Asian Games 2026: India's full volleyball contingent
India has sent a 12-member squad.
India’s men’s volleyball team is packing its bags for Japan with one thought on its mind, doing better than last time. The Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya run from September 19 to October 4, 2026, and the volleyball event itself will be played between September 27 and October 3.
The Volleyball Federation of India has picked its 12 players for the trip, and it’s a mix of familiar faces and some who’ll be looking to make a name for themselves on the big stage. The squad has Chirag, Amit, Muthusamy Appavu, Jerome Vinith Charles, Muhammad Nihal Chatham Kulangara, John Joseph Eanthungal Joseph, Joel Benjamin Jebaraj, Anand Kottarathil, Om Vasant Lad, Ashwal Rai, Shikhar Singh, and Erin Varghese. Appavu, who plays setter, is really the senior guy in this group, and he’ll be leaning on players like Jerome Vinith Charles and Muhammad Nihal Chatham Kulangara to step up when it matters.
India’s opening stretch is going to be a busy one. They take on Vietnam first on September 27, then Hong Kong, China, the next day, and South Korea right after that on September 29. Three games back to back is never easy, so how quickly the team settles in and how well they manage recovery could end up shaping their whole campaign.
How has India done at the Asian Games in volleyball over the years?
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India’s volleyball story at the Asian Games actually started off pretty well. In their first seven appearances, they walked away with two bronze medals and a silver, which for a country not really known as a volleyball powerhouse, was a solid start. The silver came way back in 1962, and the bronzes were in 1958 and 1986.
After that, though, things went quiet on the medal front. India didn’t take part in a couple of editions.
That said, the 2022 Hangzhou Games gave fans something to actually get excited about. India beat Cambodia comfortably, then somehow pulled off a nail-biting five-set win against South Korea, which honestly surprised a lot of people. They followed that up with a clean straight-sets win over Chinese Taipei to sneak into the final six. Japan eventually knocked them out in straight sets, and a loss to Pakistan in the classification match meant India ended up sixth.
This time in Aichi-Nagoya, the setup is more or less the same; the top two from each group move on, quarterfinals on October 1, semis on October 2, and the final on October 3. For India, just getting past the group with Vietnam, Hong Kong, China, and South Korea would already be a decent achievement. But if they really want this trip to mean something, going beyond that sixth-place ceiling from 2022 is what they’ll be chasing.
When does India play its first match at the 2026 Asian Games volleyball event?
India starts its campaign against Vietnam on September 27, 2026, followed by matches against Hong Kong China on September 28 and South Korea on September 29.
Who are the key players in India’s 2026 Asian Games volleyball squad?
Setter Muthusamy Appavu is the most experienced name in the 12-member squad, with Jerome Vinith Charles and Muhammad Nihal Chatham Kulangara expected to play bigger roles alongside him this campaign.
What was India’s best result at the previous Asian Games?
India finished sixth at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, their best showing in recent years, highlighted by a five-set win over South Korea and a straight-set victory over Chinese Taipei before losing to Japan in the final six.
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