MUSCAT, OCT 18
The fifth World Military Beach Volleyball Championship, ‘Muscat 2026’, began with a competitive opening day at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher, where seven matches were contested across the men’s and women’s events.
The championship, hosted by the Sultanate of Oman from October 15 to 22, has brought together military teams from several countries. However, Oman’s three participating sides were unable to secure victories in their opening fixtures.
In the men’s competition, Oman A produced a determined performance before losing 2-1 to Brazil. The hosts matched their experienced opponents for long periods and claimed one of the opening two sets to force the contest into a decider.
Brazil eventually held their nerve in the third set to seal the victory, but Oman A’s display underlined their ability to compete against one of the strongest teams in the tournament.
Oman B also faced a challenging start, going down 2-0 to Germany. The European side maintained control of the contest and secured victory in straight sets.
Elsewhere in the men’s event, France opened their campaign with a 2-0 win over the Netherlands, while Qatar recorded a straight-sets victory over Germany. Algeria also made a successful start, defeating Sri Lanka 2-0 to collect their first win of the championship.
In the women’s competition, Oman’s military team suffered a 2-0 defeat against Algeria in their opening appearance. Despite their efforts to stay in contention, the hosts were unable to halt the Algerian pair, who closed out the match in straight sets.
France’s women also began strongly, overcoming the Netherlands 2-0 to complete the opening day’s programme.
The tournament is being played on the sand courts at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex and is organised by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), represented by the Chief of Staff of the Sultan’s Armed Forces.
Competition will continue until October 22, with Oman’s teams aiming to respond positively in their upcoming matches as the battle for the championship titles intensifies.
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