Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan of Qatar's senior men's beach volleyball team are competing at the 2026 Huntington Beach Open in the United States, held from 15 to 17 May on Huntington Beach in California, after receiving an exceptional invitation to take part.
The appearance is a historic one. The tournament is among the most prominent beach volleyball events in the United States and participation is normally confined to American teams, which makes the Qatari pair only the sixth international team in the tournament's history to receive a formal invitation to compete in its main draw.
Younousse and Tijan enter a field made up of the elite of American beach volleyball. The pair currently stand sixth in the world on the FIVB international rankings, after a run of strong results on the world professional tour.
Their record is a substantial one: a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, fourth place at Paris 2024, and three gold medals at Elite 16 events on the Pro Tour during 2025.
Their participation is expected to draw wide public and media attention, given the standing of the tournament, which is played as a double-elimination competition with 16 teams in the draw.