Younousse and Tijan lead Qatar’s volleyball at Asian Games

By the Editorial Team · Friday, September 11, 2026

Qatar will compete in men’s and women’s indoor volleyball and field four beach volleyball teams at the 2026 Asian Games, with the men’s indoor squad placed in Group C and the women’s team in Group D. Beach volleyball stars Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan, who have a strong record including two Asian Games gold medals and an Olympic bronze, are seen as the country's top medal hopes.

Qatar is preparing to compete in both indoor and beach volleyball at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, with high expectations placed on its beach volleyball pair Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan. The event will take place from mid-September to early October, featuring separate schedules for men’s and women’s indoor volleyball as well as multiple beach volleyball teams.

In the indoor volleyball tournament, Qatar will field both men’s and women’s teams. The men’s squad has been drawn into Group C, alongside India, Vietnam, and Hong Kong. Other groups include Japan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan in Group A; Iran, Indonesia, Thailand, and Kyrgyzstan in Group B; and South Korea, Chinese Taipei, and the Philippines in Group D. The men’s matches are set to run from September 27 to October 3, while the women’s competition will take place from September 16 to 22. Qatar’s women's team will compete in Group D, facing Vietnam, South Korea, and Hong Kong.

The men’s team has undergone rigorous preparation under Argentine coach Camilo Soto, including a training camp in Slovenia from August 15 to 26. During this period, they faced Egyptian and Slovenian league teams in friendly matches before participating in the Asian Championship in Fukuoka, Japan. Qatar’s men's team enters the Games with a strong competitive history, having won the Asian Cup in Chinese Taipei in 2018, defeating Iran 3-2 in the final. They have also secured titles at the Gulf Cup and Asian Challenge Cup, earned bronze at the 2023 Asian Championship in Iran, and qualified for the World Championships in both 2022 and 2025.

On the beach volleyball front, Qatar will be represented by four teams: two men’s pairs and two women’s pairs. The leading men’s duo, designated as Qatar 1, comprises Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan. Their counterparts on Qatar 2 include Moussa El Kheir and Mohamed Ehab. For the women, Qatar 1 features Malak Mohammed and Laila Mohammed, while Qatar 2 consists of Haya Abu Issa and Shaghaf Amin.

Cherif and Tijan are recognized as Qatar’s strongest medal prospects. The pair secured gold medals at the Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018 and replicated their victory at the Hangzhou Games in 2023. They also earned a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and claimed gold at the Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China, earlier this year. Their dominance in the region is further underscored by three Asian Beach Volleyball Championship titles, with their most recent coming in Bandar Abbas, Iran, in 2022, in addition to a gold medal at the West Asian Beach Volleyball Championship held in Doha that same year. Their consistent performance earned them the accolade of Asia’s best beach volleyball players for 2026, awarded by the Asian Volleyball Confederation in Bangkok.

Qatar's efforts at the upcoming Asian Games aim to build on this legacy, with hopes of adding to their tally of medals through both indoor and beach volleyball competitions.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.