
Team Qatar set for Asian Men's Volleyball Cup in Bahrain
Manama
Team Qatar are intensifying their preparations in Bahrain for the sixth edition of the Asian Men's Volleyball Cup, which runs through June 24, with high hopes of defending the continental title it won in 2024 and further cementing Qatar's strong presence on the Asian volleyball scene.
Under the leadership of Argentine coach Camilo Soto, the team is focusing on boosting both technical and physical readiness. The current phase follows a comprehensive training program that began in Doha, including specialized drills and high-level friendly matches, most notably against Japan—one of Asia's volleyball powerhouses.
Although Qatar's scheduled opening match against Kazakhstan was canceled following the latter's official withdrawal from the tournament for personal reasons, the coaching staff opted not to arrange a replacement fixture. Instead, they decided to maintain the pre-set preparation schedule to avoid any disruption to the team's rhythm or mental focus. The decision reflects the squad's strong commitment to achieving optimal readiness ahead of their upcoming clash with Australia on June 19—a match that will likely determine the top spot in Group B.
Both Qatar and Australia have already advanced automatically to the quarter-finals due to Kazakhstan's withdrawal, making the showdown between the two a decisive step toward the title.
The knockout stage is set to begin on June 21, followed by the semi-finals on June 23, and the final on June 24, all taking place at Isa bin Rashid Hall in Riffa.
This year's tournament features three groups, with most groups comprising three teams each following Kazakhstan's withdrawal, reducing the total number of participating teams to 11. The top two teams from each group will advance to the single-elimination quarter-finals.
Team Qatar enters the tournament as the reigning champions, having won the 2024 edition—also held in Bahrain—when the event was known as the Asian Challenge Cup, following a well-deserved victory over Pakistan in the final. Now, the team is looking to build on that triumph and pursue back-to-back continental titles.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Qatar Tribune
a day ago
- Qatar Tribune
Qatar basketball team departs for FIBA Asia Cup 2025
Tribune News Network Doha The delegation of Qatar's senior national basketball team departed on Sunday morning for Jeddah to participate in the 31st edition of the FIBA Asia Cup. The tournament is set to run from August 5 to 17, 2025, featuring 16 Asian national teams. Leading the delegation is Saadoun Sabah Al Kuwari, General-Secretary of Qatar Basketball Federation and Director of National Teams. He is supported by Jasim Ibrahim Ashkanani as team manager and Nabil Jumaa as administrative assistant. The team is under the technical guidance of Turkish head coach Hakan Demir, assisted by Cengiz Karadag, Abdu Su, Attila Yabgir, and Mohammad Foral. The medical staff includes Dr. Adel Selim, Dr. Adel Hormia, and physiotherapist Nikasio Sagayno. The 12-player roster comprises: Brandon Goodwin, Alen Hadzibegovic, Seydou Ndiaye, Zinedine Bedri, Tyler Harris, Elhadji Magassa, Omar Saad, Mustafa Ndao, Mohamed Bashir, Babacar Dieng, Abdulrahman Saad, and Mahmoud Darwish. The tournament draw placed Qatar in Group A alongside Australia, South Korea, and Lebanon—a particularly challenging group given the rankings and competitive levels of the participating teams. Qatar's opening match in the continental competition will be against South Korea on August 6, followed by Lebanon on August 8, and concluding the group stage with a tough encounter against Australia on August 10. Group B consists of Japan, Iran, Syria, and Guam. Group C includes China, Jordan, India, and Saudi Arabia. Group D features the Philippines, New Zealand, Iraq, and Chinese Taipei. The event follows a group-stage format, where the top team from each group advances directly to the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, the second- and third-placed teams will compete in crossover elimination matches to determine the remaining qualifiers.


