Doha – 14 October 2026
The Qatar Volleyball Association (QVA) has announced that the 2026–2027 Men's Volleyball League will begin on 21 October, introducing a new competition format featuring a play-off stage.
The format was presented during a meeting at QVA headquarters on Wednesday 14 October 2026, attended by association officials, coaches, players and representatives of the participating teams.
Those present included Saeed Salem Al Jumaani, QVA Assistant Secretary General; Sherif El-Shemerly, General Supervisor of the National Teams; Tarek Zakaria, Technical Expert; and Ahmed Abdel Baset, Players' Affairs Supervisor. The meeting outlined the competition structure, the route to the league title and the process for determining the final standings.
Al Jumaani welcomed the attendees and wished all teams success in the new season. He explained that the opening stage will follow a single round-robin format, with each team playing every other team once. The top eight teams will then advance to the quarter-finals.
The quarter-finals will consist of best-of-three series, with the first team to win two matches advancing to the semi-finals. The first-placed team will face the eighth, the second will face the seventh, the third will face the sixth, and the fourth will face the fifth.
The semi-finals will also follow a best-of-three format. The two winning teams will advance to the final, also played as a best-of-three series, to decide the league champions, while the two losing semi-finalists will meet in a best-of-three series to decide third place.
The four teams eliminated in the quarter-finals will join the teams that finish ninth and tenth in the opening stage for a separate single round-robin competition. This stage will determine the final standings from fifth to tenth place.
The new format gives the top eight teams a route to the title through the play-offs, while ensuring that all participating teams continue to compete for their final positions.
Sherif El-Shemerly, General Supervisor of the National Teams, said the new format would make the title race more competitive, with every team aiming to secure a place in the play-offs.
He added that reaching the play-offs would be a key objective for participating clubs, giving greater importance to their results throughout the opening stage.
QVA Technical Expert Tarek Zakaria outlined the challenges of the coming season, highlighting a busy calendar of events and competitions that the association will host or participate in.
QVA will host the International Level II Coaches Course from 24 to 28 October 2026, shortly after the league begins. The association will also participate in the Gulf Universities Championship, which will take place in Doha from 29 to 31 October.
Other upcoming competitions include the World University Championship in Slovakia from 3 to 9 November 2026 and the Gulf Military Championship in Muscat from 25 November to 3 December.
Zakaria also confirmed that the regulations allow each club to register a maximum of three professional players. Player registration opened on 30 August, giving clubs time to complete their squads in accordance with the approved regulations ahead of the new season.