A file photo of Kuwait Club and Burgan players fighting for the ball.

KUWAIT CITY, Feb 3: The 4th West Asia Club Volleyball Championship begins today at the Volleyball Federation Hall in the Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Sports Complex, hosted by Kuwait Club and running until February 14. The tournament features 11 teams divided into three groups:

Group A: Qatar’s Al-Rayyan (defending champion), Oman’s Majis, Iraq’s Gaz Al-Janoub

Group B: Host Kuwait Club, Lebanon’s Shabab Al-Batroun, Qatar’s Al-Wakrah, Bahrain’s Al-Ahli

Group C: Kuwait’s Burqan, Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad, Oman’s Al-Seeb, Bahrain’s Dar Klab

The opening day features three matches: Al-Rayyan vs. Majis at 2:00 pm, Al-Ahli vs. Al-Wakrah at 4:00 pm, and Kuwait Club facing Shabab Al-Batroun at 6:00 pm.

Kuwait Club is preparing for a training camp in Turkey, playing four friendly matches. The team will rely on professional players, including Estonian Vino, Canadian Hough, and Kazma’s Brazilian Costa, while welcoming back Abdulaziz Al-Anzi from Al-Nasr.

The preliminary round follows a single round-robin format, with the top two teams from each group plus the two best third-placed teams advancing to the knockout quarterfinals. Semifinals and finals are also played in a knockout format, with the champion earning direct qualification to the Asian Club Championship as West Asia’s representative.

In the previous edition (2025, Bahrain), Al-Rayyan won the title, with Al-Arabi (Qatar) second, Al-Ahli (Bahrain) third, Al-Salam (Oman) fourth, Masafi Al-Shamal (Iraq) fifth, and Al-Qadsia (Kuwait Club) sixth.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff