Volleyball

Việt Nam plan to keep the AVC Nations Cup title at home. The tournament will be held on June 7-14 in Hà Nội. VNS Photo GP

HÀ NỘI Being defending champions and hosts of the tournament, Việt Nam are considered the ones to beat at the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Nations Cup, which will be played next month in Hà Nội.

Eleven teams confirmed their participation to vie for top honours in the eight-day tournament from June 7-14 at the Đông Anh Gymnasium.

Following a draw conducted on May 25, Việt Nam, which won back-to-back AVC Women’s Challenge Cup titles in 2023 in Gresik, Indonesia and 2024 in Manila, Philippines, are the top seeded team. They are in Pool A with fourth seed Australia, fifth seed India, Chinese Taipei, and Hong Kong (China).

Pool B comprises second seed Kazakhstan, third seed Philippines, sixth seed Iran, Indonesia, Mongolia and New Zealand.

Việt Nam and Hong Kong are set to meet in their opening clash.

The teams will compete in the pool round-robin preliminaries from June 7 to 12, with June 10 designated a rest day for recovery.

The top two teams from each pool will battle it out in the semi-finals on June 13, with the remaining teams playing the cup out in the classification round.

“We know our opponents in this year’s tournament. Luckily, we are in a pool of five teams so we will play fewer matches than the teams in the other pool in the group stage," said coach Nguyễn Tuấn Kiệt.

"However, all participating teams are strong, so even though we are the hosts, we must be very focused, respectful of opponents and prepare professionally.

“My players are in the final preparations for this tournament. I will decide the official squad after reviewing the players’ skills days before the opening match.”

Việt Nam, who are hosting the cup for the first time, played India and Chinese Taipei recently and beat them all.

In the AVC Challenge Cup 2024 (the former name of the AVC Nations Cup), Việt Nam beat Hong Kong 3-0 in the group round and went on to win 3-0 against Australia in the semi-finals.

Kazakhstan in Pool B are also a worthy and strong rival to vie for the title at this year's event. The team lost 3-0 to Việt Nam to take silver last year.

For the men's side, the Cup will be held on June 17-24 in Manama, Bahrain, with twelve teams taking part, divided into four pools of three.

Việt Nam's team will play in Pool D in the men's tournament in Bahrain. -- Photo VFV

Following the team draw, hosts Bahrain, along with Indonesia and Thailand are in Pool A, with top seeds Qatar, Australia and Kazakhstan in Pool B.

Pool C consists of second seeds Pakistan, Chinese Taipei and the Philippines, while third seed South Korea, New Zealand and Việt Nam are in Pool D.

They will compete in the pool round-robin preliminaries, with top two teams from each pool advancing to the quarter-finals and the remaining teams contesting the classification round.

As a strong team in Asia, South Korea, who are ranked 27 in the world, are favourites.

Việt Nam, who are ranked 52 and New Zealand, who are not placed in the world rankings, are also considered teams to beat, but neither has had many matches in the continental arena in recent years. Their latest games were in the Asian championship in 2025 and where Việt Nam finished 15th among 18 teams.

The AVC Nations Cup is held annually in collaboration with Volleyball World. It serves as a platform for national teams not participating in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) to gain FIVB ranking points and improve their rankings.

The champions will qualify for the 2026 Asian Men’s and Women’s Volleyball Championships, which in turn act as regional qualifiers for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and the 2027 FIVB World Championships. VNS