The two teams that met in the final matches of the previous two editions of the World Championship will now lock horns a step earlier, in the semifinals. They have both reached this stage of the tournament unbeaten. Poland topped Pool C, dropping a single set to the United States. Then they shut out Tunisia before engaging in a five-set quarterfinal battle and defeating the Americans for the second time in the competition. Brazil, on the other hand, finished first in Pool B, after losing two sets to Cuba. In the Round of 16, they disposed of Iran in straight sets, and in the quarterfinals, they knocked out Argentina in four.