Thai men's volleyball is set to compete! Twelve nations have earned the right to participate in the AVC Cup 2026, with the reason revealed why the Thai women's volleyball team is not eligible to compete.
On 3 Feb 2026 GMT+7, the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) confirmed the 12 teams qualified for the AVC Cup 2026 (formerly known as the AVC Nations Cup). The AVC Women’s Cup will take place first, from 6-14 June 2026 in Candon City, Philippines.
The AVC Men’s Cup will be held from 20-28 June 2026 in Ahmedabad, India, featuring 12 teams: Thailand, India (host), Australia, Bahrain, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Korea, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, and Taiwan.
Meanwhile, for the AVC Women’s Cup 2026, teams that competed in this year’s Nations League (China, Japan, and Thailand) are not eligible. The AVC has confirmed the 12 participating teams: Philippines, Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
The AVC Cup was discontinued in 2022 before the Asian Volleyball Confederation introduced the AVC Challenge Cup as a replacement, providing an international competition platform for teams not in the Volleyball Nations League.
In 2025, the event was renamed the AVC Nations Cup, and in 2026 the AVC restored the original AVC Cup name. The tournament is not a direct qualifier for the Nations League but does impact the teams’ world ranking points.