Tomorrow, September 4, the Men's Asian Volleyball Championship begins in Fukuoka, marking the start of the actual qualification battle for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Twelve teams will compete not only for the continental title but also for a direct Olympic quota, which the champion will receive. The tournament will run until September 13.
Currently, the only confirmed participant in the men's Olympic tournament is the USA, which has an automatic quota as the host. In 2026, the champions of the five continental championships will receive five more spots. The next three quotas will be awarded at the FIVB Volleyball World Cup in 2027 to the three highest-ranked teams that have not yet qualified for the Olympics, and the last three spots will be determined by the world ranking after the preliminary phase of VNL 2028.
The Asian Championship has another big stake – the three medalists will receive quotas for the FIVB Volleyball World Cup 2027.

Why what's happening in Asia interests Bulgaria

Bulgaria (No. 9) is among the teams for which the upcoming Asian Championship has an indirect but potentially important significance. If our national team fails to secure the direct European Olympic quota and subsequently does not qualify for Los Angeles through the 2027 World Cup, the last opportunity will be the three spots allocated by the world ranking after the preliminary phase of VNL 2028.
Precisely for this reason, it matters to Bulgaria which of the teams ahead of it in the world ranking will secure Olympic quotas earlier and thus will not participate in the future battle for the last three spots.
The USA can already be excluded from this calculation. The Americans are ahead of Bulgaria in the world ranking, but as hosts of Los Angeles 2028, they already have guaranteed participation.
In Asia, the most interesting team from a Bulgarian perspective is Japan (No. 6).
The Japanese are the reigning Asian champions, the highest-ranked team from AVC, and are three positions ahead of Bulgaria. If Japan wins the title in Fukuoka, they will receive the direct Asian quota for Los Angeles 2028. This means that in the event of the eventual distribution of the last Olympic spots by ranking in 2028, the Japanese will no longer be a competitor to Bulgaria.
Of course, a Japanese title will not automatically improve Bulgaria's position and does not guarantee anything for our national team. By 2028, the world ranking may undergo significant changes. However, with the current ranking, a quota for Japan would mean that another team ahead of Bulgaria – after the already qualified host USA – will have a guaranteed spot at the Olympics.
If an Asian champion becomes a team currently behind Bulgaria (No. 9), the effect will be different. Among the leading Asian teams, Iran is No. 19, Qatar is No. 24, and the Republic of Korea is No. 26. In such a scenario, the winner will take the Olympic quota, but Japan (No. 6) will remain without one and will potentially continue to be part of the future battle by ranking.

Japan is the big favorite

Japan enters the tournament not only as hosts but also as the reigning Asian champions. The Japanese are the most successful team in the history of the championship with 10 titles, four silver, and four bronze medals. They have won a medal in each of the last three editions and are the only Asian national team to have become Olympic champions in men's volleyball – in Munich in 1972. This season, Japan finished fourth in the VNL.
Among the main contenders is Iran (No. 19) – four-time Asian champion from 2011, 2013, 2019, and 2021, and holder of a total of eight medals from the continental championship. The Iranians arrive in Fukuoka also as silver medalists from the previous edition in 2023.
China has three Asian titles – from 1979, 1997, and 1999, but a total of 15 medals from the championship. The Republic of Korea (No. 26) is also a four-time champion – 1989, 1993, 2001, and 2003, and earlier this season won silver medals in the AVC Volleyball Cup.
Among the other participants, there are also teams that arrive with serious results from recent years. Bahrain qualified for the championship as the winner of the AVC Nations Cup 2025, India won bronze medals in the AVC Volleyball Cup this season, and Australia is the Asian champion from 2007.

Three groups, eight quarter-finalists

The twelve teams are divided into three groups of four. The winners and runners-up from each group, as well as the two best-ranked third-place teams, will advance to the quarter-finals. Direct eliminations will follow until the champion is determined on September 13. All matches will be played at the Kitakyushu City General Gymnasium.
Group A:Japan (No. 6), Bahrain, Oman, Australia
Group B:Iran (No. 19), China, India, New Zealand
Group C:Qatar (No. 24), Republic of Korea (No. 26), Thailand, Chinese Taipei

This time without Bulgarian presence in Qatar

At the Asian Championship this time there will be no Bulgarian presence in the national team of Qatar (No. 24). Part of the team in recent years has been setter Borislav Georgiev – a former Bulgarian youth international and silver medalist from the U20 European Championship in 2010.
However, Georgiev was recovering from a leg injury all summer and could not join Qatar's squad for the championship in Fukuoka, learnedVolleyweek.bgfrom the player himself.
The Bulgarian setter was also part of Qatar at the 2025 World Championship in the Philippines. At that time, the Qataris recorded their historic first World Championship victory – 3:1 (20:25, 25:23, 25:20, 25:22) against Romania. However, the success was not enough for them to secure a place in the round of 16, and Qatar finished third in Group B after Poland and the Netherlands.

Georgiev has played a significant role in the Qatar national team in recent years, but the injury deprives him of the opportunity to be part of the battle for the Asian title and Olympic quota starting in Fukuoka.

Group stage schedule

All times are Bulgarian time.
September 4
06:30 – Iran – New Zealand
10:00 – Republic of Korea – Chinese Taipei
13:30 – Japan – Oman
September 5
04:00 – Australia – Bahrain
07:30 – China – India
11:00 – Qatar – Thailand
September 6
04:00 – Iran – India
07:30 – Qatar – Chinese Taipei
13:30 – Japan – Bahrain
September 7
04:00 – Oman – Australia
07:30 – New Zealand – China
11:00 – Thailand – Republic of Korea
September 8
04:00 – India – New Zealand
07:30 – Qatar – Republic of Korea
13:30 – Japan – Australia
September 9
04:00 – Bahrain – Oman
07:30 – Chinese Taipei – Thailand
11:00 – Iran – China
After the group stage, eight teams will advance to the quarterfinals, and on September 13, the Asian champion and the first men's team to win an Olympic quota for Los Angeles 2028 through the qualification system will be determined.
All matches from the tournament will be broadcast live on VBTV.

The Bulgarian account starts already in Fukuoka

For Bulgaria (No. 9), the most important thing, of course, remains their own performance – first at EuroVolley 2026, and then in the other tournaments of the Olympic cycle. However, the new qualification system also makes the results of the other leading national teams important.
The USA already has a spot in Los Angeles as host. From September 4 to 13, Asia will determine one more guaranteed participant. And if that is Japan (No. 6), another one of the teams currently ahead of Bulgaria (No. 9) in the world ranking will secure its Olympic quota in advance and will not be a competitor in the eventual distribution of the last three spots by ranking in 2028.
Therefore, the championship in Fukuoka is far from insignificant for Bulgarian volleyball. It is the first part of the Olympic puzzle, the final arrangement of which could prove decisive for Bulgaria's path to Los Angeles 2028.

photo: Nikolay Varadinov