Pool A was one of the two pools of the preliminary round of the 2026 AVC Men's Volleyball Cup that took place from 20 to 26 June 2026 at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. The pool consisted of the host country, India, alongside Australia, Bahrain, Chinese Taipei, Kazakhstan, and New Zealand. Teams competed in a round-robin format with a rest day on 24 June. The top two teams from the pool advanced to the semifinals, while the third-, fourth-, and fifth-placed teams qualified for the classification matches.
The pool stage was characterized by a dominant performance from the host nation. India finished undefeated in Pool A, winning all five of its matches while dropping only a single set across the preliminary round. This performance secured India the top seed out of the group, while Bahrain finished in second place and both advanced to the semifinals. The campaign also resulted in India rising from world No. 60 to No. 42 in the FIVB rankings.
Teams The following six teams competed in Pool A for the tournament, listed by their position in the pool.
+ Position Team Method ofqualification Date ofqualification Appearance(s) Previous bestperformance First Last A1 Host country 2nd 2023 2023 2 (2023) A2 3rd World ranked AVC team 4th 2023 2025 4 (2023, 2025) A3 Defending champions 4th 2023 2025 4 (2025) A4 2025 EAVA runners-up 4th 2023 2025 4 (2025) A5 2025 CAVA 4th placers 3rd 2023 2024 1 (2024) A6 2025 OZVA runners-up 2nd 2025 2025 2 (2025)
World Rankings The following six teams were ranked in the FIVB World Rankings at the beginning and the final day of the tournament.
+ Position Country FIVB World Rankings Before After A1 61 (65.26) 42 (101.86) A2 37 (114.61) 51 (81.35) A3 42 (105.08) 41 (102.66) A4 55 (72.73) 58 (67.55) A5 74 (50.76) 62 (63.73) A6 95 (34.60) 112 (13.76)
Standings
Matches All times are Indian Standard Time (UTC+05:30).
Bahrain vs. Chinese Taipei This was the second consecutive AVC Volleyball Cup meeting between Bahrain and Chinese Taipei, following Bahrain's victory in their first tournament matchup in 2025.
India vs. New Zealand The match marked host nation India's debut in the AVC Volleyball Cup and was its first meeting against New Zealand in the tournament.
Australia vs. Chinese Taipei This was the third consecutive AVC Volleyball Cup meeting between Australia and Chinese Taipei, with Australia having won both previous matches in 2024 and 2025.
New Zealand vs. Bahrain The match between New Zealand and Bahrain marked the first time the two national teams faced each other in the history of the AVC Volleyball Cup.
India vs. Kazakhstan This was the first meeting between India and Kazakhstan in the AVC Volleyball Cup, though they had recently played each other in the 2025 CAVA Nations League, where India won.
Australia vs. Kazakhstan This was the second meeting between Australia and Kazakhstan in the AVC Volleyball Cup; Kazakhstan won their previous match in 2024.
India vs. Chinese Taipei This match marks the first meeting between India and Chinese Taipei in the AVC Volleyball Cup, and their first encounter since the 2022 Asian Games, which India won, and the 2022 AVC Cup for Men, which Chinese Taipei won.
New Zealand vs. Australia This match marked the first meeting between New Zealand and Australia in the AVC Volleyball Cup, following their previous encounter at the 2025 Oceania Zonal Continental Qualification Tournament, where Australia won.
Chinese Taipei vs. Kazakhstan This match marked the first meeting between Chinese Taipei and Kazakhstan in the AVC Volleyball Cup, and their first encounter since the 2022 Asian Games, which Kazakhstan won.
India vs. Bahrain This match marked the first meeting between India and Bahrain in the tournament, following two prior matchups at the 2021 Asian Championship where both teams recorded one victory against each other.
Chinese Taipei vs. New Zealand This match marked the first meeting between Chinese Taipei and New Zealand in the tournament, and their first encounter since the 2018 FIVB World Championship qualification, which Chinese Taipei won.
Bahrain vs. Kazakhstan This match marked the first meeting between Bahrain and Kazakhstan in the AVC Volleyball Cup, and their first encounter since Bahrain's victory at the 2021 Asian Championship.
India vs. Australia This match marked the first meeting between India and Australia at the AVC Volleyball Cup, with their last head-to-head encounter occurring at the 2022 AVC Cup for Men, where Australia won.
New Zealand vs. Kazakhstan This match marked the first meeting between New Zealand and Kazakhstan in any senior international volleyball tournaments.
Australia vs. Bahrain This was the second meeting between Australia and Bahrain in the AVC Volleyball Cup, following Bahrain's victory in their 2024 encounter.
Notes
References