KATHMANDU, Nepal — Iran completed an undefeated campaign to capture the CAVA Women’s Volleyball Championship 2026 title on Friday, defeating Kazakhstan 25-18, 19-25, 25-15, 25-21 in the gold medal match at the NSC Indoor Hall.
After Kazakhstan leveled the match by taking the second set, Iran responded with dominant performances in the third and fourth sets to secure the championship and finish the tournament with a perfect 6-0 record. Iran entered the final unbeaten in pool play and continued its strong form throughout the knockout stage to claim the regional crown.
Fatemeh Khalili Chermahini led Iran with 15 points in the final, while Elaheh Poorsaleh Shahdehsari added 14 points and Reyhane Karimi contributed 11. Kazakhstan was paced by Tatyana Yatskiv with 17 points, while Kristina Belova and Zhanna Syroyeshkina added 14 and 11 points, respectively.
Earlier in the day, India secured the bronze medal with a 25-22, 25-23, 15-25, 25-22 victory over host nation Nepal in a match that lasted one hour and 57 minutes. Anagha Radhakrishnan led India with 15 points, while Anna Mathew added 13 and Shilpa Rajendrandnair Sindhu contributed 12. Nepal was led by Mina with 18 points, while Regmi Sumitra and Rima Kunwar finished with 15 points each. Despite Nepal holding a 92-90 advantage in total points scored, India won the crucial points in three closely contested sets to secure the bronze medal.
Iran’s dominance throughout the tournament was reflected in the individual awards, with team captain Fatemeh Khalili Chermahini earning Most Valuable Player honors. She was also named Best Outside Spiker alongside Kazakhstan’s Kristina Belova. Iran’s Elaheh Poorsaleh Shahdehsari was recognized as Best Opposite Spiker, while Shabnam Alikhani was named Best Setter. India’s Shilpa Rajendrandnair Sindhu and Kazakhstan’s Yuliya Fomenko were selected as the tournament’s Best Middle Blockers, while India’s Sathi Das earned Best Libero honors.
The final standings saw Iran claim the gold medal, followed by Kazakhstan with silver and India with bronze. Host nation Nepal finished fourth, while Kyrgyzstan placed fifth, Sri Lanka sixth, Maldives seventh and Bangladesh eighth.
The championship also highlighted several outstanding individual performances. Nepal’s Regmi Sumitra finished as the tournament’s top scorer with 69 points, while India’s Anagha Radhakrishnan ranked second with 56 points. Iran’s Fatemeh Khalili Chermahini finished fourth overall with 53 points and led her team to an unbeaten title run.
The week-long championship brought together eight national teams in Kathmandu and showcased the continued growth of women’s volleyball across Central and South Asia, concluding with Iran lifting the trophy after one of the most dominant performances in tournament history.
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