Thailand and China earn World Cup spots, advance to Asian Championship final

Thailand and China earn World Cup spots, advance to Asian Championship final

The continental powerhouses will play for the title and an Olympic berth on Sunday, at 10:45 UTC – watch it live on VBTV

Thai setter Pornpun Guedpard celebrates during their victory over Japan

Two of the most successful national teams in Asian women’s volleyball history, Thailand and China will decide the title of the 2026 AVC Women's Volleyball Asian Championship on Sunday in Tianjin.

Both teams have already earned spots at the 2027 FIVB Volleyball World Cup with their semifinal victories on Saturday, and they will now play for not only the Asian title, but also the berth at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games reserved for the tournament champions on Sunday, at 18:45 local time (10:45 UTC).

Earlier, at 15:15 (7:15 UTC), Japan and Iran will play for the bronze medal. The winners of this match will also obtain a spot at the 2027 World Cup.

AVC Women's Volleyball Asian Championship: schedule and results

Thailand, who have won the Asian Championship three times, including the last edition in 2023, eliminated Japan in the semifinals, upsetting the highest-ranked Asian team in the FIVB World Ranking with a 3-1 (25-21, 25-20, 20-25, 25-20) victory.

Japanese captain and outside hitter Mayu Ishikawa was the top scorer in the first semifinal, producing 23 points (19 kills, three blocks, one ace) for her side. Thailand had opposite Pimpichaya Kokram, who scored 20 points (19 kills, one block), and outside hitter Sasipaporn Janthawisut, who added 16 (15 kills, one block), as key players in their victory.

“It means a lot for us to beat Japan,” team captain and setter Pornpun Guedpard said. “We hadn’t defeated Japan in some years, and we kept thinking about how we could beat them because we play them every time. I just told my teammates that I believed we could win and today we finally did it.”

By confirming their presence in the final, the Thais also secured their ninth medal in the tournament. They have three golds (2009, 2013, 2023), two silver (2017, 2019) and three bronze (2001, 2007, 2015).

China, which aim to become Asian champions again after 11 years and are going for a record-extending 14th gold medal, continued to perform dominantly in front of their home fans on Saturday, when they earned their fifth sweep in as many matches in the tournament by topping Iran 3-0 (25-22, 25-12, 25-19) and repeating the score line of the teams’ pool play encounter on Monday.

China's outside hitter duo led the team's victory, as Zhuang Yushan scored 17 points (15 kills, two blocks) and Wu Mengjie added another 12 (nine kills, three blocks).

"Iran made history by making it to the semifinals, so today they played without pressure and hesitation," Zhuang said. "They put the pressure on our side and that made the match more difficult for us."

The Chinese now have 19 Asian Championship medals, adding to the 13 golds, four silvers and one bronze they previously held.

Sunday will mark the third time the two national teams meet in the Asian Championship final. Thailand came out on top on the first two occasions, claiming the title in 2009 and 2023.

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