boxscore
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Pool B

More information Pos, Team ...
Pos Team Pld W L Pts SW SL SR SPW SPL SPR Qualification
1  Iran 3 3 0 9 9 1 9.000 251 206 1.218 Advance to quarter-finals
2  China 3 2 1 6 7 3 2.333 248 227 1.093
3  India 3 1 2 3 3 6 0.500 211 219 0.963
4  New Zealand 3 0 3 0 0 9 0.000 167 225 0.742
Close
Source: AVC
Rules for classification: Pool standing procedure
More information Date, Time ...
Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Attd Report
4 Sep12:30Iran 3–0 New Zealand25–1525–1225–22  75–49914P2 Boxscore
5 Sep13:30China 3–0 India25–2128–2627–25  80–721,602P2 Boxscore
6 Sep10:00Iran 3–0 India25–2028–2625–18  78–641,359P2 Boxscore
7 Sep13:30New Zealand 0–3 China17–2522–2518–25  57–75877P2 Boxscore
8 Sep10:00India 3–0 New Zealand25–2225–1825–21  75–611,780P2 Boxscore
9 Sep17:00Iran 3–1 China25–2323–2525–2225–23 98–931,538P2 Boxscore
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Pool C

More information Pos, Team ...
Pos Team Pld W L Pts SW SL SR SPW SPL SPR Qualification
1  Thailand 3 3 0 7 9 4 2.250 292 256 1.141 Advance to quarter-finals
2  South Korea 3 2 1 7 8 4 2.000 269 243 1.107
3  Chinese Taipei 3 1 2 4 6 6 1.000 265 275 0.964
4  Qatar 3 0 3 0 0 9 0.000 176 228 0.772
Close
Source: AVC
Rules for classification: Pool standing procedure
More information Date, Time ...
Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Attd Report
4 Sep16:00South Korea 3–1 Chinese Taipei29–2719–2525–1525–15 98–821,522P2 Boxscore
5 Sep17:00Qatar 0–3 Thailand22–2519–2514–25  55–751,725P2 Boxscore
6 Sep13:30Qatar 0–3 Chinese Taipei19–2522–2526–28  67–781,802P2 Boxscore
7 Sep17:00Thailand 3–2 South Korea25–1825–1620–2522–2515–12107–961,195P2 Boxscore
8 Sep13:30Qatar 0–3 South Korea20–2519–2515–25  54–751,676P2 Boxscore
9 Sep13:30Chinese Taipei 2–3 Thailand23–2525–2225–2322–2510–15105–1101,175P2 Boxscore
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Combined ranking

More information Pos, Pool ...
Pos Pool Team Pld W L Pts SW SL SR SPW SPL SPR Qualification
1 A  Japan (H) 3 3 0 9 9 1 9.000 245 172 1.424 Advance to quarter-finals
2 B  Iran 3 3 0 9 9 1 9.000 251 206 1.218
3 C  Thailand 3 3 0 7 9 4 2.250 292 256 1.141
4 C  South Korea 3 2 1 7 8 4 2.000 269 243 1.107
5 B  China 3 2 1 6 7 3 2.333 248 227 1.093
6 A  Australia 3 2 1 6 6 3 2.000 204 188 1.085
7 C  Chinese Taipei 3 1 2 4 6 6 1.000 265 275 0.964
8 B  India 3 1 2 3 3 6 0.500 211 219 0.963
9 A  Bahrain 3 1 2 3 3 6 0.500 187 208 0.899
10 A  Oman 3 0 3 0 1 9 0.111 177 245 0.722
11 C  Qatar 3 0 3 0 0 9 0.000 176 228 0.772
12 B  New Zealand 3 0 3 0 0 9 0.000 167 225 0.742
Close
Source: AVC
Rules for classification: Teams combined ranking system
(H) Host

