Alas Pilipinas Women grouped with Chinese Taipei, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Australia, Uzbekistan in AVC Women’s Cup

The groupings for the 2026 AVC Women’s Cup, which will be hosted by Candon City, Ilocos Sur in June, were determined on Friday.

Alas Pilipinas Women have been placed in Pool A alongside Chinese Taipei, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Australia, and Uzbekistan. Pool B, meanwhile, consists of Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Iran, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Lebanon.

Following the round-robin group stage, the top two teams from each pool will advance to the semifinals, while the remaining teams will compete in the classification round.

From there, the winners of each semifinal will face off for the championship, while the losing teams will battle for the bronze medal.

“I am confident that this competition will once again deliver thrilling matches and inspire volleyball fans across the Philippines and across Asia,” said AVC president Ramon “Tats” Suzara.

Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick Gregorio, meanwhile, challenged the national team to give its best as it prepares for the country’s hosting of the 2029 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship.

“This is something that we have to prepare for long and hard. We have to make sure that we are one team here,” Gregorio said.

The Philippines has shown steady improvement in the annual tournament, capturing bronze in 2024 when it hosted the event at Rizal Memorial Coliseum, followed by a silver medal finish last year in Hanoi, Vietnam.

—JKC, GMA News