Alas Pilipinas Faces Tough but Achievable Path in Women’s AVC Cup

Alas Pilipinas has been placed in a challenging, yet manageable, group for the 2026 AVC Women’s Cup, set to take place from June 6 to 14 in Candon City, Ilocos Sur. After a historic silver-medal finish in the previous edition—then known as the Nations Cup—the Philippine women’s volleyball team is eager to build on that success and push for an even deeper run in the continental tournament.

Ranked 46th in the FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Rankings, Alas enters Pool A as the third-highest ranked team in the group. They will face a mix of tough competition, including Chinese Taipei (No. 37), South Korea (No. 40), Kyrgyzstan (No. 60), Australia (No. 73), and Uzbekistan (No. 87), setting up a blend of higher-ranked opponents and more evenly matched matchups during the group stage.

On the opposite side, Pool B features Vietnam (No. 28) and Kazakhstan (No. 35) as the top contenders, along with Iran (No. 47), Indonesia (No. 70), Hong Kong (No. 81), and Lebanon, which is unranked.

The official draw took place at the Diamond Hotel, with key volleyball and sports figures in attendance, including AVC President Ramon “Tats” Suzara, PSC Chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio, PNVF President Anthony “Tony Boy” Liao, and Treasurer Ricky Palou, alongside Candon City Mayor Eric Singson.

National team players Thea Gagate and Leila Cruz were also present to represent Alas Pilipinas ahead of the tournament.

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