Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq's women's national volleyball team will be the only Arab side competing at the 2026 AVC Women's Volleyball Continental Championship in Tianjin, China, the president of the Iraqi Volleyball Federation, Habib Ali al-Lawandi, told Shafaq News on Tuesday.

Al-Lawandi said the tournament would give the players valuable experience against some of the strongest teams on the continent and a chance to prove their level at a major event.

The 12-team championship runs from August 21 to 30 and serves as a qualifier for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. It is the 23rd edition of the AVC's biennial continental tournament. Its winner earns a place at the 2028 Olympic volleyball competition, and the top three finishers qualify for the 2027 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship, according to the AVC.

Iraq were drawn into Group A alongside host China, Chinese Taipei, and Iran, according to the federation. The host nation and several East Asian sides, among them Japan and South Korea, are established powers in the competition.

Iraq reestablished its women's national volleyball team in 2022 after more than two decades of inactivity, and has since competed in the West Asian championship, part of the pathway toward continental qualification.