Nagoya, September 27 (QNA) - Qatar's Team A beach volleyball team duo has qualified for the Round of 16 in the men's beach volleyball competition at the 20th Asian Games (Aichi-Nagoya 2026), currently taking place in Japan until October 4.

Qatar's Team A, consisting of the duo Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan, who won the gold medal in the last two editions, qualified for the round of 16 after topping Group A by defeating Oman's duo Hood Al Jalboubi and Mazen Al Hashmi twice with the scorelines of 21-19 and 21-19.

Qatar are the top contenders to win the gold medal and retain the title for the third consecutive time, having previously triumphed at the 2018 Palembang and 2022 Hangzhou editions.

Meanwhile, Qatar's Team B, consisting of the duo Mousa Al Khair and Mohamed Ihab, also qualified for the Round of 16 on Saturday after finishing second in Group D, behind Thailand A.

The other teams that qualified for the round of 16 are: China A and Vietnam (Group B); Indonesia A and Vietnam B (Group C); Kazakhstan and Indonesia B (Group E); Iran and Thailand B (Group F); China B and Japan B (Group G); and Japan A and Iran B (Group H). (QNA)