Sri Lanka finish sixth at CAVA Women’s Championship

The champion Iran National Women’s Volleyball team after the medals ceremony 

By Susil Premalal

Sri Lanka’s women’s volleyball team has returned home after finishing sixth among eight teams at the Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) Women’s Championship 2026 following a disappointing campaign.

The CAVA Women’s Championship, organised by CAVA, was held from May 22 to 29 in Kathmandu, Nepal, with the participation of eight countries, including Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka played three matches in the preliminary round, suffering successive 3-0 defeats against Kazakhstan and Iran. Their only victory in the group stage came against Bangladesh, whom they defeated 3-0.

As a result of the preliminary round performances, Sri Lanka failed to qualify for the semi-finals.

In the classification round, Sri Lanka defeated the Maldives 3-0 but later lost 3-1 to Kyrgyzstan, which left them in sixth place overall in the tournament standings.

Sri Lanka had finished fourth at the previous edition of the championship in 2024.

Meanwhile, Iran successfully defended the title, winning the championship for the second consecutive time. Kazakhstan finished as runners-up, while India secured third place and hosts Nepal ended fourth. Kyrgyzstan claimed fifth place, with Sri Lanka finishing sixth. The Maldives and Bangladesh occupied seventh and eighth places, respectively.

The Ministry of Sports provided funding only for the team’s air tickets, while all other expenses related to the tour were borne by the Sri Lanka Volleyball Federation.