The fourth West Asia Club Volleyball Championship kicked off on February 3 2026 at the Volleyball Federation Hall in Kuwait City’s Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Sports Complex featuring 11 teams competing for regional supremacy and qualification to the Asian Club Championship Arab Times reported. Hosted by Kuwait Club and set to run until February 14 the event sees defending champions Al-Rayyan from Qatar aiming to extend their dominance following their victory in the 2025 edition held in Bahrain. The preliminary stages will determine which clubs advance through a structured group and knockout format.
The Arab Times outlined three groups for the single round-robin preliminary phase. Group A includes Al-Rayyan Majis from Oman and Gaz Al-Janoub from Iraq. Group B comprises the host Kuwait Club Shabab Al-Batroun from Lebanon Al-Wakrah from Qatar and Al-Ahli from Bahrain. Group C is made up of Burqan from Kuwait Al-Ittihad from Saudi Arabia Al-Seeb from Oman and Dar Klab from Bahrain. Only the top two teams from each group and the two best third-placed teams will proceed to the knockout quarterfinals.
Three matches highlight the opening day of play the Kuwaiti newspaper indicated. Al-Rayyan takes on Majis at 2:00 pm Al-Ahli faces Al-Wakrah at 4:00 pm and Kuwait Club meets Shabab Al-Batroun at 6:00 pm. Kuwait Club has utilized a training camp in Turkey with four friendly matches to prepare for its campaign. The team will depend on a mix of local and foreign talent including Estonian player Vino Canadian Hough Brazilian Costa from Kazma and returning player Abdulaziz Al-Anzi from Al-Nasr.
The knockout stages consisting of quarterfinals semifinals and final will decide the champion which qualifies directly as West Asia’s representative for the Asian Club Championship according to the report. The 2025 tournament in Bahrain saw Al-Rayyan finish first followed by Al-Arabi of Qatar in second Al-Ahli of Bahrain in third Al-Salam of Oman in fourth Masafi Al-Shamal of Iraq in fifth and Al-Qadsia of Kuwait in sixth. This year’s edition features a similar field of clubs following that outcome.
The West Asian Volleyball Association organizes the championship as part of the Asian Volleyball Confederation’s zonal activities. FIVB coverage indicated that Al-Rayyan secured the 2024 title as well by defeating Kuwait’s Al-Kuwait in the final held in Oman. Eleven teams from seven countries are participating in the 2026 edition of the tournament.
The Asian Volleyball Confederation includes the West Asian Volleyball Association as one of its sub-zones with national federations from Bahrain Iraq Jordan Kuwait and Lebanon listed as members. FIVB has reported on previous editions noting Al-Rayyan’s repeated successes in the zonal championship. The current tournament with 11 participating teams continues the tradition of regional club competition.
