Qatari volleyball goes to the 20th Asian Games, Aichi–Nagoya 2026, hosted by Japan from 19 September to 4 October, with a presence across the whole sport: the men's and women's national teams in the indoor competition, and four teams on the sand — two men's pairs and two women's.
That spread reflects the continuing work on every branch of the game. It also gives the Qatari teams a fresh measure of themselves against the best in Asia, with the hope of competitive performances and a run into the later stages of the continental event.
The men's national team plays the indoor competition in Pool C, alongside India, Vietnam and Hong Kong, China. The men's tournament runs from 27 September to 3 October. The other pools hold a selection of Asia's strongest sides, which points to a hard contest for the places in the knockout rounds.
The team spent August at a preparation camp in Slovenia under the Argentine coach Camilo Soto, with friendly matches to build physical and technical readiness and to knit the experienced players together with the newer faces. It then played the Asian Continental Championship in Japan from 4 to 13 September, an intensive programme before the Games.
The women's national team plays the preliminary round in Pool D, alongside Vietnam, the Republic of Korea and Hong Kong, China. The women's competition runs from 16 to 22 September, opening before the Games' official ceremony. It is an important stage in the development of women's volleyball in Qatar, and in gaining experience against teams with a long presence in continental competition.
Qatar's presence extends to the beach competition with four teams. The men's entry is led by Qatar 1, Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan, while Qatar 2 is Mousa Alkhir and Mohamed Ihab.
Cherif and Ahmed arrive with a considerable record in Asia and beyond: bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, gold at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, the title retained at Hangzhou in 2023, and fourth place at the Paris 2024 Olympics. In Japan the pair are looking to defend the continental title for a second time in a row, and to take a third consecutive Asian Games gold against fierce competition from several other countries.
Mousa Alkhir and Mohamed Ihab come in with ambitions of their own, after taking the silver medal at the West Asian Beach Volleyball Championship in Batroun, Lebanon in August 2026 — a result that confirmed the pair's progress and their ability to compete regionally and continentally.
In the women's beach competition, Malak Mohamed and Laila Mohamed form Qatar 1, while Qatar 2 is Haya Abu Eissa and Shaghaf Amin. Entering two teams gives the players an important chance to gather experience in one of the strongest continental competitions, and continues the development of women's beach volleyball in Qatar.
Qatari volleyball holds a substantial record of continental results, indoors and on the sand, and is looking to add to it.
The volleyball teams travel as part of a wide Qatari delegation of 243 athletes competing in 26 sports. The national teams and Qatar's athletes are looking to perform at a level that reflects how far Qatari sport has come, to compete for the leading places, and to gain experience against the best athletes and teams in Asia.
With the competitions approaching, the Qatari teams are completing their preparations, in the hope that their campaign brings strong performances and positive results — and that Qatari beach volleyball keeps its place on the Asian podium.