Qatar Tribune
2 days ago
- Qatar Tribune
Qatar national basketball team roster for FIBA Asia Cup 2025 announced
Tribune News Network Doha The Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) has unveiled the official roster for the Qatar National Basketball Team, set to compete in the 31st edition of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025, scheduled to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from August 5 to 17, 2025. The tournament will feature 16 top Asian national teams. The final 12-player roster includes: Brandon Goodwin, Alen Hadzibegovic, Seydou Ndiaye, Zain Eddin Badri, Tyler Harris, Adji Magassa, Omar Saad, Mustafa Ndaw, Mohamed Bashir, Babacar Dieng, Abdulrahman Saad, and Mahmoud Darwish. Leading the Qatar delegation is Saadoun Sabah Al Kuwari, General-Secretary of QBF and Director of National Teams. He will be supported by Jassim Ibrahim Ashkanani, Team Manager, and Nabil Juma, Assistant Manager. The team's technical staff is headed by Turkish coach Hakan Demir, with assistants Cengiz Karadag, Abdo Sou, Attila Yapcilar, and Mohamed Fural. The medical team comprises Dr. Adel Salem, Dr. Adel Hormia, and physiotherapist Nikasio Sagayno. Following the tournament draw, Qatar has been placed in the highly competitive Group A alongside Australia, South Korea, and Lebanon. Qatar team will open their campaign against South Korea on August 6, followed by matches against Lebanon on August 8 and Australia on August 10. Other groups in the tournament are as follows: Group B includes Japan, Iran, Syria, and Guam; Group C comprises China, Jordan, India, and Saudi Arabia; and Group D features the Philippines, New Zealand, Iraq, and Chinese Taipei. The tournament follows a group-stage format, with the top team from each group advancing directly to the quarterfinals. Teams finishing second and third in their groups will compete in crossover knockout matches to determine the remaining quarter-finalists.


Qatar Tribune
2 days ago
- Qatar Tribune
Asian Jr Bowling Championship Qatar 2025 concludes
QNA Doha The 24th Asian Junior Bowling Championship Qatar 2025 concluded on Satuday at the Qatar National Bowling Center. The championship was organized by the Qatar Bowling Federation in cooperation with the Asian Bowling Federation. Malaysian Muhammad Aqeel won the gold medal in the men's masters competition, while Kuwaiti Nasser Al Kandari claimed the silver medal. Hong Kong's Dylan Lam took bronze. The competition saw the participation of three Qatari players: Talal Al Marri, who came in fifth place; Abdulrahman Al Dosari, who came in seventh; and Musaed Al Marikhi, who came in eighth. The Qatari bowling team won four medals in the tournament, including a gold and silver medal in the doubles competition, a silver medal in the overall team ranking, and a bronze medal in the four-person team ranking. On the girls' side, Malaysian Karaul Ain Puti won the gold medal in the women's masters competition, beating her compatriot Adliya Noor Syazli in the final, who won the silver medal. Chinese Taipei's Hsin-Tsin Huang won the bronze medal. Sheikh Talal Al Mohammad Al Sabah, President of the International, Asian and Kuwait Bowling Federations, and Abdullah Sultan Al Qattan, President of the Qatar Bowling Federation, crowned the winners. Praising the the tournament's success, he said, 'The Asian Junior Bowling Championship achieved great distinction at all levels, both organizationally and technically, and received widespread praise from all participants. We congratulate Qatar on this great success. 'The Arab results are satisfactory, with the Qatari team winning four medals, including one gold, two silvers, and one bronze. The Kuwaiti team also won three gold medals overall and two silvers in the masters and team events. We congratulate them and all the winners of this distinguished Asian edition.' For his part, Abdullah Sultan Al Qattan, President of the Qatar Bowling Association, said that the success achieved during the tournament reflects the great efforts made by the organizing committee to present this Asian edition in such a distinguished manner. 'We are pleased with what was achieved during the tournament, and we are satisfied with the hosting and organization in light of the continuous praise from all the delegations that participated in this continental tournament. We consider this distinction a confirmation of the value and leading position of Qatar in the organization,' he said. He also affirmed his satisfaction with the results achieved by the national team, which won four diverse medals, stressing that this is a great incentive for these young players for the future. It is worth noting that the tournament witnessed the participation of 11 countries, including 79 male players and 20 female players representing the national teams of Qatar (host), Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, China, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Bahrain, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and India.