Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games beach volleyball pools confirmed

The pools for the men's and women's beach volleyball events at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games have been confirmed following the drawing of lots, with 24 men’s and 24 women’s teams set to compete for medals in Senegal from 31 October to 4 November.

The teams have been divided into six pools of four. Germany (men) and China (women) are the top seeds for the event respectively, while hosts Senegal are seeded sixth in both competitions.

The competition will feature 24 teams in each gender, divided into six pools of four. Germany and China lead the men's and women's seedings respectively, while hosts Senegal occupy the sixth seeded position in both competitions.

In the men's event, top seeds Germany head Pool A alongside Sierra Leone, Namibia and Morocco. Austria lead Pool B with Iran, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Cayman Islands, while Australia face Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia and Ghana in Pool C.

Norway are joined by Chile, Nicaragua and South Africa in Pool D, while Venezuela head Pool E alongside Brazil, the United States and Guatemala. Hosts Senegal complete the men's line-up in Pool F with Türkiye, Sweden and Palau.

In the women's event, top seeds China face Paraguay, Canada and The Gambia in Pool A. The Netherlands lead Pool B alongside Greece, Tunisia and Thailand, while Switzerland are grouped with Ecuador, Mexico and Puerto Rico in Pool C.

Italy head Pool D with Nigeria, Japan and Egypt, while Mozambique face Argentina, France and Guam in Pool E. Senegal complete the women's draw in Pool F alongside Malaysia, the Dominican Republic and Cape Verde.

The pool allocations were based on FIVB Beach Volleyball ranking points, with the top six seeds assigned fixed positions in accordance with host country provisions. The remaining 18 teams were allocated through four draws using a serpentine system. The first draw determined the positions of seeds 7 to 9, the second covered seeds 10 to 12, the third involved seeds 13 to 18, and the fourth completed the allocations with seeds 19 to 24.

Seeding points were calculated using each athlete's best three results from their last four eligible tournaments during the 365-day period ending on 25 September 2026, the Dakar 2026 sport entry deadline. Each team's seeding points were determined by combining those of its two athletes.

The pool phase will take place on 31 October and 1 November, with teams competing in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each pool, together with the two best third-placed teams, will advance directly to the round of 16.

The four remaining third-placed teams will compete in an additional qualification round on 2 November, with the two winners securing the final spots in the 16-team single-elimination phase.

The round of 16 will also take place on 2 November, followed by the quarterfinals and semifinals on 3 November. The competition will conclude on 4 November with the bronze and gold medal matches in both genders.