Doha: The Qatar U-17 volleyball team commenced its journey in the Doha 2026 World Championship with a 3-0 defeat against Venezuela. The match, held on Wednesday at Aspire, concluded with set scores of 25-16, 25-16, and 25-23, marking the team's first Group A encounter.

According to Qatar News Agency, Qatar is set to face France on Friday and will wrap up the group stage against Tunisia on Sunday, with both matches scheduled at Aspire's Women's Hall. Qatar team manager Ismail Al Shaib highlighted that the tournament offers a vital platform for young players to gain valuable experience against world-class teams.

Al Shaib characterized the Venezuela match as a challenging opener, acknowledging the team's improvement with each set and their more competitive performance in the final set. He emphasized that the team intends to treat every match as a final, focusing on giving their best effort while underscoring that the tournament's goals go beyond immediate results to include identifying emerging talent for the senior national team.

On the same day, other matches saw Poland, Iran, Italy, and Turkiye each securing 3-0 victories over Argentina, Algeria, Romania, and Spain, respectively.