Challengers ready to make their mark in a 20-team field in Qatar from August 19 to 29
Published 04:57, 18 Aug 2026
Twenty teams will take the court in Doha on Wednesday as the 2026 FIVB Volleyball Boys’ U17 World Championship gets underway, with Italy returning to defend the title they won at the inaugural edition in 2024.
The championship runs from August 19 to 29, with the 20-team field divided into five pools of four for the preliminary round before the competition moves into the knockout stage.
Italy begin their title defense in Pool B alongside Cuba, India and Romania. The defending champions are among all four of the top finishers from 2024 returning to the World Championship, with runners-up Argentina, bronze medalists Chinese Taipei and fourth-placed Spain also back in the field.
Argentina will compete in Pool C alongside Brazil, Mexico and Poland, while Chinese Taipei are in Pool E with Iran, Pakistan and Algeria. Spain line up in Pool D with Egypt, Bulgaria and Türkiye.
Argentina return for the second edition of the Boys’ U17 World Championship after claiming silver in 2024.
Eleven teams from the inaugural edition return for the second World Championship. Iran, Egypt, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cuba, Mexico and Tunisia are back alongside the four teams that occupied the top positions in the 2024 final standings.
The expanded 20-team field welcomes nine teams making their Boys’ U17 World Championship debut: hosts Qatar, France, Venezuela, India, Romania, Poland, Türkiye, Pakistan and Algeria.
Qatar will compete in Pool A alongside Tunisia, France and Venezuela, completing the five preliminary round groups.
Each team will play three preliminary round matches, with 16 teams – the five pool winners, the five pool runners-up, the five third-placed teams and the best-ranked fourth-placed team – advancing to the eighthfinals. Their placement and records will determine their positions in the single-elimination bracket as per the combined team ranking system.
The eight winners of the eighthfinals will advance to the quarterfinals, followed by the semifinals. All eliminated teams’ final standings after each phase will be determined as per the combined team ranking system.
The two semifinal winners will advance to the gold medal final, while the two losing teams will compete in the bronze medal match.
