▲ Men's volleyball national team
The South Korean men's volleyball national team (ranked 26th globally) is set to compete in the 2026 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship, which offers a direct ticket to the 2028 Los Angeles (LA) Olympics.
Coached by Isanaye Ramirez, South Korea will participate in the Asian Championship held in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, running from the day after tomorrow (the 4th) through the 13th, aiming for a finish in the semifinals or better.
Placed in Group C of the preliminary round, South Korea will play its first match against Taiwan (ranked 58th) at 4:00 PM the day after tomorrow, followed by a match against Thailand (ranked 62nd) at 5:00 PM on the 7th, and a match against Qatar (ranked 24th) at 1:30 PM on the 8th.
The top two teams from each of the three groups, along with the two third-place teams with the best records, will advance to the quarterfinals.
Since the quarterfinal matchups will be determined based on preliminary round records, South Korea needs to secure as many points, sets, and points-ratio as possible to avoid powerhouse teams.
The champion of this tournament will earn a berth at the LA Olympics, while the top three teams will secure spots in the 2027 International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Men's Volleyball World Cup (formerly the World Championship).
A total of 12 teams will compete in the LA Olympics.
Five spots will go to the continental championship winners in 2026, three to the top teams from the 2027 World Cup, three to the top teams in the FIVB world rankings as of June 2028, and one to the host country, the United States.
For South Korea, realistically, advancing to the semifinals to finish in the top three and earning as many ranking points as possible at the World Cup are the best ways to boost their chances of Olympic qualification.
The South Korean men's volleyball team last competed in the Olympics at the 2000 Sydney Games and has not stepped onto the Olympic main stage since.
The team returned to the World Cup (World Championship) last year for the first time in 11 years, but was eliminated after losing all three of its group-stage matches.
South Korea also needs to shake off painful memories from the Asian Championship.
Having won the tournament four times out of nine appearances up until 2003, South Korea finished third for four consecutive tournaments from 2005 to 2011, before sliding to seventh place in 2015.
In 2021, the team recorded its worst-ever finish at eighth place, and remained at fifth in the last tournament held in 2023.
The national team is pinning its hopes on the returning "twin cannons," outside hitter Huh Su-bong (Hyundai Capital) and opposite spiker Im Dong-hyuk (Korean Air).
Huh Su-bong and Im Dong-hyuk, who had previously been sidelined due to injuries, recently returned and displayed outstanding skills in two evaluation matches against Bahrain held domestically.
It is also a positive sign that they have built good chemistry with setters Han Tae-jun (Woori Card) and Hwang Seung-bin (Hyundai Capital).
Starting setter Hwang Taka-eui (KB Insurance), who has been orchestrating the national team's offense, will miss this tournament due to surgery to remove an ankle bone chip.
In addition, the physical conditions of outside hitter Im Sung-jin (Armed Forces Athletic Corps), Im Jae-young, Jeong Han-yong (both from Korean Air), and opposite spiker Shin Ho-jin (Hyundai Capital) are reported to be in good shape.
Veteran middle blocker Cha Young-seok (KB Insurance) and Choi Jun-hyeok (Korean Air), who stood out in the two matches against Bahrain, are also reliable options.
For South Korea to achieve good results, it is also crucial which opponents they encounter in the quarterfinal tournament.
Group A member and defending champion and host nation Japan (ranked 6th) finished first overall with a 12-0 record in the preliminary round of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) featuring top-tier teams this year, and placed fourth after a close 2-3 defeat to the United States in the semifinals.
As Japan is regarded as a powerhouse not only in Asia but also on the global stage, it is expected to be no easy task for the South Korean national team to surpass them.
Traditional powerhouse China (ranked 37th) and Iran (ranked 19th), which has secured two championships and one runner-up finish in the last three tournaments, are also cited as contenders for the title.
The Asian Championship is also drawing attention as a prelude to the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
The Asian Games men's volleyball competition will run from the 27th to October 3rd, with South Korea placed in Group D alongside China, Taiwan, and the Philippines.
South Korea will also face Taiwan, their opening opponent in the Asian Championship, at the Asian Games.
Meanwhile, the women's national volleyball team, led by coach Cha Sang-hyun, fell short against tournament champion Thailand in the preceding Asian Championship, failing to advance to the semifinals and missing out on direct tickets to the Olympics and the World Cup.
(Photo: Korea Volleyball Association, Yonhap News)
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