Kazakhstan's men's volleyball team lost to Japan 0:3 (16:25, 14:25, 20:25), ending any hope of reaching the quarterfinals at the Asian Games, infohub.kz reports.

The key blow for Sergei Trikoz's team was yesterday's defeat to Pakistan. There was little hope that Kazakhstan would overcome Japan, one of the tournament favorites, and that's exactly how it played out. In none of the three sets did the Kazakh players mount a serious challenge.

In the first match of Group A today, Pakistan claimed its second win, this time over Uzbekistan. As a result, Kazakhstan and its neighbors will head to the 9th-16th place playoff. Their match will determine who finishes second-to-last in Group A.

ASIAN GAMES 2026
Volleyball. Men
Group A
🏐 PAKISTAN – KAZAKHSTAN 3:1, JAPAN – UZBEKISTAN 3:0, PAKISTAN – UZBEKISTAN 3:0, JAPAN – KAZAKHSTAN 0:0
1. Japan – 6, 2. Pakistan – 6, 3. Kazakhstan – 0, 4. Uzbekistan – 0

Group B
🏐 IRAN – KYRGYZSTAN 3:0, THAILAND – INDONESIA 3:2, INDONESIA – KYRGYZSTAN 3:0, IRAN – THAILAND 3:0
1. Iran – 6, 2. Indonesia – 4, 3. Thailand – 2, 4. Kyrgyzstan – 0

Group C
🏐 QATAR – HONG KONG 3:1, INDIA – VIETNAM 3:0, INDIA – HONG KONG 3:0, QATAR – VIETNAM 3:0
1. India – 6, 2. Qatar – 3, 3. Hong Kong – 0, 4. Vietnam – 0

Group D
🏐 SOUTH KOREA – PHILIPPINES 3:0, CHINA – CHINESE TAIPEI 3:2, CHINA – PHILIPPINES 3:0
1. China – 5, 2. South Korea – 3, 3. Chinese Taipei – 1, 4. Philippines – 0

The men's volleyball tournament at the Asian Games has been held since 1958. Japan has won it more often than any other team. Kazakhstan has never finished on the podium.

The Summer Asian Games officially opened on September 19 and will close on October 4. Athletes from 45 countries are competing for 460 sets of medals. Kazakhstan's team at the 2026 Asian Games includes 558 athletes in 35 sports.

On the first day of the Games, Kazakhstan won four gold medals. Cyclists Rinata Sultanova and Alexey Lutsenko became champions, as did karate athletes Zholaman Bigabyl and Sofya Berultseva. MMA fighter Yerkingali Burkutalin added a fifth gold to the team's tally, and his mixed martial arts teammate Kadyrbek Shynbayev made it six. On September 23, Lutsenko became a two-time champion of the 2026 Asian Games. The eighth gold was won on September 24 by rowers Vladislav Yakovlev and Ivan Chernukhin in the men's coxless pairs. The ninth gold went to Kazakhstan's epee fencing team.

The gold in race walking won by Yasmine Toksanbayeva was awarded to China after a protest over the Kazakh athlete's footwear was upheld.

After eight days of the Games, Kazakhstan was fifth in the unofficial medal standings.