India stay alive as Japan seal Pool A top spot in Fukuoka

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India are still in the race for the quarterfinals in Fukuoka.
After two defeats, the Indian side finally opened their account on Tuesday with a convincing 3-0 (25:22, 25:18, 25:21) victory over New Zealand, a result that eliminated the Kiwis from contention and left India waiting for the final piece of the puzzle.
The match was effectively a decider for third place in Pool B, with India needing a win to remain among the candidates for one of the two quarterfinal places reserved for the best third-ranked teams across the pools.
Captain and opposite Jerome Vinith Charles led India with 19 points, including two kill blocks. Outside hitters Chirag Yadav and Amit Balwan Singh contributed 14 and 13 points respectively, with Yadav producing three aces and a block, while Singh added two blocks.
New Zealand were led by opposite Seth Dylan Grant with 15 points, followed by outside hitters John McManaway on 13 and Mana Placid on 12.
India’s fate, however, is no longer entirely in their own hands.
Their quarterfinal qualification will be decided by Wednesday’s final Pool A match between Oman and Bahrain.
If Oman collect three points, they will move ahead of India in the race for the last quarterfinal spot. If Bahrain win 3-0, the qualification battle will come down to point ratios between Bahrain and India. In every other scenario, India will advance to the last eight.

At the other end of the day, Japan delighted around 6,500 home fans at Kitakyushu City Gymnasium by completing the pool stage with a perfect record.
The hosts defeated Australia 3-0 (25:20, 25:13, 25:21) in the direct battle for first place in Pool A, finishing unbeaten and leaving Australia second with a 2-1 record. Both teams had already secured their places in the quarterfinals before the match.
Japan’s attacking firepower once again came from Yuji Nishida and Ran Takahashi. Nishida scored a match-high 16 points, combining two aces with an outstanding 82% attacking success rate, while Takahashi added 13 points and five aces, attacking at 70%.
William D’Arcy-Miles was Australia’s top scorer with 13 points, while Lorenzo Pope contributed 11.

In Pool C, Korea completed their pool campaign with a straight-set victory over winless Qatar, winning 3-0 (25:20, 25:19, 25:15). With all three quarterfinalists from the pool already known, the match was primarily about final positioning, and Korea finished with a 2-1 record and seven points to guarantee at least second place.
Outside hitter Jaeyoung Lim topped Korea’s scoring with 15 points, including two aces and a block. Opposite Subong Heo added 14, with four aces and a block.
Qatar once again turned the spotlight towards their extraordinary young talent. Thirteen-year-old, 2.10m-tall Mubarak Musa Thiik Madut finished as the match’s leading scorer with 17 points, including one ace and one block.

The pool stage concludes on Wednesday with three decisive matches.
Bahrain and Oman will meet at 10:00 local time (01:00 UTC) in Pool A, followed by Chinese Taipei against Thailand at 13:30 (04:30 UTC) in Pool C. The final match of the day will see Iran face China at 17:00 (08:00 UTC) in Pool B.
The AVC Men’s Volleyball Asian Championship in Fukuoka is also a crucial qualification event on the road to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and the 2027 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship.
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🏐| Group stage schedule:

Friday September 4, 2026
12.00 (Local Time) – Iran – New Zealand 3-0 (25:15, 25:12, 25:22)
16.00 (Local Time) – Republic of Korea – Chinese Taipei 3-1 (29:27, 19:25, 25:15, 25:15)
19.30 (Local Time) – Japan – Oman 3-1 (25:18, 25:13, 20:25, 25:9)

Saturday September 5, 2026
10.00 (Local Time) – Australia – Bahrain 3-0 (25:20, 25:18, 25:21)
13.30 (Local Time) – China – India 3-0 (25:21, 28:26, 27:25)
16.00 (Local Time) – Qatar – Thailand 0-3 (22:25, 19:25, 14:25)

Sunday September 6, 2026
10.00 (Local Time) – Iran – India 3-0 (25:20, 28:26, 25:18)
13.30 (Local Time) – Qatar – Chinese Taipei 0-3 (19:25, 22:25, 26:28)
19.30 (Local Time) – Japan – Bahrain 3-0 (25:15, 25:15, 25:23)

Monday September 7, 2026
10.00 (Local Time) – Oman – Australia 0-3 (18:25, 14:25, 22:25)
13.30 (Local Time) – New Zealand – China 0-3 (17:25, 22:25, 18:25)
17.00 (Local Time) – Thailand – Republic of Korea 3-2 (25:18, 25:16, 20:25, 22:25, 15:12)

👉🏼Tuesday September 8, 2026
10.00 (Local Time) – India – New Zealand 3-0 (25:22, 25:18, 25:21)
13.30 (Local Time) – Qatar – Republic of Korea 0-3 (20:25, 19:25, 15:25)
19.30 (Local Time) – Japan – Australia 3-0 (25:20, 25:13, 25:21)

Wednesday September 9, 2026
10.00 (Local Time) – Bahrain – Oman
13.30 (Local Time) – Chinese Taipei – Thailand
17.00 (Local Time) – Iran – China

After the group stage, eight teams will advance to the quarterfinals, and on September 13, the Asian champion and the first men’s team to win an Olympic quota for Los Angeles 2028 through the qualification system will be determined.

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