Pakistan Play China for Asian Games Volleyball Bronze on 3 October

Pakistan play China for the Asian Games 2026 men's volleyball bronze medal on Saturday 3 October at 12:00 pm Pakistan time. China lost their semi-final to Japan 3-2 on Friday night. The match is in Okazaki, Japan.

We read the Japan vs China result and the bronze medal fixture in the official Asian Games 2026 results system at about 9:30 pm Pakistan time on 2 October. Both were listed there: the semi-final as official, and the bronze match as Pakistan against China.

Pakistan and China have not met at these Games. So Saturday is a first look at each other, with a medal on the line.

Pakistan play China for bronze at 12:00 pm on 3 October

The Pakistan volleyball bronze medal match at the Asian Games 2026 is against China on Saturday 3 October. It starts at 12:00 pm Pakistan time, 4:00 pm in Japan, at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium. The winner takes bronze.

The official system calls it Match 47, the Men's Bronze Medal Final. The gold medal match, Match 48, follows at 3:20 pm Pakistan time between Iran and Japan.

A win gives Pakistan a bronze medal. A loss leaves them fourth, with nothing to take home.

Japan beat China 3-2 to set up the bronze match

Japan beat China 3-2 in the second semi-final on Friday, winning the deciding fifth set 15-13. The match took two hours. That result sent China into the bronze match against Pakistan and Japan into the gold medal final.

China took the first set 25-23. Japan won the next two, 25-22 and 25-18. China forced a fifth set by taking the fourth 25-19, and then lost the tie-break by two points.

Japan's Hiroto Nishiyama scored 28 points, the most in the match. For China, Wen Zihua scored 17 and Wang Bin 13.

China's blocking is the problem Pakistan must solve

China won 17 points from blocks against Japan, more than Japan's 11. Pakistan lost their semi-final to Iran mainly at the net, winning 1 block point to Iran's 15. Getting the ball past China's front line will decide Saturday.

A block is when players at the net jump and stop an attack coming over. Wen Zihua made 5 blocks on his own against Japan. In the Pakistan vs Iran semi-final, Pakistan's whole team made 1.

China have a weak spot too. They served 14 faults against Japan and hit only 1 ace. Free points from bad serves could keep Pakistan in long rallies and close sets.

China are coached by Vital Heynen. Pakistan's coach is Luis Alberto Toribio Gutierrez.

Pakistan reached the bronze match with three wins

Pakistan won three of their five matches at the Asian Games 2026. They beat Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in Pool A, lost to Japan, then swept India in the quarter-final. Iran stopped them 3-0 in the semi-final on 2 October.

1. 27 September: Pakistan beat Kazakhstan 3-1 (25-16, 25-22, 17-25, 25-20).
2. 28 September: Pakistan beat Uzbekistan 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-20).
3. 29 September: Japan beat Pakistan 3-0 (29-27, 25-20, 25-22).
4. 1 October: Pakistan beat India 3-0 in the quarter-final against India (25-19, 25-23, 25-18).
5. 2 October: Iran beat Pakistan 3-0 in the semi-final (25-13, 25-15, 25-11).

The first set against Japan went to 29-27. That is the closest Pakistan came to taking a set off either semi-final winner.

China won four in a row before losing to Japan

China won all four matches before the semi-final, but two of them went to five sets. They beat Chinese Taipei 3-2, the Philippines 3-0 and South Korea 3-2 in Pool D, then Thailand 3-0 in the quarter-final.

That record makes China the favourite on paper. But they have now played three five-set matches in a week, and Friday's loss ended late in the Japanese evening. Pakistan played earlier in the day and finished in one hour.

Saturday is a big medal day for Pakistan

Pakistan have several medal matches on Saturday 3 October. The volleyball bronze match starts at 12:00 pm Pakistan time. The cricket final and the hockey bronze match are on the same day.

The cricket final against India comes first in the morning. The hockey bronze against South Korea overlaps with the volleyball. Any medal goes onto the Pakistan medal tally at the Asian Games 2026, and the Pakistan watch schedule lists the channels we could confirm.

Common questions

Who will Pakistan play for the volleyball bronze at the Asian Games 2026?

China. China lost their semi-final to Japan 3-2 on 2 October, so they meet Pakistan for bronze.

What time is the Pakistan vs China volleyball match?

Saturday 3 October at 12:00 pm Pakistan time, which is 4:00 pm in Japan.

Have Pakistan played China at these Asian Games?

No. Pakistan were in Pool A and China in Pool D, and they did not meet in the knockouts before the bronze match.

Who is in the volleyball gold medal match?

Iran and Japan. That final starts at 3:20 pm Pakistan time on 3 October.

What happens if Pakistan lose to China?

Pakistan finish fourth and win no volleyball medal. Only the winner of the bronze match gets a medal.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 2 October 2026 at about 9:30 pm Pakistan time. The Japan vs China set scores, set times, team figures and player points, the bronze and gold medal fixtures, the venue, the coaches and every pool and quarter-final score above were read in the official Asian Games 2026 results system, where the semi-final was marked official and the bronze match listed China against Pakistan. Japan times are converted to Pakistan time by taking off four hours. No press reports were used for any fact.