India surge up Volleyball World Rankings after historic bronze at 2026 AVC Men's Cup

This was India’s first medal in the tournament

Having commenced their AVC Men’s Cup 2026 campaign outside the top 50 in the World Volleyball Rankings, India has catapulted to the 42nd spot following a dream run in the tournament.

The hosts were on absolute fire in the nine-day tournament at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Amdavad, Gujarat, eventually finishing with a bronze medal.

Dragan Mihailovic’s side started their tournament on the right note, securing straight sets win against New Zealand and Kazakhstan.

They then dropped the first set against Chinese Taipei in their third fixture, before pocketing the next three. They rounded up the preliminary round by hammering both Bahrain and Australia by a margin of 3-0.

Entering the semi-final as pool A toppers, the Jerome Vinith captained outfit were favourites to take down Indonesia. However, the pressure of the big match in front of a capacity crowd got to them, as they went down in a nail-biting five setter.

In hindsight they would feel as if they should have reigned triumphant, if not for silly errors and poor service at crucial junctures.

Nevertheless, the Indian men’s volleyball team managed to pick themselves up for the bronze medal match the next day. They countered the craftiness of defending champions Bahrain, by playing in an ultra-aggressive fashion. India eventually managed to clinch the game 3-1.

It was commendable to see the team on the podium, considering that they had ended at the 15th spot in their only previous appearance in the competition, in 2023.

Having started off at the 58th spot in the FIVB rankings, India finished the tournament at Number #42. This is a significant milestone—their best in over a decade. They are now ranked seventh in Asia.

It is worth noting that the nation’s highest ever ranking came way back in 2013, when they were at 27th place (fifth in Asia).

After a long rut, this performance comes as a refreshing change. With packed stadiums and lakhs of viewers online, it is fair to say that heads have indeed turned.

Not only has the sport obtained the limelight it deserves, but also given the team a lot of momentum, with important tournaments such as the Asian Men’s Championship and the Aichi Nagoya Asian Games coming up in the next few months.

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