Alas Pilipinas faces a daunting challenge on the continental stage after both the men’s and women’s teams were drawn into tough groups for the volleyball competition of the Nagoya-Aichi 2026 Asian Games this September.
Alas Women, ranked No. 61 in the FIVB World Rankings, landed in Group B alongside No. 7 China and No. 39 Kazakhstan.
Meanwhile, the No. 96-ranked Alas Men were drawn into Group D with No. 26 South Korea, No. 35 China, and No. 60 Chinese Taipei.
The draw comes as both national teams continue their preparations for the Asian Games. The men’s squad is currently competing in the second leg of the 2026 SEA V.League, while the women’s team is set to begin its campaign in the same tournament later this month.
In the women’s tournament, host Japan (No. 6) headlines Group A, which also includes No. 60 Indonesia and No. 69 Nepal.
Thailand (No. 17) leads Group C together with No. 38 Chinese Taipei, No. 99 Kyrgyzstan, and No. 111 Mongolia.
Group D features No. 28 Vietnam, No. 30 South Korea, No. 109 Hong Kong, and unranked Qatar.
On the men’s side, world No. 4 Japan tops Pool A, where it will face No. 46 Pakistan, No. 63 Kazakhstan, and No. 124 Uzbekistan.
Pool B consists of No. 19 Iran, No. 42 Indonesia, No. 61 Thailand, and No. 76 Kyrgyzstan.
Pool C, meanwhile, is made up of No. 24 Qatar, No. 44 India, No. 66 Vietnam, and No. 92 Hong Kong.