Final round

 
Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
11 Sep
 
 
 Japan3
 
12 Sep
 
 India0
 
 Japan3
 
10 Sep
 
 South Korea0
 
 South Korea3
 
13 Sep
 
 China1
 
 Japan3
 
11 Sep
 
 Iran0
 
 Iran3
 
12 Sep
 
 Chinese Taipei1
 
 Iran3
 
10 Sep
 
 Australia1 Third place match
 
 Thailand0
 
13 Sep
 
 Australia3
 
 South Korea3
 
 
 Australia2
 

Quarter-finals

More information Date, Time ...
Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Attd Report
10 Sep15:30Thailand 0–3 Australia22–2524–2619–25  65–761,302P2 Boxscore
10 Sep19:30South Korea 3–1 China17–2525–2125–2229–27 96–951,650P2 Boxscore
11 Sep15:30Iran 3–1 Chinese Taipei25–1925–1921–2525–18 96–811,701P2 Boxscore
11 Sep19:30Japan 3–0 India25–1725–1525–19  75–516,445P2 Boxscore
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Semi-finals

More information Date, Time ...
Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Attd Report
12 Sep15:30Iran 3–1 Australia25–2117–2525–1725–22 92–853,271P2 Boxscore
12 Sep19:30Japan 3–0 South Korea25–1325–1125–14  75–386,519P2 Boxscore
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Third place match

More information Date, Time ...
Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Attd Report
13 Sep15:30South Korea 3–2 Australia16–2525–1822–2525–1815–9103–953,848P2 Boxscore
Close

Final

More information Date, Time ...
Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Attd Report
13 Sep19:30Japan 3–0 Iran25–2126–2425–23  76–686,533P2Boxscore
Close

Final standing

More information Pos, Team ...
Pos Team Pld W L Pts SW SL SR SPW SPL SPR Qualification
1st place, gold medalist(s)  Japan (H) 6 6 0 18 18 1 18.000 471 329 1.432 Qualified for the 2027 World Cup, 2028 Summer Olympics, and 2028 Continental Championship
2nd place, silver medalist(s)  Iran 6 5 1 15 15 6 2.500 507 448 1.132 Qualified for the 2027 World Cup
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  South Korea 6 4 2 12 14 10 1.400 506 508 0.996
4  Australia 6 3 3 10 12 9 1.333 460 448 1.027
5  Thailand 4 3 1 7 9 7 1.286 357 331 1.079
6  China 4 2 2 6 8 6 1.333 343 323 1.062
7  Chinese Taipei 4 1 3 4 7 9 0.778 346 371 0.933
8  India 4 1 3 3 3 9 0.333 261 294 0.888
9  Bahrain 3 1 2 3 3 6 0.500 187 208 0.899
10  Oman 3 0 3 0 1 9 0.111 177 245 0.722
11  Qatar 3 0 3 0 0 9 0.000 176 228 0.772
12  New Zealand 3 0 3 0 0 9 0.000 167 225 0.742
Close
Source: Volleyball World
(H) Host

Awards

 2026 AVC Men's Volleyball Continental champions 

Japan
Eleventh title

The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:[5]

See also

Notes

  1. [A]
    Bold text indicates they hosted that edition.
  2. [B]
    World ranking at the start of the tournament.
  1. [a]
    For promotional purposes the host of the tournament is designated as Fukuoka.[1]
  2. [b]
    As Japan had qualified as the hosts, its slot was reallocated to Iran who is the runners-up of the previous championship.
  3. [c]
    Japan have won in 1975, 1983, 1987, 1991, 1995, 2005, 2009, 2015, 2017, 2023.
  4. [d]
    As Iran had already qualified, its slot was reallocated to India.
  5. [e]
    As both Qatar and Bahrain had qualified, its slot was reallocated to Oman.
  6. [f]
    As South Korea had qualified, its slot was reallocated to Chinese Taipei.
  7. [g]
    As Australia had qualified, its slot was reallocated to New Zealand.

References

External links

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