ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): The 2026 Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) Men’s Volleyball Championship is underway at the Liaquat Gymnasium inside the Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad.
The six-nation tournament opened on July 22 and will run to July 29. The hosts registered a dominant victory against Sri Lanka in the opening match of the tournament that set an intense tone for the round-robin stages.
Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka 3-0 in the opening match of the 2026 CAVA Men’s Volleyball Championship on July 22, 2026.
The hosts capitalized heavily on their home-court advantage to outclass the visiting Sri Lankan side in straight sets.
The tournament features six participating nations: hosts Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan.
India—who had initially confirmed their participation—later withdrew from the championship after their government denied travel permission to Pakistan.
Nevertheless, the event remains a massive showcase of Central and South Asian athletic talent.
The opening day delivered a high-class action across three distinct matches: Pakistan dominated the court entirely, sealing a flawless straight-sets victory (25-16, 25-15, 25-18).
Kazakhstan-Nepal clash turned into an epic five-set thriller. Kazakhstan comfortably secured the first two sets before Nepal mounted a roaring comeback to force a decider. Ultimately, Kazakhstan held their nerve to win the fifth set and the match 25-19, 25-21, 32-34, 19-25, 15-9.
In Bangladesh-Uzbekistan match, the former edged out Uzbekistan in a dramatic five-setter.
The match demonstrated incredible resilience and offensive flair from both sides, with Bangladesh eventually taking the deciding set to win 25-20, 26-28, 26-24, 21-25, 15-12.
The top four teams will advance to the semifinals on July 28.
The bronze medal match and the grand final are scheduled to wrap up the week-long sporting event on July 29.
