Excitement over the SEA V Cup 2026’s second leg, set to take place in Chiang Mai from 7th–9th August, reached fever pitch this morning as thousands of volleyball fans lined up at the 700th Anniversary Stadium for the first day of offline ticket sales.
The earliest fan in line arrived at 10.30pm the previous night, more than 10 hours before the ticket counter opened at 9am, determined not to miss out. A dedicated fan of the Thai women’s national team who has followed their career for years, she said that with the team finally playing in Chiang Mai, she couldn’t pass up the chance to cheer from the sidelines. Her essential queuing supply of choice: mosquito repellent.
She wasn’t the only one committed to an overnight wait. Thinthan Euanudon arrived at 2.30am, explaining that he’d missed the team’s previous appearance in Chiang Mai and wasn’t prepared to let history repeat itself.
Chiang Mai Provincial Administrative Organisation made efforts to ease the wait, setting up large tents to shield queuers from the heat, stationing medical staff on hand and bringing in live music to keep spirits up during the long hours.
Today’s offline sales run for one day only, with 2,000 tickets released daily across the three days of competition for a total of 6,000. Each buyer may purchase tickets for up to two of the three days, limited to one ticket per day, with a Thai national ID card required as proof of purchase.
Online sales, held earlier on 3rd August, offered 2,100 tickets in total—700 for each day of competition. When the system opened at 10am, fans cleared out the entire allocation in under two minutes.
The BYD DMI 6th SEA V Cup 2026 brings together four of the region’s top women’s volleyball teams—Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia—for a three-day showdown in Chiang Mai. The match schedule is as follows:
Friday 7th August
1pm: Indonesia v Vietnam
4.30pm: Philippines v Thailand
Saturday 8th August
1pm: Vietnam v Philippines
4.30pm: Thailand v Indonesia
Sunday 9th August
1pm: Philippines v Indonesia
4.30pm: Thailand v Vietnam
Pichai Lertpongadisorn, President of Chiang Mai Provincial Administrative Organisation, said the international tournament would boost morale while stimulating the local economy across tourism, hotels, restaurants, transport and other service sectors, generating income for residents and businesses alike. He added that the event would help raise volleyball standards among member nations and position Thailand as a regional hub for international volleyball competition.
