[Official] 'Korea-China showdown' men's volleyball Asian Championship quarterfinal matchups confirmed

*This content was translated by AI.

The South Korean Nam Ja-bae-gu (CEO) team will face China in the 2026 Asian Championship quarterfinals.

Under coach Isanaye Ramirez, Korea finished fourth overall among 12 teams and advanced to the quarterfinal tournament after placing second in Group C following the final round-robin matches on the ninth.

Accordingly, under the tournament's quarterfinal bracket format where first meets eighth, second meets seventh, third meets sixth, and fourth meets fifth, Korea will compete against fifth-ranked China for a spot in the semifinals.

Earlier, in Group C of the round-robin stage, South Korea defeated Taiwan 3-1, suffered a shocking 2-3 loss to Thailand, and then decisively beat Qatar 3-0, finishing with two wins and one defeat.

China swept India and New Zealand 3-0 each in Group B but lost 1-3 to Iran, securing second place in Group B and fourth overall to advance to the quarterfinal tournament.

According to the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) rankings, Korea is ranked 25th and China 32nd. The Korea-China matchup will take place at 7:30 p.m. on the tenth at Kitakyushu Municipal Gymnasium in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.

If South Korea defeats China, it will face either Japan (which topped the round-robin stage overall) or the winner of India (ranked eighth overall) to compete for a spot in the final. On the other side of the quarterfinal bracket, Iran will play Taiwan, and Thailand will face Australia.

In this tournament, the champion earns qualification for the Los Angeles Olympics, while the top three teams including the champion will advance to next year's FIVB Men's Volleyball World Cup. The South Korean men's volleyball team finished eighth in the 2021 edition and fifth in the 2023 edition.

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*This content was translated by AI.