Dragan Mihailovic guided the team to its first-ever bronze medal at the AVC Men’s Volleyball Cup in Ahmedabad. | Photo Credit: MURALI KUMAR K

India claimed a bronze medal at the AVC Men’s Volleyball Cup 2026, beating defending champion Bahrain 3-1 in the third-place playoff at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

The host won 25-23, 23-25, 25-21, 25-17 to secure its first podium finish in the competition, capping a campaign that began with an unbeaten run in Pool A. India had topped its group with five wins from as many matches, finishing ahead of Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Chinese Taipei, New Zealand and Australia.

The bronze was also a strong response to the disappointment of the semifinal, where India pushed Indonesia to five sets before losing 25-15, 24-26, 20-25, 25-19, 13-15.

Against Bahrain, India recovered from the second-set setback and closed out the match in four sets to end the tournament on a high.

India’s pool-stage form had been one of the stories of the tournament. It opened with a straight-sets win over New Zealand, followed it up with victories over Kazakhstan and Chinese Taipei, and then stunned Bahrain in the league phase before beating Australia to enter the semifinal with a perfect record.

Published on Jun 28, 2026