Twelve teams from around the world, 66 matches, with everyone playing everyone,– this is the FIVB Volleyball Men’s and Women’s World Cup Japan 2019, one of the highlights of the current volleyball season.
Poland hosted the first World Cup in 1965 for men only before Uruguay hosted the first World Cup for women in 1973.
There are 30 matches in the first round, which takes place over five match days. Teams are divided into two pools of six teams. In the second and third rounds, teams play three other teams they had not previously played over three match days in each round and 36 matches in total. Each team must play 11 matches in the space of 16 days.
The competition, which this year will not be part of the Olympic Qualification process, features, for each gender, hosts Japan, the reigning world champions, plus the top two teams from each continental confederation according to the FIVB World Rankings.
The women's competition will run from 14 to 29 September, followed by the men's event from October 1 to 15.
Women's 2019 FIVB World Cup:
- Host: Japan
- World Champion: Serbia
- Asia: China & Korea
- Africa: Cameroon & Kenya
- Europe: Russia and the Netherlands
- North and Central America and Caribbean: USA & Dominican Republic
- South America: Brazil & Argentina
Men's 2019 FIVB World Cup:
- Host: Japan
- World Champion: Poland
- Asia: Iran & Australia
- Africa: Egypt & Tunisia
- Europe: Italy & Russia
- North and Central America and Caribbean: USA & Canada
- South America: Brazil & Argentina
The Women's World Cup will start with groups in Yokohama (Yokohama Arena) and Hamamatsu (Hamamatsu Arena) over five match days, before teams travel to Sapporo (Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Centre) and Toyama (Toyama City Gymnasium) for three more matches. The competition wraps up in Osaka's Maruzen Intec Arena and Edion Arena.
The Men's World Cup kicks off for five match days in Fukuoka (Marinmesse) and Nagano (White Ring), before teams move to Hiroshima for the remaining six matches at the city's Green Arena.
Last time around, China claimed women's gold, followed by Serbia and USA. USA dominated the men's competition, with Italy taking silver and Poland bronze.
For further information in Japanese, please, visit Japan Volleyball Association website and Fuji TV website